Hi, does anyone have or had any experience on one of these units that help you train for spinning off ice, and does it really help you when you get on the ice?

Yes, I do have experience with an off ice spinner and it didn't do a think for me. (But that's just me...)

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No, nothing for me either apart from a few minutes of fun.

I don't think that it helped my spins at all to be honest.

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The best whisper is a click

no, it doesn't really help with spins. But the are really good for practicing your axel. You start with your take off foot on the spinner and do your axel jumping off of it. It gives you quite an accurate feeling of what its like on the ice.

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ice-princess

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I've had a lot of fun with mine, but I'm not sure how much it really contributed to my improving my on-ice spins. You have to be perfect on these to avoid getting flung off--a worthy goal to strive for, for sure, but really difficult to do right off the bat. On-ice, you learn from your mistakes. On a spinner, it's not forgiving enough of your mistakes to allow you to do as much learning as you would otherwise.

Another part of the problem is that, because you tend to use a spinner with flat shoes, or socks/bare feet, it doesn't translate to the ice as well, where you're in a skate boot with a heel, and a rockered blade. I was lucky--I have a pair of very soft shoes with a rubber sole that has a heel on it very similar to a skate boot heel, and I'd practice on the spinner in those, to try to recreate the feel and weight placement of being in skates. I found that 'transferred' better.

But at any rate, a spinner is a fun thing to have, and if you're focused, you'll get something out of it, even if it doesn't magically and immediately improve your on-ice spins.

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I got my spinner before I could do a decent one foot spin on the ice, and I think it helped me learn how to spin on the ice. My first one was black and square shaped... I got a new gold one, and don't like it as much. I stopped using it regularly a long while back, and when I try to use it now i don't think it helps all that much. Basically, I think it just helps you get a feel of rotation...

Nope nothing for me either, except a few broken ornaments and two very worried looking cats.

I rather like one for working on 3-turns, brackets, counters, twizzles etc.... but ours doesn't work on carpet, and there isn't exactly any room in the only uncarpeted area of our flat, the kitchen! But it vaguely helps....

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Mrs Redboots
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I know there are two types. One is like a shoe sole (sort of), which ihave not tried. The other is a square base that turns, like a really fast lazy susan. Very dangerous, in my opinion, it's too fast! I like to have killed myself! Best thing i've done is just practice in socks on my kitchen floor.

I have thought about the sole shaped one, but never got around to investigating it

Do you mean the sole shaped one which is like a piece of plastic?

You could put a piece of plywood, not much larger than the spinner itself, between the carpet and the spinner. I don't know how exactly your spinner works, but that should do it.

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There's one that's made of plastic & is rounded a bit on the bottom. It allows you to travel in the spin, just like you would on the ice if you're not centered. It seems to emulate the feel of spinning on a skate blade much better.

The metal ones have a non-moveable base with a piece on top which spins on ball bearings--like miraclegro said, it will spin VERY fast & since it won't move, if you're even a tiny bit off center, it will fling you to the far side of the room, breaking your ornaments & making your cats very worried!

I agree. It doesnt really help my spinning all that much but it is soooo much fun!!!!!!

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