Spin Clinic Iss. 1 - Centering and Preventing Traveling

[Isk8NYC]

The Spin Clinic threads provide suggestions to hopefully resolve common problems with spinning. There is a different topic each week, so if this issue isn't what you need help with, check the search tag "spinclinic" or suggest it in the "Spin Clinic Introduction" thread. http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=31366 (http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=31366)

Figure skaters and coaches agree that a person cannot self-teach themselves figure skating. They need someone to watch and critique what they're doing correctly and point out what needs to be corrected/improved. Regular lessons are the best way to effect change; regular video review is invaluable as a tool.

Skating is like many other things in life. I often compare it to using a computer - if you try something and it doesn't work, there are three other ways to get what you want done. You just have to be willing to try new things. Think of these threads as a collection of different ideas and tips. There's no single way to do an element "correctly." There are a multitude of various methods, some of which may work better for you. It doesn't hurt to give them a try.

If you have a coach and s/he says "Do it my way," do it their way. They can see you skate, the board contributors cannot, they must know something we don't know.

A note about equipment: above a basic one-foot spin, you really need skates that fit, have good support and decent freestyle blades.
Recreational skates are not designed for spinning. It takes too much talent and skill to overcome the obstacle of using a pair of flat, recreational blades and boots that wobble like weebles, but do make you fall down.

A freestyle radius of hollow (ROH) on blades, which is a 1/2" measurement, makes freestyle skating easier (especially for adult-sized skaters) since it prevents sliding and slipping. I use a 3/8" ROH because I like deep edges and sharp turns. At least once a year, take your skates to a good sharpener and ask them to check the blade profile and edge evenness. Get a good sharpening and wear your guards regularly. Spins center more easily on well-sharpened skates.

[Isk8NYC]

This week's Spin Clinic will focus on Centering Spins and Preventing Travel.

Reading Resources:

"Centering Spins" by Janet Champion: http://www.iceskatingworld.com/coachcorner/monthlyarticles/psmag_96mayjun.html
(Originally published in the PSA magazine, May/June 1996, online version from iceskatingworld.com)

"Spins" from our member kayskate's site, Figure Skating Journal
http://www.skatejournal.com/spin.html

"Spins" from kander's site, "Technical Figure Skating"
http://oasis.dit.upm.es/~jantonio/personal/patinaje/spin.htm

[Isk8NYC]

Centering Spins and Preventing Travel

Sometimes, what we think are "problems" are really symptoms of something else. Traveling spins are a great example: most of the time, spins that travel are caused by poor/weak spin entrances. That's why coaches are so intent on fixing or changing the entrance to spins because it actually corrects two or more problems. (Body position is another problem.)

We can talk about correct spin entrances as part of this discussion, but I'd like to start by suggesting how you can SAVE a spin that doesn't center at the start.

How to save a basic spin that's traveling:

. Keep your arms open and shoulders checked slightly to the spinning side. (One shoulder on each side of knee)
. Level your hips and shoulders, keeping them square. (Shoulders over hips)
. Press down on the ball of your foot to one edge - think of standing on a coin. (Fwd=BI, Back=BO)
. Hold your free leg in front with a closed hip. Free foot should be turned out, heel in front of skating knee.
. Bend your spinning ankle and knee slightly to regain your balance.

Kander has a great video of Paul Wylie saving a spin that was traveling: http://oasis.dit.upm.es/~jantonio/personal/patinaje/images/pspin.avi

[Isk8NYC]

Finding and controlling the spin spot:
A "correct" spin will take place on the "spin spot" (aka: "sweet spot", "rocker", "front rocker"). This spot should be under the ball of your foot. If you lift your toes and heels inside your skates, your weight should press down right on the ball of your foot and, in turn, the rocker. If you press down with the ball behind your big toe, you hold an inside edge. If you press down with the other side, you hold an outside edge.

FINDING THE SPIN SPOT/ROCKER:
If you stand on your toepicks near the wall and turn your feet back and forth in place, you'll find that the toepicks dig into the ice. If you stand on the back of blade, the blade scrapes the ice.

Now, shift your weight to the ball of your foot and move your feet back-and-forth. You should feel very little resistance.

The spin spot is the same place on the blade where three-turns are done: the point where the blade curves enough to create a tangent with the ice surface. Recreational skates are very flat, with a tiny rocker. Freestyle blades' profiles have a stronger and easier-to-find rocker. Equipment really makes a difference.

LOOPING SPINS:
Looping spins happen most often when a skater is wearing skates that are too long for their feet. If your skates don't fit right, you'll always have problems. Too-long skates' rockers are set ahead of the ball of your foot, so to find the rocker, you have to try and balance on the toes. You'd need Fred Flintstone toes to hold a spin that way, and most people don't have that strength. The result is that they rock forward and catch the toepick, then shift back to the rocker (or even behind the rocker) and repeat. On the ice, the tracing is a bunch of loops.


On-Ice Exercises:
I use a lot of "skate backwards" exercises because it's difficult to trip when learning how to shift your weight, lol. Safety first!
These work for either forward spins or backward spins - just make sure you use the proper edge.


Stand on one foot, then turn and pick up the other, focusing on holding that spin spot on the ice as you turn.
Glide backwards and hold one edge very strongly on the rocker spot, with your arms and free leg checked in the open spin position.
Practice gliding backwards on a very deep edge, then straightening it up by shifting your weight more towards the middle.


Kinetic Glide:

Glide backwards on the spinning edge, staying over the rocker on the curve.
Bring the free leg forward slowly, ending with the free foot turned out in front, with the heel in front of the skating foot tracing. Check your upper body:
Your back should be straight, with your shoulders and spin making a "T"
Your shoulders should be held with the skating hip between them, pressing back slightly with the leading shoulder.
Don't hunch forward! This is one of those drills where a glove on the head will tell you if you have poor posture. (Hint: It'll fall off.)

Note: If you find that you CAN'T get off of the very deep edge even after a few practice sessions and off-ice workouts, consider that your insoles or blades may need an adjustment. While I firmly believe that skaters wear the skates, not the other way around, it sure is easier to do things right with properly alignment.

Off-Ice Exercises:
Use a balance tool to find and hold those side-of-the-rocker spots. You can find a cheap kid's toy at ToysRUs with a cool labrinth in the middle, lol, or you can get a real balance board or underinflate an old football or small exercise ball. You want something that makes it tricky to balance and lets you isolate the movements.

Use a chair or counter for support so you don't fall, but you want to focus on side-to-center-to-side movements as well as front-to-middle. Do all the movements slowly, holding each spot for a few seconds. 2 sets of ten rolls in each direction is a good starting point. Warm up first!

[Isk8NYC]

Questions, comments, violent disagreements?

Feel free to ask or add to the topic of centering and preventing travel.

[JimStanmore]

When I discovered the spin society, spin poll and then this spin clinic, I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. With today's announcement, however, I am wondering if this will be continued somewhere?

[LilJen]

I'm with Jim--I want time to process all this information, because I am of the spin-challenged (especially the backspin--I just CAN'T find the sweet spot!). . . Please continue it at FSU?? (I'm LilJen over there, too.)

[GoSveta]

My coach told me not to spin on my inside edge. It should be at the sweet spot on a flat.

Opinions on that?

[kayskate]

The sweet spot is on an inside edge if you are doing a forward spin. You are actually turning on BI edge. Unless you are doing an advanced FO spin or variation. This is most commonly found in the Lussi method for the FO camel.

I strongly recommend the Lussi spin vids. Each vid costs about $60, the approx cost of a 1 hr lesson. IMO, they are really valuable. FWIW, I did teach myself to do a camel-sit combo and camel-jump-camel from the video.

Kay

P.S. Thanks, to the OP for citing my web site. I put a lot of work into that spin discussion.

[Isk8NYC]

I don't like Lussi's entrances to forward spins. It's based too much on figures, which most skaters don't experience early enough these days.

I love the blade click at the end of a scratch spin, even though it scratches the blades, lol. It just sounds cool.

[jjane45]

Dear Isk8NYC,
This thread gets continued on the new forum, right?
--- Please please please please pwetty please? :)

[Isk8NYC]

Probably sometime later this week. I have a full workload for the first partof the week.