I can't turn a twizzle to save my life!...

[alhrayth]

...Really!
I joined this dance club this fall, after doing adult classes and some synchro in an adult group. I have never had to even try doing a twizzle. My team kept changing members and we always had to adjust to the level of the new entries - a.k.a. not much progress in terms of the steps we had in our numbers. Most of the dancers of this club are definitely more advanced than me, but on most things I just have to work really hard and I can keep up with them. My inside threes are atrociuos, but several of them have problems with their LFI3, so we work on that together; I have always done mohawks without caring too much about the free leg - now I take their example and keep everything nice and controlled. Etc.
Last friday we started working on a bit from the Argentine Tango - 8O :arrow: OMG that was a disaster. I was trying out with a new guy (just my luck... couldn't we have been working again on the Silver Samba like the previous lessons?? That was a lot easier!) and we kept crashing into each other at the end of this so-called attempt to a twizzle I had to do... Things didn't start out too well because I tended to pass in front of him on the LFO swing (but we fixed this iin the end) that comes just before, but when I had to actually try to check back and rotate CW... I think I managed not to totally cheat it only once!
:bow: Any advice, please? :bow:

[Mrs Redboots]

I still haven't learnt the Arge twizzle, so can't really help on that. But I've noticed that most of the better dancers incorporate inside twizzles into their warm-ups, usually multi-rotation! I can do single-rotation twizzles quite well now, but not multi. It really is a matter of having your weight totally over your blade, though, and not allowing yourself to check. I find inside twizzles a lot easier than inside 3-turns, as I have issues with checking inside 3s!

But don't despair - an elite dancer said to me this morning that she hates twizzles and finds them difficult (although you really wouldn't think so to see her do them!). They are not an easy move. The only way I can do a right outside twizzle is not to think about it - if I think what I'm doing, I can't do it! Outside twizzles are really just 1-revolution spins, of course.

[SDFanatic]

I'm not sure if this will help, but my problem with doing twizzles was from trying to do them like three turns, which has the down up down movements.

Next time try keeping a straight leg and and use Mrs Redboots advice.

Steven

[Isabelle]

In the Arge, the guy has to be leading on the swing going into the twizzle -- keep your right side back. I don't really have much advice for the twizzle itself except keep your core muscles tight, keep your body in one piece, and try not to do a 3-turn and then step forward. (although a lot of people who test this do that so I guess it's not THAT big of a deal) Mrs Redboots is right that lots of people have twizzle exercises. If it's the Arge twizzle you're working on, I suggest swing roll and then twizzle like in the Arge, and then do it the other way. Just keep doing them up the ice.

[Perry]

The only dancers I've ever known who found the Arg twizzle easy were ones who had been clockwise jumpers when they did freestyle. If you're not one of those, I suggest working on the twizzle the opposite direction, turning couter-clockwise. It's a bit of an unusual method, but I found that it really helped to see why the twizzle that way was easy, and then translate it to the twizze in the proper direction. Also, when you do the real twizzle, speed can really help make it easier, and snap your head as you turn. This makes it look like your turning faster than you actually are. Other key points: make sure you don't switch over to an inside edge before turning (try to trace your pattern roughly over the end circle and then flatten it out at the end to help), keep your leg up until the last possible minute, and bring it up at the soonest possible minute afterward (it helps make you look like you're tunring faster), and don't swing back (let your rights leg go behind your left) before you turn (this makes the turn swingy and slow, and it makes it difficult to hold the edge after).

The other thing -- different coaches teach the twizzle differently. Mine teaches it as an actually turn, but my dance partner (just for tests) treats it essentially as a very quick three turn and step. Find out which one your coach prefers (since your coach probably also knows what judges prefer in your area) so you don't have to go through the process of changing it.