Any tips for the spirals on curves moves test? UK

[chantelly]

Hi I'm doing my level 3 moves on the 12th (along with level 2 and 3 free dance), the other three moves are going fine. This one however (RFO spiral , push with left, RFO spiral push onto LFO spiral push with right onto LFI spiral) is awful the first two are nice and high and even curves, in fact even the second two spirals have even curves. BUT when I do a left footed spiral my legs goes out to the side? It looks like a dog weeing up a lampost, and now I am practicing it constantly my hip really hurts when I do it. I can stand holding the barrier and my leg is fine, high and relatively straight behind. HELP! What am I doing wrong?
Also my leg on my right spiral is well above hip level so its not my back that needs to be stronger. xx :(

[fsk8r]

sorry no hints on the spirals as I seem to be able to do them ok ish. But my problem is how NISA expects us to practice them. I can only ever get 3 out of 4 done before someone gets in the way and that's even in a lesson!
If you have any hints on how to do the forward 3 back 3 exercise I'd be delighted to hear them. I'm getting a bit bored of doing 3-turns the whole time, but I've not got that exercise mastered yet, and my coach is getting bored, as everything else is already at standard.

Good luck with the test. I'm sure you'll be fine in all of them. Just believe that the coach knows what they're doing in entering you. They've no incentive for you to fail, so I'm sure you don't look that bad doing your spirals.

[chantelly]

Thank you, we are counting on the other three being well above pass mark and the spirals scraping through basically! The three turns I'm ok at but they do tend to swing about a bit if I don't check my arms really well. Also I do the odd 'jump' where my edge catches. I'm really gambling taking the test but my coach and I both agreed that it was worth a try. Plus that will be my last ever session with my coach as he is retiring from skating, so I hope I leave him with nice memories!! If I fail then so be it but it would be nice to get them out of the way! When are you planning on taking yours? xx

[doubletoe]

Hi I'm doing my level 3 moves on the 12th (along with level 2 and 3 free dance), the other three moves are going fine. This one however (RFO spiral , push with left, RFO spiral push onto LFO spiral push with right onto LFI spiral) is awful the first two are nice and high and even curves, in fact even the second two spirals have even curves. BUT when I do a left footed spiral my legs goes out to the side? It looks like a dog weeing up a lampost, and now I am practicing it constantly my hip really hurts when I do it. I can stand holding the barrier and my leg is fine, high and relatively straight behind. HELP! What am I doing wrong?
Also my leg on my right spiral is well above hip level so its not my back that needs to be stronger. xx :(

It's hard to tell what's wrong without seeing a video. Do you have a video? Also, does this happen on both the LFI and LFO spirals? It sounds like you need to get your weight over the left hip more, and in order to do that, you might need to pull your right shoulder back and lift the right hip more.

The best thing to do is to have someone watch you do a RFO spiral and then watch you do a LFO spiral and tell you exactly what you are doing differently with every part of your body on the LFO spiral (for example, push-off technique, timing of straightening the skating leg, free leg/hip position, shoulder position during spiral, etc.) Then do the same with the RFI spiral and LFI spiral.

[fsk8r]

Thank you, we are counting on the other three being well above pass mark and the spirals scraping through basically! The three turns I'm ok at but they do tend to swing about a bit if I don't check my arms really well. Also I do the odd 'jump' where my edge catches. I'm really gambling taking the test but my coach and I both agreed that it was worth a try. Plus that will be my last ever session with my coach as he is retiring from skating, so I hope I leave him with nice memories!! If I fail then so be it but it would be nice to get them out of the way! When are you planning on taking yours? xx

I'm sure you'll be fine with them. It might be a bit of a gamble, but the kids I watched at our last session, scraped through with some moves which I thought were looking a bit touch and go (and so did the judge as there were a couple of reskates), but they weren't too picky with them in the end, so there's always a chance. But I suppose, as with all these things it depends on how blind the judge is on the day!

I won't be testing until the new year, as the coach has decided she wants to sort out my level 2 compulsories at the same time, so that's going to slow things up. I don't mind, because it means less 3-turn torture other than the self inflicted variety and I think other than telling me to keep my posture nice there's little she's telling me that I don't already know and just can't do consistently yet. And I'm hoping that level 4 won't be quite so tortuous but by then my 3-turns will be beautiful...

Thinking about your spirals, how are your left ones in a straight line? It might be worth trying some of those and then progress onto the circles with them and then do the pattern. Sometimes it helps to break them down. The other bit to practice is just the changeover from right to left as that might be what's letting you down. (That and it's always easier to try and get two sprials out rather than four). You might find that by the last two, you're losing speed and that's not helping matters.

[chantelly]

Thanks for your replies, it happens on every left foot spiral forwards, backwards and straight! My coach is baffled too, the only thing that feels different is the angle of my upper body. I have an 8 inch operation scar right round my right hand side and obviously that cut through the muscles, I've got a feeling thats got something to do with it as its quite sore now I'm practicing lots, as is my hip on that side! The lack of speed at the end certainly doesn't help though, it would be helpful if I could do the left foot ones first.
I don't have a video I'm afraid but I'm so embarrassed it really is vile!! I'm just so glad we didn't decide to do my level 6 compulsories at the same time!! xx

[fsk8r]

You might be right about the scar causing the problems. I've got a weak left knee from breaking it and ops, and most of the time you don't notice a problem, but when it gets tired I can get most lopsided and the muscles ache and the whole accident / op thing happened 6 years ago.
Hopefully in practicing it lots it will strengthen the muscles and help rectify the situation. Make sure you look after the muscles (tiger balm / deep heat etc) as that quite often helps them work that little bit better.
If I think the knee is going to play up I quite often put the tiger balm on before skating and that helps it.
Hope you rectify the spirals soon.

[chantelly]

Well I have booked the skating fairies to come to me that day so all will be fine!! ;) If not theres always next year!! I'm considering making an elastic band thing to help keep my leg in the air, do you reckon they'll notice!? :D xx

[fsk8r]

I'll be praying you get a blind judge for that day. But I'm sure you'll be fine.

Coach freaked me out with spirals today by saying that for IJS / NJS or whatever it's called, that you need your knee above your hip. Apparently getting your leg above your hip isn't enough any more. Oh well, thankfully I doubt I'll ever have to worry about IJS comps, so I should be OK, but I might start practising more spirals in the loos at work just in case. Then again the comment was aimed at all the 10 year olds who think they can skate just because they can do a really ugly catch foot spiral and show off about it. I think he was trying to point out that just because you can grab your blade and pull your foot up, the rest of the leg does actually have to follow.

[doubletoe]

I'll be praying you get a blind judge for that day. But I'm sure you'll be fine.

Coach freaked me out with spirals today by saying that for IJS / NJS or whatever it's called, that you need your knee above your hip. Apparently getting your leg above your hip isn't enough any more. Oh well, thankfully I doubt I'll ever have to worry about IJS comps, so I should be OK, but I might start practising more spirals in the loos at work just in case. Then again the comment was aimed at all the 10 year olds who think they can skate just because they can do a really ugly catch foot spiral and show off about it. I think he was trying to point out that just because you can grab your blade and pull your foot up, the rest of the leg does actually have to follow.

I don't think that's really a new rule, just a different way of verbalizing it. If your free leg is straight and the foot is higher than the hip, the knee will also be higher than the hip. But by saying the knee has to be higher, that automatically requires the same angle on catch foot spirals (where the free leg is bent at the knee).

[Mrs Redboots]

Oh well, thankfully I doubt I'll ever have to worry about IJS comps, so I should be OK, but I might start practising more spirals in the loos at work just in case. If you come to the Mountain Cup or Dunkerque or one of those one of these years, as I hope you will, you'll get an IJS score, so always worth choreographing your programme with that in mind. Plus even though we are still judged with the relative system in this country, the judges can't help thinking IJS, so still worth it....

[fsk8r]

If you come to the Mountain Cup or Dunkerque or one of those one of these years, as I hope you will, you'll get an IJS score, so always worth choreographing your programme with that in mind. Plus even though we are still judged with the relative system in this country, the judges can't help thinking IJS, so still worth it....

I hope to one year, but I've first got to spend long enough in one country to a) test up and b) get a program put together. I'm doing quite well, as I've now been home a year and I've nearly got to the point where I'm going to take all the tests that I've been (nearly) ready to take for a while, just never been at home to take. I'm hoping to start doing a program in the new year once I get some elements, compulsories and field moves tests out the way.

[chantelly]

Well it all got far worse!! I was doing the spirals this morning and fell over, right into the biggest puddle ever, I skidded about 10 meters flat on my back and when I stood up the water was actually dripping off me! The ice wasn't even that wet! Even my hair was wet! xx