I had a spin lesson the other day, since I seemed to have forgotten how to spin completely we didn't do combination spins and instead went back to forward scratch. I can do about 12-15 revolutions pretty consistently so after I remembered how to spin we were working on leg positions.

So, a spin lasts what, 8 seconds? In that time, I enter the spin, rotate for a bit in the open position to figure out how what position I want, cross my leg, fool around with my arms for a while and then I'm just spinning around until the spin feels like it's over.

8 seconds is a lot of time because maybe about halfway through, I start thinking about................. what I'm going to make for dinner..........


What do you think about when you're spinning?

isitcenteredisitcenteredisitcentered OH MY GOD I THINK IT'S CENTERED oh crap there it goes I'm traveling is some high level kid about to skate into me ok done

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I usually think

position--is it low enough in a sit; is my free leg turned out and pointed in a camel; is my skating leg straight in a camel; are my shoulders in the right place in a layback (attempt)

centering--I try to figure out if I'm using my core right or if I'm all over the place. As far as whether the spin is centered or travelling, usually it feels centered and then I can't tell until I step out

arms--am I pulling in to my center or am I pulling myself off center

change of foot--I try to sense when it feels "right" to switch feet (speed not slowing too much) and figure out where I need to place my shoulders and foot; only successful soemtimes

exit--usually I push out but I try to sense whether anyone is skating nearby; there have been times when I've chosen not to push to an exit edge and been really glad as someone skated by really close

and for layback (attempts) especially, I try to figure out whether I'm doing the position properly (hips forward rather than shoulders just leaning back) and I *try* to sense whether my weight is too far back--I've had a couple of close calls!

for catchfoot (attempts): I ESPECIALLY THINK "don't stab your hand!!!" because I did that about a week ago experimenting with a catchfoot spin (I entered it like an attitude spin, then reached down and back for the free foot with the opposite hand and promptly stabbed my palm. It didn't bleed much, but it kept splitting open as it healed--not fun!

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Control the force, control the force, control the force. Darn! I'm tilting to the right again, pull left shoulder back, aah, that's better.

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I hope I come out in the right direction

I hope no-one skates into me

I hope my nose doesn't run

the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round.

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My thinking on the scratch and 1-foot: Hips in, chest out, neck long, push on the inside/outside of the ball of the foot, keep hips closed, keep square, look in the direction you're going, keep tensing those belly muscles, keep it keep it! one more revolution! now one more! Another! Push and check out! Lean more forward, don't get on the back of the blade! Free leg higher, hollow your back! Okay you're done. Whooo check out the world spinning around me!

Sit spin: Swing around higher! Darn. Okay let's try again. HIGHER! That's right. Keep those knees together. Now turn the foot down and sit lower... lower I said... even lower... I said lower. Lower, darnit! Even lower. Turn it out more. Keep the back straight. LOWER. Even lower... What part of lower don't you understand?
And then either: 1. AUCH. Okay get back up and try again. or 2. Get back up and check out before you run out of rotational force entirely. Push. Free leg higher, more hollow to the back and get off that back of the blade, do you WANT to fall like that again?

For anything other than a forward scratch:
Lookatmelookatmelookatmeaaahhhbooomow

Forward scratch:
He probably wants me to push my leg down..push your leg down...leg down...ok I'm down and out

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Haven't started spinning yet, but should think it will be along the lines of:

OMGeverythingsallblurryican'tseenothing andiambeginningtofeelverysick andihaveonlydonethreerevolutions ineedtogoandhavealittlesitdown.....

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Amanda

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Looplover nailed it from my perspective. (Great post!)

I'm lucky if my spins are reasonably centered, so I'm always correcting position and paying attention to centering adjustments. No time to think about what's for dinner.

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Bill Schneider

Funny thread

"Why am I traveling?" , "Eh, not too sharp of an entry" , "ooh, Im spinning" "ugh, Im dizzy"

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Last week in my lesson when I actually snapped into a scratch spin for the first time and it really worked just like my coach said and I'm really spinning I was so shocked I said out loud what I was thinking..."HOLY CRAP!"

j

It's actually not blurry, you get a real good view of the rink but you do feel sick from it yeah... Me and my motion sickness have at some point decided we really hate the spins actually.

I've had holy crap moments too in spins.

After hanging around with one of my favorite masters men, I try and think about breathing. So on the way in I think, "in, ouuuuutttttt, change in, ooouuuttt"

hmm very interesting things go through my head when i spin!! but I am mostly like:

"one rotation two rotations three rotations holy crap too fast too fast too fast too fast crap i lost count too fast too fast too fast holy crap i hope i dont fall on my head"

(the fall on my head part is for laybacks lol)

Ha! Ha! This is a funny thread!

When I'm with my coach (and she is yelling stuff to me), my thoughts are: "What? I AM stretched up...What? my leg IS straight!! Crap, there's that stupid toepick!!! BAIL OUT"

Whem I'm by myself it's either: "Dang, I hope that little kid doesn't skate into me-crap-here they come BAIL OUT!!!" or "WEEE! I'm going soooo fast DANG! THERE'S THE TOEPICK BAIL OUT!!!!'

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

The first time that I done a four rev one foot in front of my coach it was "what the hell was that" as she was clapping!

Generally I don't think anything though.

ROFLAMAO!!!!!!
Yeah, that's pretty much me, too. I try to just stay focused on the ball of my blade and keep monitoring how controlled and balanced I feel (or not). Oh, and I'm listening to my music trying to gauge whether I'm on the music or whether I need to cut the spin short in order to keep from getting behind it.

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regular 1 foot spin: yaaaay I'm spinning!
backspin: omgomgomg i'm doing it look!! omg
scratch spin attempts: get that leg over, come on - WHOAAAAAH too fast, don't get the leg over
sitspin attempts: don't hold the back edge long, hold the entry edge, swing, bum DOWN, DOWN oh crap... *thud* eeeew. (that's me falling in like a DITCH full of water... no really, I have to wring the water out of my clothes. it's so annoying. why can;'t the ice freeze??)

and mostly just, oooh everything is so blurry...

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Hehee! Some of these are hilarious

On the forward scratch, I usually think "center center pull in tight center center".

Backspin, it's "stand up straight! Don't bend forward!"

On the sit spin, I usually wonder when I can get up again

Change of foot spins, I think about changing feet at the right time.

Camel spins- once I actually get the spin going, it's a fight to keep it balanced over my left side. So that's usually what I'm thinking about.

ROFLAMAO!!!!!!
Yeah, that's pretty much me, too. And I try to just stay focused on the ball of my blade and keep monitoring how controlled and balanced I feel (or not).

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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

OK, let me first start by saying that I am a lousy jumper, but a fantastic spinner, so when I hit a really good one I think:

"Wow! This is an AWESOME spin. Is anyone watching?"

'okokokokok..get the free leg in front stand up straight push into the ball of foot .... abort crossing foot! abort crossing foot! stork spin stork spin stork spin .... great'!

That's pretty much it. Next time I will listen more closely.

Why is it that anything done exceptionally well never gets seen by anyone else?

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Bill Schneider

Because then you wouldn't have to do it again! LOL!