the mean back 3's

[sue123]

Every time i try to do a back 3 CCW, i seem to always get stuck on my toepick at the point. I know it's probably because i put my weight too far foward. My instructor told us the turn is done on the ball of the foot, but i seem to miss the ball and get on my toes instead. The way she taught us was to twist your body outside the circle, then shift the weight to the ball of the foot, and turn. But it's the shift that i can't get. I can do the edges just fine. Are there maybe any tricks or exercises i can do to get my weight in the right place?

The reason i said CCW up there was because i can't even go near hte CW. my body is being very stubborn and deciding it doesn't want to go that way. Although i did somehow manage a bracket instead of CW 3 turn.

[backspin]

8O 8O OMG, a back three turn, whether from an outside or an inside edge, is turned on the HEEL, not the toe!! who is this instructor?? No wonder you're going up to your toe pick!

You set your shoulders, settle your weight into your HEEL, then softly rise in your knee as your toes lift just slightly through the turn. If this is a group class, you need to disregard you teacher's instruction in this instance. Are you sure she said to turn on the ball of the foot for the backward turns? For a forward 3 turn, she would be correct.

[luna_skater]

8O 8O OMG, a back three turn, whether from an outside or an inside edge, is turned on the HEEL, not the toe!! who is this instructor?? No wonder you're going up to your toe pick!

You set your shoulders, settle your weight into your HEEL, then softly rise in your knee as your toes lift just slightly through the turn. If this is a group class, you need to disregard you teacher's instruction in this instance. Are you sure she said to turn on the ball of the foot for the backward turns? For a forward 3 turn, she would be correct.

Your weight should be on the ball of your foot to START the turn. To make the turn happen, you will press into the edge, reverse your shoulders, and lift your toe. Don't entirely disregard the coach's instruction, just ask for some clarification.

[sue123]

Your weight should be on the ball of your foot to START the turn. To make the turn happen, you will press into the edge, reverse your shoulders, and lift your toe. Don't entirely disregard the coach's instruction, just ask for some clarification.

well, i asked her specifically where my weight should be because i wasn't understanding it, and she said that when you're doing the back edge, your weight is in the back, and then when you actually do the turn, your weight should be on the ball at the time you start to rise up. maybe i wasnt lifting my toe, which is why i kept getting stuck on the toe pick.

[Hannahclear]

My coach told me to squeeze my thighs together as hard as I can when I start the turn. That really helped me. I'm good with CCW and I'm starting to get CW down. Just do them over and over again, very slowly, you'll start to be able to do it. It's cool when you can do CCW 3 into mohawk in a big circle. Fun!

I try to stay on the ball of my foot.

[backspin]

How in the world can you guys do back 3's on the ball of your foot??? :?: :?:

[Ellyn]

I've gotten to the point that I like some back threes in some contexts, although the alternating threes from the prejuvenile/adult silver test still give me fits.

My understanding is that when you're gliding backward the weight is over the ball of the foot, and when it's time to turn a back three, the weight should shift further back toward the heel and the toes should lift.

The opposite for forward: gliding forward should be further back on the blade, behind the ball, and shift forward between the ball and the toes for the turn.

[backspin]

Ellyn,

That's how I do them, & how I was taught to do them.

My double back 3's are the one truly strong part of my Intermediate moves test right now!

[Hannahclear]

My understanding is that when you're gliding backward the weight is over the ball of the foot, and when it's time to turn a back three, the weight should shift further back toward the heel and the toes should lift.


Ah yeah, that's what I meant. The lower part of the body stuff comes ok for me on turns, it's the checking of the upper body that I really have to work on.

[russiet]

But where's the free foot supposed to be???

I can accomplish a RBO 3-turn with my free foot toe to heel (self taught). I showed my instructor last night, but he was trying to show me how to do it with the free foot crossed in front.

I fell on my face every time!

[Bailey]

The free foot should be in front. You definately have to move your weight from the ball of your foot to your heel when you do the turn. I would encourage you to really bend your knee before the turn, then come up to transfer your weight as you change the edge and make the turn. Good luck!! Beck threes are really fun once you learn how to do them!

[Mrs Redboots]

Russiet, try doing a back cross-roll into a back 3; that way your free foot will automatically be in front.

I still find BI 3s almost impossible (BI brackets are much easier), but my BO3s are beginning to happen. At least, they turn, end of. No flow, yet, as my weight is always too far forwards.....

[russiet]

Russiet, try doing a back cross-roll into a back 3; that way your free foot will automatically be in front.

.....

Now that makes sense! :D Why didn't I think of that?

TY

[Mrs Redboots]

Now that makes sense! :D Why didn't I think of that?

TYAh, well what made me think of it was being shown how to do the Kilian choctaw, which also requires the free foot in front - the woman who showed us told us to start with a RFO edge, and cross behind on to a LFI edge so that our free foot would be in the right place! It works.... (My coach said "Go on practising that! I like you to challenge yourself with that sort of step.")

[CanAmSk8ter]

On turns, my coach tells me to think of lifting my heel or toe, whichever the case may be. We're working quite a bit on back rockers right now, and he tells me to think of lifting my toe. Back three would be the same.

[pennybeagle]

Some more tips that have worked for me:

RBO edge:
-Bend your right knee!! I think your weight should be more towards the ball of the foot (as mentioned by others), but you should not be scraping the toe pick.
-Your left leg should be extended in front of you. This keeps your hips closed and in line with the circle.
-Meanwhile, your upper body (some say shoulders, but it's really your entire upper torso in one motion, controlled through your core) should be rotating counter-clockwise. Your head should follow the motion of the upper body.

The turn:
-You will feel a point (hopefully at the top of the lobe) where your upper body is rotated enough that the turn will HAVE to happen (i.e., you simply CAN'T turn your upper body more while leaving your hips and legs on that RBO edge).
-Rise up on your knee. If your upper body is sufficiently turning, your weight should naturally shift a little to the back of the blade.

The CHECK onto the RFI edge:
-Immediately after the turn happens, your upper body needs to check the turn by rotating STRONGLY clockwise.
-Bend your right knee as you set into the RFI edge! Make sure your hips are under you, and not inside or outside the circle.
-Your free leg should still be in front. Your toe should be pointed in the direction you are travelling, and your free leg should not cross over the skating leg.
-Make sure your weight is over your skating leg. That would be your right leg...and notice that when you started the three turn, your right leg was on the inside of the circle. Now it's on the outside. If you are "cutting off" the second half of the three turn, it might be because your weight is still on the inside of the circle, over your left (non-skating) leg. I had this problem for a LONG time [still do, sometimes, but getting better], and it causes other problems like a double lean, an incorrect free leg position, a slow edge, etc, in addition to points off from a test for getting the pattern wrong.

I used to hate back threes, but now I LOVE them and find them easier than forward threes.

Good luck!