Finally got my 1-foot spin (yay!)... Now learning the backspin...

[JessicaLynn]

Hi everyone, I don't know if you remember, but I was having a difficult time learning my 1-foot spin. Well, I finally got it yesterday at open skate! (After 7 weeks of practice.) I went to my lesson tonight and did about 7 (close to) perfect ones with 5-6 revs. I was SO excited and so was everyone else!

The breakthrough occured when I tried doing super slow spins yesterday. I really thought about getting on the "sweet spot" which I never could before. (Before it was pretty much all on my toepick.) I realized I had my body all wrong. I am 5'11 and thus my center of gravity is really high. I just spun really slow and realized it was all about visualizing my upper body completely straight, almost as if there was an invisible string pulling me up. When I did that, I got on the sweet spot immediately and spun. How fun! :)

I think I knew all along that my body had to be straight, but it was only until I managed to get the arms right, and the weight over my left foot, etc. that I was actually able to enforce the "Straight body" thing. (It's amazing becasue there are so many things to think about when doing a spin that you can only try one or two each time you spin or it's too much to think about! 8O )

So now I am officially doing ISI FS 3 moves, and the next spin is a change foot spin. So I need 3 revs forward, 3 revs backspin, and 3 more revs forward. I tried some preliminary backspin stuff (trying it from a back pivot) but they are hard! I did a search on this board for backspin stuff, but I was wondering if anyone could offer quick advice to someone just starting backspins.

Also, I recently purchased a spinner and I can't really spin on it. (I don't know why, it just doesn't work for me). Is the spinner good at all for practicing backspins? If so I will try really hard to make it work for me.

Thanks!! :)

Also, just wanted to add that I have begun working on the sal and toe and they are SO fun! My main goals for those are to enter with lots of speed and to get pretty high off the ground.

[Perry]

I've skated for 11 years and still haven't been able to figure out those spinner things. They're a lot harder to spin on than on the ice, and, even though I can spin perfectly well on the ice, I've never been able to use one. Fool around with it, try different things, and if you still can't get it, you're not the only one.

Anyway, I actually always thought it was easier to go into a back spin from a forward spin. I don't know if youre ready for that yet, but if you are, you might have more luck trying that. Other than that, I'd talk to your coach, or, if you don't have one, someone who's actually at the rink with you and can give you pointers there. There's only so much people can do without actually seeing you.

But, like with anything, don't be afraid to fall on your butt. That's really the true lesson of skating. I used to have major troubles with sit spins, so I decided, several years ago, to just work on them like mad. I fell for a while, since I was trying to get it lower, but as a result, since then, I've always had a really great one. Likewise, it took me several months to get a signle flip, but, now, a double flip is my best jump.

[Mrs Redboots]

I find the spinner invaluable for practising 3-turns and so on, but not much good for spins!

Here, I have a feeling that the change-foot spin (i.e. forward spin and backspin without stopping) is learnt before the backspin on its own. But I could be wrong....

[gregyoshi]

I have mixed feelings about spinners. I have one and have used it sporadically because I always seem to manage to lose my balance and almost kill myself falling off of it at least once each time. There is never enough room to work with a spinner without the fear of crashing into a table or counter edge or something like that. And, if you try spinning on carpet, your results will vary widely. So... I don't know how safe they are but if you're working on sitspins, I can tell you they seem beneficial but if you're working on backspins or scratch spins (YIKES, watch out for that desk!) be very careful. I wouldn't try camels or laybacks on the spinner either. That's just me. I've never thought of 3 turns but the instructions I have say you can actually practice jumps! Hahaha..I don't think that stuff should be tried unless you have those big mats they have at gymnastics academies laying around.

OK so anyway, about the backspin. I have a pretty strong, centered one and I have worked on it for a solid year-every practice. It took me a long time to get more than a few revs.. I think the entry is the most important part of the spin. Make sure your arms aren't too high and are of equal height (not one shoulder up higher than the other) and out in a "V" in front of you, about belly button high. Coaches...you're the experts-I'm just talking about what helps me. I also found having a deeper knee bend going into the spin helps bring up the speed and will give you more revs. The slower I go, the more off center I seem to be, so getting that deep bend, bringing my free leg more out in front, rather than out to the side, gets me centered and spinning faster. I always watch to see if my free leg matches up in line with my arm on that side. If my leg is out too far and not in my field of vision or my arm is back and not lining up with my leg, I know I'm going to have a bad spin. Do over.

I don't know though, I have a hard time writing instructions for skating. The thing I do know is that diligence pays off. Work every practice on them-at least several minutes but not to the point of overkill. I always have my coach take a look at least once every few lessons. I also wouldn't work on the entry from the spin from a forward scratch all the time. It seems easier (cheatier) and I think the backspin needs to be strong from a stand-alone point of view. I hope that makes sense. Keep trying-you'll get it. Greg

[babeonblades]

okay the back spin ugh its awful i have spent literally 4 years trying to perfect it and finally i just did it i was soo happy my coach had me do a forward right 3 turn into it and then wait a really long time before pullling in to spin. and about spinners i got one for christmas and my first few tries were awful definetly scary but then i practised tons on it and i can do about 5 reveloutions on the backspin with and the problem i find is i can't do regular one foot spins but i can do forward camels and back camels and sits on it. it really helped with feeling the position of back camels but neways everyone is different so just do whatever you feel cofortable with :)

[flippet]

Spinners definitely get mixed reviews. I enjoy mine, but then I enjoy punishment. ;) You do have to be relatively 'perfect' on it. One thing that has helped me with it (and many people probably don't think of) is that I have a pair of relatively soft-soled shoes that have a heel about the same height as a skating boot's heel. That puts my balance in the proper place. If you're doing it with sock feet, or even athletic shoes, your balance can be different than on the ice, and so you will spin differently, if at all.

As for a place to do it--I often would practice with it in my rink's lobby--it was covered with the rubber matting for blades, and was pretty open (and empty, usually). I generally don't use it at home, I don't have a death wish! 8O

I had a coach once tell me that he used spinners with his students for learning/practicing most spins, including camels, and even camel-change-camel (using two spinners). I was astonished...that's got to be incredibly difficult. Probably more difficult than it's worth, for your average skater.


That's great that you're progressing with spinning! I could never get the change-foot spin, or a backspin, though I had some good attempts with thinking of leaving the free leg where it is (back), and 'flipping' my hips under so that my body wrapped around to the proper location in reference to the free leg. Hard to explain.

[jwrnsktr]

First, congrats on getting your spin. I've been chasing it for literally years now. :frus: Making small improvements, but I only have a one foot, not a scratch spin. As for the spinner - I gave it to my mother to help with wheelchair to chair transfers when she broke her leg and now they use it for a lazy susan. Jeanette

[skatetiludrop]

Jessica, congratulations on your one-foot spin. I've just got it a couple of weeks ago myself. I had difficulty staying on that sweet spot too and I thought I'd never be able to do it, ever. When I was starting to learn all the moves for FS 2, one-foot spin was the hardest move (besides right spiral :roll: ). I then quit learning the moves for FS 2 and just learn other things without getting test. Right now I can do all the single jumps (flip is my fave cos it lifts me so high in the air), sit spin and back spin (on blessed days). Believe it or not, I even got my backspin long before one-foot spin. Everyone at the rink, including me, find this a little odd. However, I'm learning how to do a proper backspin and change foot from my coach this Sunday. I know it'll be fun! Oh, now that I have one-foot spin, I'm getting back to learning all the moves for FS 2 in order to test next month.
Good luck to all of us!

[JessicaLynn]

Thanks everyone for your responses! :) I will let you know how things progress.

Mrs Redboots, yes the change foot is technically before the backspin. My coach said it would be great to just work on a backspin and then once I get that try doing the change foot.

Skatetiludrop, that's cool we are kind of in the same place in our skating. How old are you and when did you start? Do you compete?

Well, thanks again!

[skatetiludrop]

Hey Jessica, I'm 22 skaterboi. I've started skating long time ago but just started taking lessons for almost 2 years now. And, no, I don't compete. I was going to after I tested for FS 1 but then I thought I'd like to wait until I've passed FS 3 or 4 and then compete. What about you?