back spirals--any advice

[mikawendy]

Hi, everyone--
I just learned back spirals and I was wondering if you all had any advice on the technique of back outside spirals. I find I'm bending my knee too much, so it's almost as bent as on an exit from a jump or spin.

Where do you like to put your arms? Is your torso as far over as it is in your forward spiral, or do you hold it in a different place?

Mine is very curvy--is it better to straighten it out so that it's still on an edge but is on a larger circle?

Thanks!

[Justine_R]

Just like on a forward spiral.
Kepp your head up and look forward.

[icenut84]

I'm not an expert, but I think I have a decent LBO spiral now so hopefully I can help a bit. It takes a while to get totally confident with the edge and position, but one of the things I was also doing wrong at first was not straightening my skating leg - I tended to leave my knee bent a little, maybe to feel more secure, and it totally freaked me out the first time I straightened it completely and I had to put my foot down. You should get used to doing them before you straighten the leg completely, even if your skating leg is bent, then you will feel more confident as you gradually straighten it. Also make sure you have your weight in the right place on your blade. If it's too far forward or back it'll make you feel unbalanced and you won't feel able to hit the proper position - make sure you keep it on the ball of your foot. Also, keep your head up and don't look at the ice because otherwise your toepicks will slow you down! It also helps if you do it from back crossovers/half-swizzles (?) or something, so you already have the momentum and the direction. As for body position, I don't think mine is that different from my LFO - maybe not quite as leaned over though, my upper body on my LFO is a little more tilted to the side I think.

Hope that helps. :)

[96.23??]

Try holding on to the boards and doing a spiral, since you have the support of the boards, straighten your knee to get the feeling of what it will feel like, once you feel comfortable go out and try one!

[Rae]

practise it off the ice as welll.. locking the skating backward, keeping your balance on the centre front of the skate. How far your leg goes up depends upon your flexibility. Don't worry about that part though, just get your balance on the correct part of the skate on a sraight leg. The lower the head is the worse your balance will be. A good rule of thumb is to have your head higher than your hips to start with to get the weight onto the front of the skate. Once you've got that you can push the leg up higher. Arms out to the side at first - just like a tight rope walker....

good luck:D :D

[JDC1]

Remember to keep your stomach tight and your shoulders press down your back, that will help with your balance.