Backspin Support Group - Sept 2002

[jazzpants]

Well, I guess I'll start this group again!!! :D

My backspin still SUCKS!!! I HATE THEM!!! :evil:

Cheers,
jazzpants

[MissIndigo]

One thing I wonder about is why I do not feel as dizzy after I do a backspin than after I do a forward scratch. Granted by backspin is not nearly as fast as my scratch, but it is just a wonder.

[JDC1]

I am just learning the backspin, and have actually (sadly) more success with this than I do an LFO to a scratch spin, however; that's not saying much. :-) So I can get in to the position and turn around 3 times but I don't get it, where's my weight, on the ball of my foot? How do I spin more than 3 times, have more speed going into it...that scares the beejesus out of me, I already fell once and bruised my hip for over a week on a backspin attempt. Anyway, I give total support to all and understand if you kick the ice and swear a bit, spinning can be so frustrating! Or should I say "lack of spinning can be so frustrating".

[Anita18]

Weep, I haven't skated in over a week but hopefully my backspin will not have left me when I plan to go this weekend (to a new rink near my new college! Whee!) But the last time I skated, I had to do at least 10 minutes of bad backspins (aborts, falls, etc) before I finally got a good one. LOL I really wanted to reassure myself that it hadn't left me, but I always panic that it has so I put myself through that pain every session. :P I have to get a good entrance before I get a good spin, and on my bad entrances, I go around only 2-3 times before I have to abort it cause it's traveling so badly. :evil:

But when I get a good one, it's because I remembered to kick out and miraculously put my skating foot in the right place (facing straight ahead) at the same time!!! I think right now, it's a matter of timing and remembering to stay straight. I always collapse to one side when I start to work on them, arghghghg...

The weight of the foot should be on the spot of blade right below the bottom toepick (I think scratching the bottom toepick is okay too). It's like spinning on the little toe of your skating foot.

I have all sorts of little tips that somehow work for me, so I'll give them to you now in case it'll help you:

[list=1] Get your skating foot to point straight ahead right after the FI3 and before you start to spin. When I get a bad backspin, it's usually because my upper body surges on ahead, leaving my skating foot turned out and wobbling on the blade. (Not good..)
As you point the skating foot straight ahead, kick your free leg/hip out away from you. This might seem scary at first, but approach it slowly and gently, LOL. This is how you get your initial speed. Sometimes when I'm on a roll I like to kick out hard, which can result in an immediate bodyslam on the ice. It's fun once you can kick hard and get the spin under control at the same time. :) I think that my enormous traveling results from not kicking out hard enough in proportion to the force of my FI3.
Turn out your free foot.
I hook the spin with my toepick, and I've seen every elite skater on TV do the same thing. My problem is getting balance on the sweet spot after hooking the spin, LOL.
Keep your entire body straight as you pull in.
The fun part is checking out. I still haven't mastered this yet, LOL, not even on a good day. I check out of the backspin like I'm trying to get out of a straitjacket, LOL...[/list=1]
OTOH I have a much easier time pulling in tightly on a backspin (once I get a good one :roll: ) than pulling in tightly for a forward scratch. Maybe it's because there's more force involved with the forward scratch, but...

Work on the backspin slowly at first, especially with trying to get the skating foot pointed the right way and kicking out. I've endured a lotta falls from trying them aggressively, LOL.

Good luck!

Anita

[figurebabe]

Well I have got my scratch spin almost well..perfectly now, and out of curiosity ive always tried the odd 'hmmm how would a backspin go...ARGHHH' and end up on the floor on my but! Well, I have no clue as to how to even practice for one, cant even get into one, alwayd just go over the toe pick and only ever 'scratch over the toepick' about half a rev! Can anyone help me with this, OH and what would you say is an appropriate time to start to learn one, I suppose Im a very confident spinner..thats FORWARDS spinner...lol:roll:

Any totally beginner practices? tips.. and also how to practice going into one..I dont even know the into-steps, like a FO into a forward spin...

Im a CW spinner, and this is a dumb question but would I backspin on the same foot..(CCW) ..I ask this really stupidly because Ive been really adventurous and try the backspin on both feet and still cant work out which foot seems better, but they turn out more comfy on the opposite (left) spinning foot!

:oops: UHRGHH as you have just discovered im totally clueless... :?

[tidesong]

The interesting thing about the backspin for me is that after learning it for so long, when I get it, I really get it. My backspins are usually very well centred, with the circles I make alot smaller than my blade length, whereas my one foot spin is still travelling and doing big loops in the ice at least 50% of the time. In anycase, for the back spin and any other spins, one crucial thing for me is to remember that the whole body has to move together so a certain amount of tension has to be maintained...i guess standing up straight helps to do that... I'm not sure if anyone has said this before but its like the difference between spinning a cooked egg and a raw egg.


Ok, I spin my one foot spin on my left leg and thus I spin the backspin on my right leg. So if you are doing the one foot spin on your right leg, the backspin is on the left leg. There is the pivot entry with spinning leg as the pivot, and there is the three turn entry with spinning leg doing a forward inside three-turn onto a backoutside spinning edge... (correct me if I'm wrong but this is the way I think I'm doing it :) ) Maybe there are others... see whether anyone talks about other entrys

[JDC1]

What I was shown was to push off with my left foot then do and RFI 3 turn and as turn I bring my left leg in front and pull my body in, I can ususally get around 2-3 times then I just kind a fall out of it.

Thanks for the tips Anita, I have to watch my foot and see if it's straight and practice kicking a tiny bit more, I do a very gentle entry for fear of falling and whacking my hip or butt again.

[MissIndigo]

Originally posted by tidesong
The interesting thing about the backspin for me is that after learning it for so long, when I get it, I really get it. My backspins are usually very well centred, with the circles I make alot smaller than my blade length


Me too! My forward scratch spins are usually pretty well centered too, but when the backspin works for me, I mean I am spinning on a dime. It's a very natural position for me. I still flop over occasionally to the inside edge, but doing that makes things like back camels impossible.