Argh! Need help checking three-turns!

[Anita18]

I hate these things! :oops: Sigh....Okay, I can do them, but only on deep edges. If I try to do them straight in/straight out, my body feels twisted up. I'm trying to get them straight so my CCW flips won't be so wonky. (So far, I can only do a straight exit edge if I jump the three. :roll: ) Holding the LFI edge feels okay, but once I push onto an LFO edge, my hips feel out of whack already, and when I turn, it feels so forced. I found it helped if I forced my shoulders/arms to really check it, but my lower body still feels wrong. I'm not sure what it is....can anyone help?

Anita

[Elsy2]

I recognize all your symptoms, LOL! I suppose one has to really watch you do these in order to get the true picture of what is happening. The 3-turn entry into flip does require a really strong check. My coach had me work the 3 turn entry on the blue line to gain control of it, with the objective to stay on the blue line. That really helped. And since my 3 turn entry isn't so hot, I enter a flip with a mohawk instead. Do a right forward inside mohawk, pick, and jump. The mohawk entry is easier to keep straight.

[flippet]

One thing that has helped me check 3-turns and keep them straight is to think *not* about turning the body, but instead, leaving the body 'where it is' when checked to enter the turn, and thinking about turning the foot around instead. The hip and upper body will automatically follow, but not nearly as far as when I was thinking about actually turning my whole body around. I think I watched elite skaters on this, MK in particular, and the foot just flips around so fast with no extraneous upper body movement, that it gave me the idea.

[TashaKat]

Madame coach has worked A LOT with me on this! She can't understand why I put so much effort into it LOL.

Did you see the mohawk thread recently where I described the method that I was taught of slowing everything down? This works just as well with the 3turn and really helps with the control thing (I had a problem initially doing the straighter 3turns because I wasn't properly in control of my upper body and I was swinging round). The other 'tip' that I've been given (talking about the LFO3 here) is to think of stretching the right arm out towards the barrier as far as you can reach (but without lunging, it's just the arm that's being stretched ;) ), think of someone pulling you, and when you turn the three imagine that you are turning towards that arm and that someone is still pulling you - it's a real 'lengthening' feeling - this can be strange to feel at first but will help your with your control and gives a much neater 3 :)

Good luck

L x

[blades]

8)

it's important to unweight the skating foot at the apex of the turn..iow...start the turn with a bent knee and rise up (straighten the knee) as you turn and then come back down softly on the knee..this takes a lot of resistance away from the turn...

as for the arms and checking...approaching the turn...you rotate the arms to where you want to be (approx 180 degrees)...follow the curve of the edge...unweight the skating foot...and turn...gently hold the arms in the checking position (since you've already rotated the arms to where you wanted to be, when your body follows, you don't need to bring the arms back more than 10 degrees or so)

many skaters try to pull their bodies around the turn...by unweighting the skating foot, rotating the arms and following the edge, the turn will almost happen by itself...you just have to relax and go with the flow...hope this helps...

[flippet]

[quote:5e3e5b2243="blades"]8)

it's important to unweight the skating foot at the apex of the turn..iow...start the turn with a bent knee and rise up (straighten the knee) as you turn and then come back down softly on the knee..this takes a lot of resistance away from the turn...[/quote:5e3e5b2243]

It sure does. I liken this feeling to pushing on an opened baby-food jar lid...it pops itself up with no effort.

[jasmine]

One instructor told me once - "You need to do your three turns from your stomach" ie the centre of your upper torso. You can use your arms to line up the upper torso in the correct position, and think of the checking coming from the back below the shoulder blades. This avoids the arms flailing around and not really taking a part in the checking.