I actualy did a one foot spin today! I am so happy!!! I have always wanted to be able to do one! but unfortunatly I can only do a few rotations even when doing a two foot spin. does anyone have any tips to keep me spinning? or does it just take a while to feel comfortable enough to go fast to get momentum...

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Congrats to you. It's just practice, practice, practice from here on and in time you will develop the confidence and speed to keep the spin going.

Nicki

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www.myspace.com/insatiableskater

Congratulations!! By the way, you don't ever really need to go fast to gain momentum in a spin. Instead, it's mostly about technique and timing. You need to hold your entrance edge until it has made a half circle, then bring your free leg through at the right time and in the right way, keeping your shoulders level the whole time. Then you need to stay squared and on the ball of your blade as you wait for the spin to center. Then the speed comes as you slowly pull the arms and free leg in after centering. Whatever you do, don't try to power the spin; it never works,and you can end up pulling a muscle or having a weird fall.

Practice spinning...quite literally...thousands of times. It just takes time and repetitive practice.

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

I'm so jealous! I used to be able to do good one foot spins.. the really smooth kind. But when I got my new skates and blades, they ran away. Whenever I spin on my one foot(from a pivot) I'm always too far foward on my blade so it catches the toepick and makes a double line.

Congrats.

Yeah, practice will get you more rotation. In the beginning the tendency is to be tense and to rock the body trying to get onto the right spot on the blade, or make other adjustments of the body position. Even slight movements spoil momentum. As you get more confident on the spin, your body movements during the spin will lessen, you will relax, and you will get more rotations.

Another thing that improves speed in spins is the tension in your arms and free leg as you bring them in. Before you can worry about that, you need to be confident about getting the spin centred, because an off centre fast spin is scarey.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

Thank you for all your pointers! I thought all I needed was practice but I tended to believe there was some hidden secret! Thank you again!!!

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I know I had trouble going fast when i first did mine, but really, the only thing you can do is practice practice practice! Think breathe sleep that one foot spin!!! You'll get it in no time! But remember, if you head starts spinning, stop. Go slow at first and get your revolutions in, then concentrate on your speed. And make sure you are spinning on the ball of your foot! That;s very impostant! You can get more revs. that way. Also. how you position yourself will make you go faster!

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~Best of luck in Skating~
Lauren