Practice tips: twizzles and back 3s.

[Mrs Redboots]

I'm having problems with my twizzles and back 3-turns, for the very good reason that I can't get my weight far enough back on my blade to do either very well. Coach says that in twizzles, my weight needs to rock back and forth - but I simply don't know how to do it! He has tried to show me, but with singular lack of success.

Anybody any ideas?

[samba]

Hi Annabel

My problem is I know how to do these in theory but my mind simply wont let me, I have given up doing back 3 turns for the simple reason that I panic and end up falling on my tail bone which vibrates all the way up to my head and gives me headache, if I wore dentures I would have lost them many times!!

Cheers
Grace

[sk8ndancr]

On back 3's, try thinking of lifting your toe up during the turn, and rebend right after to catch your balance. Once you are comfortable with the back 3's, practice double 3's with no check in between, and as they get closer and closer together, they will become twizzles! (Hopefully!)

[jazzpants]

I'm having problems with my twizzles and back 3-turns, for the very good reason that I can't get my weight far enough back on my blade to do either very well. Coach says that in twizzles, my weight needs to rock back and forth - but I simply don't know how to do it! He has tried to show me, but with singular lack of success.

Anybody any ideas?Can't say much about twizzles, but for back 3's, bend those knees and keep your back straight!!! Pretend like you're sitting on a chair when you're leaning on your back edge. That should help you to keep your weight on the back of the blade. :)

[Casey]

Can't say much about twizzles, but for back 3's, bend those knees and keep your back straight!!! Pretend like you're sitting on a chair when you're leaning on your back edge. That should help you to keep your weight on the back of the blade. :)

Haha, maybe it's just how I'm reading it, but that sounds absolutely terrifying! :P I tend to think more about the feet than actual body position (which likely is what matters most) though, so maybe that's why. When I was first learning back 3-turns (and still to some degree, because I don't practice them enough so they're difficult), I thought of it as lifting up on the ball a bit so that the heel carried more of the weight. I'm sure my body was shifting *over* my feet, but that concept didn't occur to me until later. ;-)

What exactly are twizzles? Are they just alternating 3-turns without pausing in between?

[jazzpants]

Haha, maybe it's just how I'm reading it, but that sounds absolutely terrifying! :P Yeah, it's scary, b/c you run the risk of falling back. What makes it less terrifying is keeping your free leg in FRONT the entire time to balance out the feeling of falling behind you.

What exactly are twizzles?

Borrowing from a post on Golden Skate Forum, twizzles (http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-7205.html) are...

"A travelling turn on one foot with one or more roations which is quickly rotated with a continuous (uninterupted) action. The weight remains on the skating foot with the free foot in any position during the turn then placed beside the skating foot to skate the next step.

Twizzles are steps used in dance senquences (usually a free dance program)."

Hey, by that definition, it means that when I travel on my spins, I'm not doing a spin that's not centered! I'm doing a twizzle!!! Yuk, yuk, yuk.... :P :twisted: :lol: (Just kidding! Actually my forward spins are very centered lately thanks to a lot of work on my forward spin entries!!!)

[luna_skater]

Borrowing from a post on Golden Skate Forum, twizzles (http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-7205.html) are...

"A travelling turn on one foot with one or more roations which is quickly rotated with a continuous (uninterupted) action. The weight remains on the skating foot with the free foot in any position during the turn then placed beside the skating foot to skate the next step.

Twizzles are steps used in dance senquences (usually a free dance program)."



I think that definition was borrowed from Ice-Dance.com, if I'm not mistaken.

[jazzpants]

I think that definition was borrowed from Ice-Dance.com, if I'm not mistaken.Here's the one from Ice-Dance.com

a) Twizzle - A travelling turn on one foot with one or more rotations which is quickly executed. The turn may rotate in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. The weight remains on the skating foot with the free foot close beside it ready to skate the exit edge which is stepped closely beside the skating foot. This turn is skated separately by one or both partners. A series of three turns is not acceptable as this does not constitute a single action.So Casey... no it's not really a set of "alternating three turns... or even a series of 3turns..."

[doubletoe]

On the back 3-turn, you definitely need to feel like you're sitting down in a chair. But while you do this, check to make sure your chest is lined up over your knee, which is lined up over the toe of your skating foot. Also, wait until you've passed the bulge of that imaginary circle before turning.

[Casey]

What exactly are twizzles?

"A travelling turn on one foot with one or more roations which is quickly rotated with a continuous (uninterupted) action. The weight remains on the skating foot with the free foot in any position during the turn then placed beside the skating foot to skate the next step."

Woo hoo! I can do twizzles then :D Not terribly well, mind you, but I've managed up to 4 full revolutions, and can get 2 pretty regularly.

I like the "free foot in any position", because I've been experimenting a lot with this trying to determine what the "right" placing is.

[Casey]

So Casey... no it's not really a set of "alternating three turns... or even a series of 3turns..." [/font]
Ahh, the stricter definition. Well something in the middle then. I generally start off doing 3-turns in quick succession to warm up, and then after a couple times they just blend together and my free leg sticks in one spot. Oh well, it's fun anyways :P

[sk8ndancr]

Casey, I do the same thing. When the 3's run together in one motion its a twizzle I believe. If you look at the print, it is not circles like a spin, but like 3's very close together.