I recently attended a spin clinic in which our instructor mentioned the "recentering rule". What I heard is that this is a new rule handed down by the ISU which says that when doing a change foot spin, the tracings from both feet must be on top of one another, not separate. Did I hear this rule stated correctly? Is this true? I know that I have been taught to step WIDE when changing feet from a forward- to a backspin, so there's no way my tracings will be on top of one another. Is this how others have learned this skill?

Of course, this wouldn't be the first time that the ISU has handed down controversial rules. After OBO, secret judging, & discarding marks at random, nothing surprises me that much anymore.

Have you checked the ISU web site to see if there's any recently released ISU Communications that might include something of the sort?

I took a quick browse and the closest thing I found was some text in one of the communications discussing guidance for how to judge a spin that didn't happen (i.e. skater bombed on the entrance)...and that was for Short Program only.

Actually this rule has been out for a while. It's my understanding that it's not a USFS rule though and therefore won't affect us adults neccesarily. From what I hear everyone thinks it's really stupid. The last time I heard anyone metion it was at a spin clinic (probably the same spin doctor - she's great)

I wasn't taught to step wide but I know of many coaches who do teach it this way. OTOH I wasn't taught to be right on top of the tracing either - somewhere in the middle.

Uh, maybe I'm just being thick here (having never learned a backspin, let alone a change-foot), but how do you get the tracings on top of each other without A) stepping through your skating foot, or B) traveling from where you stepped back to your original tracing? The former being impossible, and the latter being, well, just strange if you want to avoid traveling as much as possible.

It sounds strange to me also, although I am not much of a freestyler either, anymore.

I would be interested in looking at the tracings of say, Todd Eldredge, Paul Wylie or Lucinda Ruh to see how this theory holds up in (excellent!) practice.

Hi, I'm a judge and I just wanted to say that while I haven't heard what the ISU is doing, there is actually a deduction on USFS short programs for the recentering of a spin. Without the deduction sheet in front of me, I'm not sure what it is (my guess is about .1-.2), but I have always deducted when a skater steps wide on the change of foot in a combo spin. And when I say "wide," I mean WIDE. It has to be egregious. Now, being a skater, too, I can't really see how it's possible to change feet in the *exact* spot you're spinning, but it should be relatively close IMO so that no flow or speed in the spin is interrupted. I am trying to picture a wide step in my mind, and as I do so it seems to me that a skater would, in effect, look like (s)he is starting a whole new spin!

If there were this kind of rule applying in adult competitions, I'd be screwed! I can't change feet in a combo spin without stepping about 1 or 1.5 feet to the right.

Left to my own devices, I changed feet w/o stepping. A coach fixed this. His method did help me increase speed. I still do not step very wide and can cahnge w/o stepping at all. IMO, the step gives the skater an opportunity to push and gain speed through the transition. Speed can be gained w/o stepping, but it is harder.

Kay

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Here's some info from Don's site:

http://www.sk8stuff.com/f_judge/Judg...ngles_2004.pdf

I wasn't sure how to read that judges sheet from Don's site. Does this mean there is a deduction for recentering the spin or for failing to recenter the spin?

When I was skating today, I tried to check to see if my back and front spin tracings were on top of each other. It was hard to tell, because the ice was pretty marked up, but it definitely didn't seem like the tracings were very far apart and did overlap some. When doing a change spin, I do sort of think of "stepping over the fence" when changing position, especially in a sit change. But the way it feels to me is that I sort of step out a little and as the change edge comes back around into the spin, it actually does come back to where it started. It's hard to describe. I guess if you think of just going into a backspin from a standstill, the beginning edge is a little bit away from the "hook" into the actual spin. So even if you do feel like you step out on the change, you may actually bring the spin itself back. I hope that makes sense, it's very difficult to put into words!

I have always been taught to step wide too when changing feet.
I wonder why they are changing the rules now when so many people have learnt it a different way?

I'm still learning change-foot spins, and my coach really emphasizes taking a wide step to the side when changing feet. Guess I'm screwed.

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Re the judges' sheet... most likely failing to re-center the spin.

Actually, no, the deduction is for recentering a spin. As I posted earlier, recentering is *not* what you want to achieve. Rather, a skater should strive to change feet as close as possible. As Kayskater stated earlier, it is harder to do. But frankly, as a judge, to me it looks so much better and smoother than a wide step. A wide step interrupts the flow and speed of the spin and, again, kind of looks like the skater is starting a new spin rather than continuing a combination spin. And I have to admit, I rarely see an egregious wide step, at least among the kids. So those of you who think you are wide-stepping or recentering may really not be.

JMHO!