spin and jump in different ways?

[sue123]

When i was a kid, i spun and jumped CCW. so when i started spinning again, i assumed it would be CCW again. the other day, i tried a spin in the CW direction, and i got more revolutions in both the foward and back spin. But jumping i prefer CCW. I have no idea why. Does anyone else do this or should I just learn to jump and spin in the same direction?

[sk8erboy]

well i got the same thing. i seem to turn more rotations when i go clockwise, but when i jump i feel more comfortable, and stable when i go counterclockwise?

Kurt

[TashaKat]

You could learn to spin and even jump in BOTH directions!

Whether or not it matters depends on what you want to do in your skating.

If you're going to skate pairs it would be better to spin and jump the same way though I know a boy who did pairs successfully at lower levels who jumps and spins in opposite directions.

Spinning the same way that you jump will also be helpful for your rotation when learning multi-rotational jumps and even the axel.

One of my pet peeves with skating is that we learn to spin and jump in just one direction and so become very one-sided which, to my mind, increases the risk of injury. I'm not talking out of the top of my head here! I did ballet/dance from an early age and HAD to learn to 'pirouette' and 'jete' both ways so was relatively even-sided. Once I took up skating I became VERY one-sided. I know that there will be cries of 'not enough time', 'it's not how it's done' but if it was to be learned from day one then there wouldn't be an issue as the body would be used to it.

TK climbs off her soap box, packs it away under the stairs and goes to get ready for her riding lesson ...

[fadedstardust]

Considering that most jumps are essentially a backspin in the air, you shouldn't spin and jump and different directions. Most people who do that eventually have to correct it and pick a side. Jumping and spinning in both directions would be honorable, but it's a pretty big waste of time considering it's not required or even commonly done by anyone.

[Mrs Redboots]

I can spin equally badly in both directions - in fact, given my slight preference for right-handed turns (or do I mean right-footed - no, I don't, because I prefer LFIs to RFIs!), I think that had I started out as a free skater, I would have been a clockwise skater. But as I started out as an ice dancer (when I first started, the adult skating movement hadn't quite reached this country, although it was on its way!), I jump anti-clockwise. And I now spin anti-clockwise, too - at least, that's the spin I work on! But the first few spins I did were clockwise, it seemed natural.

My advice would be to work on your anti-clockwise spins, and if you have time, on your clockwise ones, too. Robin Cousins, a great British skater many years ago now, used to have equally good spins in either direction, and would put them in his programme!

[Clarice]

I dunno, I think the fact that spinning and jumping in both directions isn't required or commonly done is exactly why it wouldn't be a waste of time learning to do so. Although, maybe I should say "being able to spin and jump in either direction", because, as has been stated, a multi-rotation jump is essentially a spin in the air, so you need to practice your spins and jumps in the same direction. Being able to jump or spin in either direction is one of those things that can set a skater apart. Not everybody is able to do it, and if you find you can't, I suppose it could be a waste of time to focus on it to the detriment of elements that you MUST have. But, if you find you have a natural bent for it, I think it's something you should develop and exploit.

[CaSkater1]

I can spin in both directions and my coach always tells me to keep working on both directions because once I get to competitions it will go over so well with the judges. I do my jumps CCW except for the axel which I do CW. Don't know why but I can't see to get a full rotation CCW on the axel but have no problem doing it in the other direction.

[Melzorina]

I spin CW and jump CCW, and it feels natural to me. I have no idea how people can spin and jump the other way!!!

[pennybeagle]

Rumor has it that Rohene Ward can do triples in both directions 8O

I jump and spin CCW, but I've been toying with spinning CW, just so I stop feeling so darn dizzy doing all the moves in the field in that direction.

OTOH, there is a skater I know who has lovely CCW jumps, and taught herself to spin CW when she was learning. No coach ever corrected her. Now that she's trying to learn axels and doubles, she's having an extremely difficult time feeling the quick rotation going CCW, and is having to re-learn everything (trying to decide if she should learn to jump CW or spin CCW). She seems very frustrated with it now.

[fadedstardust]

My point exactly. He works on triples in both directions and can't land any of them consistently. Once you get past singles and go into doubles, it takes FOREVER to land them, and even longer to get them consistent. The average time for an axel is about a year. So you want to waste a year learning it in the other direction even though it adds no extra points WHATSOEVER in competition? It's a fun novelty thing to do once you have absolutely everything you need, if you really want to, but when you're just learning the discipline, you should pick a side and stick to it, if you want to make any progress at all. I don't think any coach would disagree with that. There was a famous skater, was it John Curry? I forget, but he spun and jumped in different directions and it made him very inconsistent, and when he switched coaches, his coach made him relearn all his jumps in the directions in which he spun. It took a long time and a lot of struggle to do- but it was necessary, so why put yourself through that?

[sue123]

i see the points everyone is making. i probaby should just keep trying to spin CCW to go with jumps. I don't htink i could jump CW, i would get the different feet mixed up. and since that's what i've been trying, i should just stick with that. maybe later, if i have time, i'll learn to spin in both directions, i think it would be a cool little trick. might not even be that difficult for me, since in most sports, i play like a leftie. and i was supposed to have been a leftie, until they taught me otherwise when i picked up a crayon. i am a trained rightie, i guess you can say.

[techskater]

John Curry jumped CCW and spun CW until his Olympic year. He was somewhat successful before, but his jumps were more secure when he leared to spin CCW

[vesperholly]

I do all my jumps CCW but can do spins either way. Some, like the flying camel, just feel "right" CW. I've worked hard on my CCW backspin (my very worst spin). I am working on several doubles and simply don't spin fast enough in the air, although I get plenty of height.

I have kept working on my CW spins though, because as I say to my coach - I know I'm never going to do triples, so I might as well do something cool! :)

[Andie]

I spin CCW and jump CCW (although I don't do many jumps yet, mainly just the waltz and half-flip / flip). When I first learned to spin, I tried going either way and both directions felt okay, though CCW felt more natural. But now I'm so comfortable with counter-clockwise that clockwise would be really weird.

[mikawendy]

I do all my jumps CCW but can do spins either way. Some, like the flying camel, just feel "right" CW. I've worked hard on my CCW backspin (my very worst spin). I am working on several doubles and simply don't spin fast enough in the air, although I get plenty of height.

I have kept working on my CW spins though, because as I say to my coach - I know I'm never going to do triples, so I might as well do something cool! :)

I'm sorta the reverse--I jump CW but backspin better CCW. (Which means I reeeally need to work on my CW backspin to improve my in-air position for jumps) But it just feels more natural for me to backspin CCW. I practice both to help me figure out what I'm doing wrong on my CW side (dropped shoulder, lagging shoulder, etc.).

[quarkiki2]

Like Tasha, I started as a dancer and you do EVERYTHING on both feet.

When I started skating, I felt equally comfortable turning in both directions. I ultimately decided to jump and spin CCW like all of the instructors at my rink do. I'm glad I did -- eveyone but two skaters on our Synchro team spin/jump CCW. The two who don't have to work doubly hard and I don't envy them at all.