I was doing some really fast spins today and it felt like I was going to dislocate my fingers. Slight exaggeration, but I could feel the blood being forced down my arms and my hands went red.

Does anybody else spin so fast that it actually hurts?

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Skate Free

hmmm.....I certainly haven't experienced any pain at all when spinning. So you were spinning in the past and didn't experience this pain, right?

Yes. I know exactly what you mean and it hurrrrtttsss!!!

IIRC, I've read somewhere Lucinda Ruh describing just that... spinning so fast, that the capillaries in her hands would break (and thus hands would get red)...

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I believe this is a common phenomenon. I've never done it myself, you understand, but I've certainly seen it discussed on these forums before.

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Mrs Redboots
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So uhmmmm solution-wise, what if you try to keep your hands over your head for a minute, then put on tight leather gloves? I know the drain&compress trick works for tired legs with widened blood vessels. Maybe it'd work here too?

Yup. The capillaries burst. I know the feeling. It means you are a fast spinner. Enjoy!

Kay

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Can't say I've ever been that fast a spinner, but obviously my first coach was, cos 20+ years ago when she first taught me spins she insisted that the first part of pulling in was to close the hands.

I remember asking her why we had to close our hands and she said it was to stop the blood being spun out by centrifigul action to our finger tips and causing burst capilliaries.

So it was alwasys close hands first, then bend arms to bring them in, along with the free leg. Something you might like to adopt if you spin that fast.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

So, you are a fast spinner too, Kay!

I have only felt it in sit spins, not any other types of spins.

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Even better...if you spin really fast, the capillaries in your eyes will burst. Haven't done that lately though.

The trick to popping them in the hands is to keep the arms extended while pulling in w the free leg. The free foot should push heel down. Blade is roughly parallel to the ice. Many skaters push toe down. They are not getting max rotational speed w this method. Just try it, toe down ppl. You will be amazed at the speed you can generate w this small modification.

After pushing the free foot all the way down, then pull in the arms. The hands will burn before you pull them in. This is the capillaries bursting.

Kay

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Did you mean heel down?

This happens to me if I'm messing around and leave my arms out on a scratch spin or a cross-behind spin...never on an actual spin where I use my arms pulling in to create speed. And yes, it seriously hurts!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Award Did you mean heel down?

Kay was addressing the "Toe Down" people, suggesting they try a heel-down position.

I love the heel-down position - it really does make you spin faster because you can close your legs more tightly. If you *click* your blades (free heel to skating toe) at the end of the spin, it's a Gustave Lussi trademark move! (Plus, it sounds really cool. lol)

I feel the force on my hands more during my sit spin than my upright spin. I lock my hands together to keep them from flying loose on the upright, but do sits with arms open a lot of the time.

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Rotflol I have to try this.

I suppose seeing stars would be a less extreme version of that? I often see little light flashes after my first camel spin of the day because of the blood rushing to my eyes.

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Yup, I've felt the tingly fingers feeling. Only on scratch spins though, since none of my other spins are nearly fast enough! And sometimes I can feel the muscles in my free leg straining against the force of the spin as I pull that leg in.

Yes I know exactly what you mean. Of course my complexion hides it a bit better than most skaters, but I know what you mean. My hands will feel like they are falling asleep. There are times that I feel it in my free leg too. It's awesome that you spin that fast. Be proud of those red hands!!!!


BlackManSkating

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I've never experienced the pain in the hands, but rather a different pain. When I'm about to pull in for my scratch spin, I suddenly get a sharp pain in my right arm (spin CW btw). And if I do my flying camel with a pointed foot (free leg) before hitting the ice, I get a slight pain in my ankle for which I have to flex my foot and then repoint for it to go away. Did these events ever happen to anybody else?

I think that is due to "floaters" - dead cells in the liquid in your eye getting stirred up by your spin. I get them too, and my spins are still a weak point (although working on pairs spins seems to be improving them - I actually did a (for me) very good one this morning!).

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Mrs Redboots
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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Hmm. . . I have a floater in one of my eyes but it's black, not white/flashing, and it moves very slowly. Are you sure it's the same thing?

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I get the seeing stars thing too-lasts for about 15-20 seconds.. then i'm fine for the rest of the session.

Odd though, I sometimes get the tingly feelings in my hands, but other times I don't, and I don't really fluctuate in speed of my spins.

Not entirely, but mine tend to flash/black, and then settle slowly....

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Mrs Redboots
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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

yeah i definitely know the feeling. i kinda like it though because it does mean i am spinning fast. the pain gets reaaaaally intense if you do a scratch spin but never pull your arms in

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