Ok, how do you spin??

[JessicaLynn]

I am attempting to teach myself some basic moves, and I just want to do a simple spin, but can't!! I don't even know what part of the blade you spin on.

Any tips?

[Justine_R]

You spin on the middle to the front part of your blade.

Here is the link.

http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/skating/skating4.html

[dorvalskater1]

a word of advice..start on 2 feet...until you can figure out the balance point...

[CanAmSk8ter]

Another word of advice: take lessons. (Oops, I guess that was technically two words). Anyway, you won't get hurt teaching yourself to spin- at least you probably won't- but it will be a lot easier to learn once you've been taught the basics properly.

[sk8er1964]

Have you tried Learn-to-Skate classes? These are group lessons that will teach you the basics (very important).

Good luck and I hope you get hooked like the rest of us in this wonderful (although sometimes frustrating) sport :D .

[NickiT]

I agree that you'd probably be wise to take a few lessons. That way you'll learn the correct techniques from the start rather than getting into bad habits, and this in turn will probably mean you'll succeed a lot quicker! Good luck!

Nicki

[Elsy2]

I was just thinking....there is no such thing as a "simple" spin ;) Spinning is the hardest thing I every tried to learn in life.......sigh......I could have never done it properly on my own!

[JessicaLynn]

Ok, thanks guys!! Now I don't feel so bad that I can't spin.

My rink offers adult basic classes for 4 weeks. (IMO, not long enough.) I am 21, so that is all that is offered for me. Do you guys think that I can learn stuff in that amount of time? I can already skate fairly fast and do forward and back crossovers and a waltz jump. I have been working on edges by myself. Spinning is really hard, though! Do you think in a four week course I can get spin help?

[Elsy2]

Sure...any amount of technical help you will get in those 4 weeks will be beneficial. And if you can get a bit of private time during the group lessons to get you started on spinning, then you won't develop bad habits from the start. Try to corner the coach to get a little one on one coaching. Good luck!

[Mrs Redboots]

The thing is, you'll probably find that once the 4-week course finishes, you will be encouraged to sign up for the next course, and so on. It's not just 4 weeks and then you're on your own; it's 4 weeks, then another 4 weeks, then another..... and so it goes. And at some stage you may find you want a private lesson between times to help you with a skill you're bogged down on. And by then you will have met several of the coaches employed at your rink, and will know whose teaching style suits you. And so it goes....

[triple twist]

I remember when I was little my dad used to take me to public skate lessons and i wanted to go a camel spin REALLY bad but i could never figure out how to be able to spin it! Well then I went to canskate and asked my coach how the heck i got spinning iwith my leg out like that and she taught me TO WIND UP!!!!! Maybe, once you've found your balance point by spinning on two feet with your arms out, and at times picking up one of your feet so you're spinning on one foot, try going into it with a wind up.

if you dont know what a wind up is, its a cross cut into the spin and then a sort of..well kind of a whip with your free leg to get yourself spinning. Maybe if you have some skating tapes, watch the skaters go into the spin. I'm done blabbing!