Hi everyone!!

What are people's opinions about spinners? How do they work? What kinds of excersizes do you do on them? My freestyle coach recommended I get one, and I found one at my other rink. I have no directions and I am not sure what to do with it! I will ask my FS coach when I see her, but I would love to get a jump on the weekend!

Hugs!!
Danielle

My opinion on the spinner gadget is that if you're looking to improve your spins on the ice, using the off-ice spinner gadget is not going to help you. For me, the problem that I have with spins is in the entrance and the smooth rise up into the spin position. There's no way I can practice those skills with the off-ice spinners.

If your coach thinks that the spinner can help you with on-ice spins, then I would ask her/him to demonstrate it for you before you spend some money on it.

I haven't found the gadget very helpful for spins, but I spin very little anyway, being primarily a dancer. But what it is extremely good for is practising one's one-footed turns off the ice.

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My cats find the spin trainer highly entertaining: watching me fly off into furniture and walls is great fun for them. You really have to stay centered to keep from flying off! Back spins are about the only spin that I could do on mine. I should dust the thing off and give it a whirl. Haven't played with it for awhile.

You do need a LOT of space - about 8 to 10 feet diameter, and preferably a full length mirror so that you can check body positions. I like my spinner, it's not quite like spinning on the ice, but it is very convenient. I've got one made of two flat metal plates with a chain in between - is yours like that?

An adult skater friend practises his spins on a wet bathroom floor, and his spins have REALLY improved, but it wouldn't work in my bathroom - it's far too poky, I'd probably get a foot stuck in the taps and have to be cut free - YIKES!

Well, for starters, they can be dangerous. That said, I heard that during the summer, the kids that took a 'spin class' really improved. They used the square one (like in the Rainbo Sports catalog) to limit the flying off domino effect.

I have both kinds and the printed instructions that came with each. The plastic one (narrow for just under your shoe) is the one I started with. I think it is good for balance, position, sensing the shift in your foot forward to backward. I tried spinning on a hardwood floor and it can really go fast. The 6th time sent the spinner flying up and into the corner of the room and I fell off sideways and slid on the floor. It really scared me. Told coach I think for now I will just keep trying on the ice.

What I didn't like about the instruction that came with the square one is that you have to keep your heel up to mimic the distance of your skating boot heel. Without the heel of the boot, I think my calves and hamstrings would scream with the constant stress, plus if you get fatigued, how would you know if you were beginning to drop the heel height without knowing it and therefore spinning (because of balance and foot position) differently than you would in your boot on the ice.

Just my thoughts. I think for now I will just work on balance and rocking.......

Hi, Dani!
I used a borrowed spinner for a while, but I didn't really find it helpful. I still suck at spinning. I gave it back.

Seriously, it can only do so much. My problem isn't getting used the sensation of spinning, which the spinner seems to help some. My problem is balance on the blade, which you just can't do on a 4 inch wide piece of plastic.

Did I mention I still suck at spinning?

skaternum

I don't use it much, but i think the spinner is good for getting a back spin position fast and holding it for a couple of revs to simulate double jumps. I am a good ice spinner and cannot "spin" on the spinner.

Kay

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Hi Dani!

I'm an excellent spinner on the ice, and I recently got a chance to try out one of those spinner things just for fun. I couldn't do a thing with it either, and I also found it very dangerous. I didn't think it was good at all for simulating a spin on the ice. I have better success in my socks on the tile floor of my house!! Ha! Ha!

But if you're gonna use it, just be careful, OK?

Well shoot, here I thought it was a thread about me! I've tried one before, but found it very awkward and they really don't translate that well to the ice. When you spin on the ice your blade orbits an imaginary point on the ice. On the spinner, the ball of your foot (typically) is spot on the center of the axis of the spin--not at all like spinning on the ice.

Hm. I have a square one, and I honestly don't remember ANY instructions coming with mine. That said, I have a comfy pair of suede shoes that have a heel about the same height as my skating boots, and when I spin wearing those, it feels much more natural.

I like my spin trainer, but I will agree that it's quite difficult for most people, can be dangerous until you get the hang of it (use LOTS of space, because it WILL buck you off!), and has limited effectiveness with most of the usual spin problems--the entry, finding the 'sweet spot', etc. If your problem is centering, then the spin trainer's your baby.

I've had a lot of fun with mine though, and I do think it's helped me a little bit, but you've really got to play with it to figure out just how to work it. The 'entry' is always a bit tricky for me, since you don't really get the glide-around edge, but I've found it's helped with learning where to position the free leg and hip once you're 'in' the spin, and to avoid dropping hips and shoulders.

If you get one, definitely have your coach show you how to use it, and give you some pointers on exactly what she wants you to learn on it. (I would recommend the square one over the foot-shaped one, but ask your coach what she has in mind.)

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The spinner is good for practicing turns, too. I got a lot better at the check for brackets by doing them on the spinner.

How do you use the spinner for turns? I have have both but the square one seems to be losing its gears because there's friction when I try to spin.

The square spinner uses ball bearings for 'spinning'. Mine will occasionally get 'sticky' as well. Have you tried inserting graphite or another type of lubricant into the space? (I haven't tried anything yet, because I'm not sure what will work best, but I'm sure something will do the trick.)

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