hi there!
can anyone help me point my free leg in the right direction?

i can 'trace' out a brackett, but i'm having an issue with what the heck my free leg does once in [ or after] the turn...again

say i start on a right outside edge.
at the 'height of the land' - so to speak- do i kick my left foot forward?
having an awful time keeping myself from dropping my hip, therefore losing momentum.
i'd love any advice you could toss my way!! thanks

__________________
JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GETS TO YOU FIRST..

DOES 'THAT' MAKE THEM 'RIGHT'?

Are you talking about the Intermediate/Adult Gold bracket pattern on MIF?
If so, just keep your free foot right at the ankle of the skating foot the whole time, and bend deeply after the bracket exit to help push yourself down to the bottom of the lobe.

It should start behind and you should turn to it (not kick it) when you turn backwards so that your right hip leads the entire way

both great 'tips'.. thank you!
i like the visual of 'turning into it'....

__________________
JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GETS TO YOU FIRST..

DOES 'THAT' MAKE THEM 'RIGHT'?

There's a little video clilp of me demonstrating part of the intermediate moves brackets here---you can see the free leg placement.

Basically it's free foot toe to skating foot heel.

Yes, exactly. And after the turn, you can extend the free leg behind you if it was a forward bracket, or extend the free leg in front of you if it was a backward bracket. Or you can just keep the free foot at the heel the entire time and never extend it back or forward. That's what my coach tries to get me to do because she says it shows control. However, I don't think there's a single right or wrong way to do it, as long as you are consistent and you have good control over the turn, the edges and the pattern.

Well it does say in the rulebook (for almost everything) that "skaters are given complete freedom over arm and free leg position" but in reality I don't think the judges will smile upon anything too crazy. ;-)

__________________
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

Also, what the book says & what the judges want to see might be 2 different things (w/ regard to optional things like free leg postition). It's the coach's job to know what judges in your area are looking for, everyone has their own little pet issues they look at.

hi guys,, thanks for giving me your input..
i agree - a few coaches i know reccommend pretty much ALL footwork be taught toe-to-heel because it 'shows control'.
i'm still 'learning' it, so i don't have much flow after the turn,... that is the issue,,, does leg position contribute to that?
i was looking to see how others learned it. coaches don't always have all the secrets...

oh- phenoix,,, i'm at work right now [ don't tell-- ],, so i haven't been able to watch your vid yet.... it'd take me 45 minutes just to download. anxious to see it later today,, thank you

__________________
JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GETS TO YOU FIRST..

DOES 'THAT' MAKE THEM 'RIGHT'?

Keeping flow after the bracket is a function of how much speed you had going into the bracket and how deeply you bend and press the edge into the ice once you come out of the bracket. Really bend deeply, use your ankle a lot, and press against the edge so you feel like you're squeezing that edge out. If you feel like you're slowing down too much as you approach the bottom of the lobe, you can extend your free leg behind you at that point and it will help pull you the rest of the way (referring to the RFO bracket lobe).

Off topic a bit I know (sorry guys! ) - but I've noticed many times while watching clips posted from skaters in the USA that your rinks are always empty!!! What must it be like to skate on clear ice like that?? I could only wish to be able to do a dance pattern uninterrupted by someone or other... And it's been my observation that our freestyles are quite a bit busier than our weekday lunchtime publics (when DH and I try to practise if we can - along with at least one other adult dance couple, who choose to avoid the freestyles for the same reason.)

Lucky you!

if you're lucky enough to either work near a rink, or have a week-day off, yeah, you can usually luck out.

my area has a 'lunch' time skate [12-130],, usually only 2-6 people there-- it's fantastic!
if you go on a sat. or sunday, it's brutal!

__________________
JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GETS TO YOU FIRST..

DOES 'THAT' MAKE THEM 'RIGHT'?

Same at my rink-lunch time skate is virtually empty unless there is a school group. I have, at times, been the only one on the ice. Even then, it can be ok if they are young wall-huggers (and they think you are an olympian-level skater...). I avoid weekend skates like the plague because of the idiotic crowds though.

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

My rink is very crowded in the after-school hours during the school year. During the summer, the day sessions are crowded because the rink ends up serving almost like a camp or drop-off day care for skaters. Thus I prefer during the school year to skate early morning (which used to be very empty).

This summer, we've had 3 senior dance teams and 1 junior dance team training in the early morning, plus a couple folks like me. It may seem empty with only 10-12 people on the ice, but it can be very nervewracking.

__________________
American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

I skate mid-afternoon sessions that are usually pretty dead - average about 5 people. Plus, I am lucky to just get elements completed on crowded sessions, nevermind trying to tape, so I don't even bother bringing my camera. On Monday I was on a session with 24 Juvenile and up skaters (usually our sessions close at 18 but for some reason they raised it to 21 in the summers, and they let people switch on) and it was pure insanity.