In the past couple of sessions, my scratch spins have been centering up very very nicely - thanks for all of your tips! Only problem: now my forward sits have disappeared! I try to transfer what I do with the forward scratch onto the forward sit and I find that I end up waaay too far back on the blade to balance myself. My free hip's dropping as I'm trying to get my shoulders level and my foot turned out, LOL. Quite an experience...

So, any tips for that?

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"The ice is finer when the zombie goes over it!" - said by an excited 5-year-old at the rink

"The life you've led is in fact not the totality of what is possible for you." - John Partridge of Wheaton College (and a Matrix philosopher )

The forward sitspin requires a shorter entrance edge and a quicker, more forceful swing of the free leg than the scratch spin does. In my experience, it's the strong, round swing of the free leg all the way into the skating leg that creates the centered rotation you need. And in order to do it, an arched, rigid back is also necessary. Here are some tips:

1. Keep your back arched and very rigid as you push off onto the entrance edge.
2. As you push off, extend your free leg way behind you. This will give you better power when you swing the free leg, and also gives you a deeper knee bend.
3. Once you've done almost a half circle on the entrance edge, swing your free leg all the way to the front, smoothly but powerfully (it's a pendulum). Make sure you are looking up and your back is still arched and rigid when you swing the free leg. Also, remember to turn the foot out once it reaches about 2:00. You should swing the free leg with enough force that it hits the skating leg and locks into place below the skating knee. You'll know you're low enough--skating thigh parallel to the ice--when you feel the top of your skating calf against the inside of your free thigh.

Good luck!

The forward sit is the hardest spin for me to center. They actually center best when I am doing them in combination (like a camel-sit). I think it helps to not try to immediately hit the sit position. The entrance edge should be pretty much the same as your scratch entrance, and then as soon as you have hooked the spin, then whip your free leg as double toe said, and go into the sit position. Making sure that your shoulders are level and keeping your free hip lifted helps also--this is harder in a sit position so you have to think about it more than you do in a scratch spin.

I've got into the habit of curling my free leg around in my sitspin. When i try to straighten it though, i cant keep my balance. Anyone got any tips on this?

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ice-princess

I've landed my double loop!!!!!YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, if only it was the same with my double flip...

Only 16 more tests to go before the olympics!...or is that 22?....Where's my calculator?

It will stop curling if you get more power on the entrance. You can do that by doing a couple of deep crossovers, pushing off onto a deeply bent kned for the entrance edge, and extending your free leg way behind you as you push off. Keep your back really straight and rigid and your shoulders level, then swing your free leg around powerfully but smoothly, turning your free foot out when it reaches the 2:00 position. Again, extending your free leg way behind you when you first push off onto the entrance edge will give you more power when you swing it, but it won't work unless your back is arched and rigid.

Thanks for the tips. I'll try them next time im on the ice.
Thanks again!

__________________
ice-princess

I've landed my double loop!!!!!YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, if only it was the same with my double flip...

Only 16 more tests to go before the olympics!...or is that 22?....Where's my calculator?