I have a severe psychological block when it comes to FI threes. I can occasionally do a RFI three by itself, but when I attempt the alt FI three pattern, I always put my free foot down for the turn. Last week, my coach decided that we would do a couple of run throughs of them with just a small spot (enough for me to 1 foot them) each lesson.

This week, after doing the pattern twice with just barely a touch of her hand to mine, she told me of another one of her adult students who had the same problem, and how that problem was solved. She then pulled her glove half off, and told me to hold the floppy end of the glove as my spot To my amazement, I was able to do the pattern twice like that. Those were the first LFI threes, I have ever done on one foot. Everything was there, the check, the rotation to prepare to step forward etc. The turns were passing! We are going to do this each week, and then, I will hold a completely empty glove, without her at the other end

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And then you will only be able to do them while holding on to a glove, which will look most odd in your test! Still, whatever works....

My problem with FI3s is that I find it almost impossible to do anything with a FI edge once I have got it. I can turn a rather cheated FI 3 in both directions - double 3s/twizzles, yet - but not if I hold the edge first. I should love to be able to (as I can with outside 3s) push off round the hockey goal and turn the 3 at the top of the lobe, but my shoulders and hips freeze and it doesn't happen. Same applies to Mohawks, which is a disaster when I want to do a Willow Waltz Mohawk (3 beats each edge).

Did anybody else have this problem, and if so, how did you overcome it?

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Guess, I will have to let go of that glove before I test

If you are freezing because you are scared to just do the turn, then that is exactly my problem. I've had the same problem with FO threes also and still tend to rush them. Last week, my coach told me that I should be able to hold the position for the turn and make the turn at any point I chose, so I'm working on that now with the FO threes. Can you do them with a spot? If so, the empty glove trick might work for you too.

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I might have to try your trick. Nothing else seems to work.

I'm not afraid of the turn. It's my balance after the turn that throws me off. I either topple over, scrape my toepick, or get no glide.

I do seem to do a little better if I've got a little more speed coming into it, though.

But I'm going to get it right yet!!!!

What worked for me was

a. squeezing my backside

b. making sure I was standing up straight on the blade

c. shifting the weight to the mid-back of the blade (feels like the back)

My check still has a long ways to go, but it's better than it was.

I too have been struggling with FI 3-turns. They are the only thing preventing me from taking my pre-bronze MIF test. I love FO 3-turns, so I never understood this block I have about FI 3s.

I'll try the tips you all have posted. Thanks!
~Anna

I hate inside 3-turns! I think they're evil and should be banished entirely! My coach insists I can do them, but it's very hard for me to feel like I can generate the turns. But I suppose I'll get them sooner or later.

Anyway, I had a coach once have me hold one end of a plastic skate guard while he held the other. Somehow having that guard to clutch helped me, because he certainly wasn't going to save me from a fall that way! I forget what we were working on, perhaps back crossovers back in my early days.

Me too! The really stupid thing for me is that I can do the turns just fine. It's all in my head. My coach wants me to test on 5/15, but I have issues with the sponsoring club and don't know if I will have the necessary confidence by then, but it is exciting to think I might.

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Another trick that helped me on both sides, but especially on my left was to

a. Make sure the free leg was rotated open from the hip (turning the toe out strongly helps with this)

b. As I rise for the turn, put the free leg behind (out of the circle) the skating leg with the toe close to the heel. (it's the same feeling as setting up for a closed choctaw ...)

--jsl

My FI3s, I discovered today, have suffered the penalty of me getting better! I was playing about with a step sequence - LFO3, back crossover, step to RFO3, back crossover, step to LFI3 - oops! I rotated 360 instead of 180..... I realised I hadn't actually practiced my FI3s on their own for ages, as I'm using them as an entry to double 3s in both my programmes. So I started having a go, and realised I simply couldn't check them!

My coach agrees with me - I probably never could check them, but before, it didn't matter as I went into them so slowly and never got a decent turn. Now I can do the turn, but not the check! He said that for now, pushing hard into the turn was more important than holding the entry edge, so I am to practice pushing hard into them, and really rotating my shoulder and hip into the turn. That does help with the exit check, but I still find I'm over-rotating madly. So I am to use that, and practice continuous FI3s.....

Oh well, the penalty of my skating getting better! My BO3s are in the state my FI3s used to be in - fairly respectable, but still rather forced, especially my LBO3. Again, I am to practice rotation of the upper body.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Footwork is my favourite element, so I can do all the three turns relatively easily, but sometimes it's harder to do the FI3 after a BO3 without using my other toe to assist. I can do double 3s fine, but for some reason doing a back 3 first is a little harder. What I find helps for things like FI3s (and the other 3 turns) is, if it's not working, really think about technique. Try turning your shoulders/head before the turn, and make sure you lift the back of your blade slightly so you don't scrape and you get run-out. Knee bend for the FI edge, up slightly for the turn, knee bend again for the BO edge.

What also might help is to think about stepping slightly wide when you go onto the FI edge. Hope that helps

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

The first FI three I did with the empty glove was not well checked, and I realized that since I had never done them on my own before, I really wasn't checking. I noticed that a very deep knee bend after the turn and forcing the free arm sharply back over the extended free leg did the trick for me. I do the turns with free leg at skating heel, but extend for the check.

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