Tips to learn Backspin

[rf3ray]

Hey Guys, I can sorta get like 3 revs doing a backspin, but what I want to know are there any more other tips that some experience skaters could give me to hlp thanks :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus:

[*JennaD*]

Be sure to swing your arms! Sorry I don't really know how to explain it...but swinging them helps!

[NickiT]

Lead with your left shoulder and stand up tall and straight. When I was learning the backspin I used to make myself do 10 at a time. I'd see how many decent ones I could do out of 10 and then try and improve on it each time I skated.

Nicki

[PattyP]

Think of pulling your shoulder blades down in back, like you are taught in ballet(if you have ever taken it) This prevents you from hunching over, which is a common error. If your hips, shoulders and head are not aligned the spin does not go more that a couple of revs.

This really helped me.

[luna_skater]

I just started learning a backspin last night, and this is how my coach got me started: He had me dig my right pick into the ice, and bend my knee. I used my left leg to pump backwards (bringing my foot in, then back out again), creating a pivot. My right arm was back, and my head was slightly to the right. On one of the pumps, I would finally bring my left leg off the ice, keeping it in front of me, and put my weight on my right toe pick, which would push me on to my back outside edge and create the momentum to spin. I hope that makes sense!

[vesperholly]

Keep your free leg turned in. Don't turn out your left (CCW) foot, keep it straight forward. If you turn out your free foot (which will make your knee, and hip turn out) you'll be leading with that side, which is going to pull you off the spin.

I disagree with leading with your left shoulder. You should have your left arm in front and your right arm to the side as you step into the spin. The step should be RFI 3-turn - you step onto the RFI edge with your left arm front, right arm side and then kind of turn/fold your right side into your center. Leading with your left shoulder will pull you off the spin.

If you can do these, practice running 3's starting from RFI - RFI, RBO, RFI, RBO, each one speeding up and getting smaller, with your left arm/leg checked in front. Eventually you can do a backspin out of this.

[NickiT]

I disagree with leading with your left shoulder.


I guess we are all taught differently and we all find our own methods of perfecting a skill, but this was the one thing my former coach drummed into me each and every time I did this spin. I now do it fast and with several rotations so it worked for me!

Nicki

[PattyP]

Keep your free leg turned in. Don't turn out your left (CCW) foot, keep it straight forward.

Another very good tip! I have a problem with this and it's really hurting my ability to learn a double jump. I wish I had focused more on turning the foot in before the turnout became a habit. :roll:

[rf3ray]

Hey guys just recorded myself doing a backspin and need some expert advice or experience. Please let me know what I am doing wrong.

The Videos are here if they dont play you need to download quicktime player to play the files
http://www.sk8rland.com/users/ray/backspins/2005_06_10/

[vesperholly]

I don't see the videos! :(

ETA - LOL, I guess I was just too fast! :D

Ok - I think on the entry, your left (free) leg is drifting under your right, as if you did a crossover. Try to keep it more to the inside. Once you do get into the spin, it starts out ok for the first revolution and quickly pulls off it. This is because you're letting your left side open up.

Pause the video at 13 seconds - you can see how your arms are over your left leg. Your right arm is totally across your chest. Your arms should be over your right side. Form an L with your left arm straight forward and your right arm straight to the side. This should be your spin position.

I know it seems backwards, because you're trying to spin to the left so why not push your arms in that direction? But actually, this will ruin the spin. It's basically the physics of spinning - in order to counteract the natural tendency to "follow" the tracing, you must check "against" the spin. This actually keeps a spin spinning! Weird, I know.

Here's a video of my backspin:
http://users.adelphia.net/~jdelmar/video/ccwbackspin.wmv

See how my left arm is in front and almost curved in? My foot starts off straight but actually turns out too much and pulls me off the spin, and I'm a little high up on the front of the blade. Not the best, but trust me this spin used to be the WORST. I'd fall on it all the time! :D

[vesperholly]

I guess we are all taught differently and we all find our own methods of perfecting a skill, but this was the one thing my former coach drummed into me each and every time I did this spin. I now do it fast and with several rotations so it worked for me!
True, but without seeing the spin it's difficult to say what the problem is. Your coach's advice might have been perfect to fix whatever your specific problem with the backspin was, but not necessarily anyone else's. That's why I'm really glad rf3ray was able to post a video!

Another very good tip! I have a problem with this and it's really hurting my ability to learn a double jump. I wish I had focused more on turning the foot in before the turnout became a habit. :roll:
Me too - damn dance! :) I used to over turn out on the slow rocker-choctaw pattern and it pulled me off the BO edge all the time. It was shocking what a huge differene just turning my foot in did for the move!

[NickiT]

True, but without seeing the spin it's difficult to say what the problem is. Your coach's advice might have been perfect to fix whatever your specific problem with the backspin was, but not necessarily anyone else's. That's why I'm really glad rf3ray was able to post a video!


To be honest it wasn't about fixing a problem. I heard her tell all the adults in our techniques class the same thing so I think it was just her way of making sure we stayed square in the spin. She said it was because so many people try to do this spin bringing the right side round but forgetting about the left. Whatever, when I do it and think about my left shoulder leading into it, I get it every time so it was a good bit of advice for me! Like I say, different coaches have different techniques and different techniques work for different people so as with anything, it's a case of finding the right thing for you.

Nicki

[jazzpants]

I also noticed on one of the videos that he's hunch forward as he's spinning and his arms are dropping down (instead of staying at chest level.) That will definitely throw you off the BO edge and put you right on the inside edge instead. (I do that myself! That's how I know...) :twisted: :P

I should film my recent backspin as of late and compare with my old backspin video back in 2002 to see what changed since then. Should be interesting. :mrgreen:

[rf3ray]

Hey guys after 4 hours today, working with one of the young guys thats on our national teams.... I managed to get like 6 proper backspins... its good getting input from other people, cause he said one thing and it clicked and it worked :-) woohoo I'll record a video tomorrow if I can :D :D :D :D :D :D

[mikawendy]

You should have your left arm in front and your right arm to the side as you step into the spin. The step should be RFI 3-turn - you step onto the RFI edge with your left arm front, right arm side and then kind of turn/fold your right side into your center.

One thing that helps me with the arms before the turn/fold/snap on a CCW backspin is to think of sending energy out toward the fingertips of the right arm, almost as if my fingertips are trying to get farther away from my body. I'm not sure why this works. Perhaps it's because at the turn/fold/snap, the right shoulder muscles are engaged and the right shoulder/side comes along for the ride (if it gets left behind *after* the turn/fold/snap, then the hips and legs get ahead of the upper body in a twisted position, and the spin doesn't work).

The other thing is that when I'm starting the RFI edge, with the right arm out to the side and the left arm in front, I think of the curve that the RFI edge is describing. It's almost as if the left arm/hand is pointing toward the inside of the curve, then after the turn/fold/snap, the upper body catches to the left arm/hand and the upper body and hips are square and facing the same direction that the right foot is.

[Casey]

Here's a video of my backspin:
http://users.adelphia.net/~jdelmar/video/ccwbackspin.wmv]
Any chance you can encode these as anything BUT Windows Media Player 9 format files? I can't play them on the platform I'm on, though anything else: MPEG, AVI, Quicktime, even WMV8 and previous version files work fine...

No worries if not, just thought I'd ask. :)

(I tried to send you this as a private message, but your mailbox is full, apparently).

[vesperholly]

Any chance you can encode these as anything BUT Windows Media Player 9 format files? I can't play them on the platform I'm on, though anything else: MPEG, AVI, Quicktime, even WMV8 and previous version files work fine...

No worries if not, just thought I'd ask. :)

(I tried to send you this as a private message, but your mailbox is full, apparently).
Hi, I emptied my PM's. I can do them in AVI when I get home from work, is that OK? :)

[Casey]

Hi, I emptied my PM's. I can do them in AVI when I get home from work, is that OK? :)
"Is that OK?" hah! Doing absolutely nothing is OK, anything else you feel up to is extra, and will be much appreciated. :)

[Anita18]

My new coach took a look at my (still kinda inconsistent backspin) and he had me change my thinking about the spinning position totally. I had been trying to keep my hips and shoulders square, with the spinning foot facing forward and the free leg 45 degrees to the side, but he wanted my shoulders checked all the way to the right, almost like I was going into a loop jump with the free leg in front. At least that's how I thought it looked like, LOL...He even told me to turn from my waist if I had to.

Took a while to get used to the new position, but my open backspin position is now very very stable, and the closed position is also stable as well. Before, I had had problems keeping the open position on the sweet spot. Checking out of the thing is still a problem, but one thing at a time, LOL...

I tried it next with a slowly gliding entrance, and it almost feels like the upper body doesn't move when going into the spin at all. The lower body sort of snaps into it...