Hi, trying to learn the one foot spin.

If I go clockwise I can only do it on my right foot for a few rotations, but is it important that I learn on my left foot, as when you come out of the spin it will look better on your left foot so you can extend your right leg out as you leave the spin?

Thanks!

Spins are so hard!

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starting at 28

When you spin CW on your right foot you are doing a forward spin. To exit the spin, put down your left foot and glide out. You don't actually spin on your left foot.

When you see people spinning on their left foot going CW that is considered a backspin and is a skill you will learn later on.

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It's more important to learn to spin in the direction that you do jumping spins. It is ok to learn to spin on the right foot. But most skaters spin with left foot.

I see, yes I think I can try to change my foot to the left one when I am leaving the spin, but is it just better to just learn on the left foot, or should I stick with the right foot?
I am not that good at them on the right foot so I won't be losing much there if I did start learning on the left!


Thanks for the tips!

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starting at 28

You'll eventually need to be able to spin on either foot. Assuming you jump clockwise, like people have already said, if you spin clockwise on your right foot you're doing a forward spin, and if you spin clockwise on your left foot you're doing a back spin. Skaters generally learn the forward spin first. I'm a counterclockwise jumper, so it's the other way around for me. Which way do you jump?

If you spin clockwise on your right foot, you are doing a forward spin. You put your left foot down when you're done and push off onto a left back outside edge.

If you spin clockwise on your left foot, you are doing a reverse spin (or backspin). You will need to learn this spin, too, but it's a little harder than the forward spin.

Which foot are you more comfortable landing a waltz jump on? If it's the right foot, you'll be better off learning to spin CCW so that you rotate the same direction. However, if you feel more secure landing on your left back outside edge then you should stick with CW spins.

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waltz jump i go cw so I should stick with cw when spinning...

Thanks all! I will just practise forward spin good, then start learning backward one.

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starting at 28

Yes, you should. It comes with practice. Work on the one foot spin on your right foot CW (this will be a forward spin). When your coach is ready, he/she will teach you to spin CW on your left foot (this will be a back spin). Good luck as this is a very important skill to learn!

I am learning the one foot spin as well (CCW) - I feel like I've been trying it FOREVER (since March) and I'm just not getting it to work - can anyone give me any tips? It's driving me crazy!

Until now everything I've had trouble with I've got the hang of by practising over and over but I can't do that with the spin because I just end up getting dizzy. I feel like part of the problem is there is so much to remember at the same time and it all happens so fast.

Jen

I'm a clockwise skater- when I first started learning one foot spins I did them on my left foot because the rest of the class was spinning on their left foot(s?)- it came fairly naturally to me- and I got a rotation or so on my first few tries- my teacher said NO, that's not right, spin on your right foot. So I did.

NOW, six months down the road I am struggling trying to learn a backspin (spinning on my left foot) and it pains me to know that I actually did one before my forward spin.

My current coach kind of has the same attitude. Learn to do your forward spin and your backward spin at the same time- one doesn't need to be stronger than the other, so it doesn't need to be learned ahead of the other.

You might want to talk to your coach/teacher about this. Perhaps you should be spinning on your right foot and on your left foot!

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Hi all, thought I'd bring this thread up again rather then make a new one as I have some questions!

Got the basic forward one foot spin going now (yay)

1)I am trying to learn the scratch spin, when you enter a forward spin from back crossover. I can do the wind up and everything, but can't step in and actually do the spin, books tell me to step into the circle but I dunno where exactly I am stepping

When I try to do it, I don't have the right balance, and I pretty much fall over

2) I can do forward three turns, but as I understand it you can do three turns without moving the upper body very much (prerotation etc). I just don't seem to be flexible enough to do this, so when I turn my body is moving a lot as well. I think I got bad hips or something as I can't twist my hips very much?

Thanks

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starting at 28

Before attempting your one foot spin from B crossovers, try doing it from a line. To do this, position yourself on one of the blue hockey lines. Bend both knees and do a T push off the line onto a deep R forward outside (RFO) edge. Keep your R knee deeply bent and hold the edge until you come back to the line, where you do your 3 turn into the spin. The distance from your starting point on the line to your end point on the line should not be much more than 2 to 4 feet, depending on your height.

The thing that will help you most would be to take some private lessons.

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You should do as DBNY recommended and master the proper entrance without the crossover/windup/step forward. Being able to do the entrance will eliminate that as a cause of the problem.

As to "where to step" from that windup when you are ready, think about the LBI edge you're gliding on - it's curving and essentially tracing a circle: the one you want to "step inside." To do that, bring your right foot (CW) next to the skating foot (inside the circle) and push off with your left onto the right forward outside edge. Do not turn around - your right foot should step parallel and inside the tracing your left foot was just drawing and curve sharply toward that center.

The biggest mistake any beginner skater makes on the windup is stopping, turning around, and pushing off in the wrong direction. It takes incredible skill to center a spin like that, well beyond that of a low-level skater. Plus, that scratchy stop sounds bad as well as wasting all of the momentum and speed they just created with the crossovers. Don't scratch to a stop, bend your knees and push!

You're not checking the free leg - you're probably swinging it forward to effect the turn. Until you can do a checked 3turn without the free leg moving (a tuck position helps) you'll struggle with minimal rotation of the upper body.

BTW, the upper body is ALWAYS rotated/checked to the circle on turns, it's just that beginners need to use the arms in order to "hug the circle" with the shoulders. Once you have the feel of holding your SHOULDERS in the proper position, you can put the arms anywhere you like which is why it looks like the skaters aren't checking. I choreograph a lot of skaters programs with "different" arm positions, making sure (as a coach) that they understand that they must still check the upper body.

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