Hiya

Well today I managed to do the three turn but only with a little bit of assistance from my coach, she held out her hand to steady me but other wise I seemed to get it more or less.

Once my coach had moved onto her next student, I found that I really came unstuck with it and it seemed that there is too much to think about all at once. I have managed to sort the leg position so that the free foot doesnt come forward whilst im going around on the edge but I cant seem to get my upper body or arms in the right place to help with initiating the turn.

Also I find that as soon as I have made the turn (on those rare occasions) I have to put the other foot down on the ice straight away so that I dont fall.

Can anyone offer me any advice or tips regarding the forward 3 turns?

I know its pretty basic but we all have to start somewhere. Its crazy becuase I can do a spiral no problem but still struggle with the 3 turn.

Arayanaxx

Be patient. There's a lot going on control-wise with 3-turns. Remember that at this early stage, the important things are thinking about opposition (upper body pre-rotating, then lower body catches up) and control of the core (keep the tummy and bum muscles tight).

Think about a 3-turn this way but standing at home on tile or wood floors with socks on... Stand still with both feet together. For a turn to the left, keep your lower body as still as possible, and turn your upper body (shoulders/head/back/upper tummy) to the left until you absolutely can't turn them any more without your lower body turning also. Don't let your upper body tilt forwards as you are rotating it.

Then let your lower body catch up and turn. (Note... for this type of off-ice drill, you probably won't do a full 180 degree turn.) Play around with this several times until the movement feels comfortable, then try the same thing with one foot on the floor and your free foot lifted and tucked behind your supporting ankle.

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For a left forward outside three, push onto an outside edge on your left foot with your right foot lifted off the ice behind you. Keep your left arm leading and right arm behind. As you go into the turn rotate your upper body so that your right arm is ahead of you. Bend your knee as you execute the turn then come back up after the turn and remember to check your arms.

Nicki

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I am just on the verge of 3-turns myself and my coach gave me a method that I think is going to work great.

I assume you are comfortable doing two-footed turns? I am - it's the "most advanced" move I have so far and I love going down the ice seeing how fast I can do consecutive turns. I was worried about how long it would take me to learn the 3-turn ('cause I am so damned SLOW at learning things!) and my coach just said that, as I am doing two-footed turns, slowly put more of my weight on one foot and as I get comfortable with that, increase the weight transfer with each turn until my "free foot" is no longer carrying any weight - presto, a 3-turn!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

I think I've finally almost got mine past the foot-down stage and I think the trick was, after several hours of frustrating repetition, when switching arms from left forward to right forward, make sure not to swing them around above the height of the waistline.
I'm not sure if this is actually defined, in the definition of the move but every time I started to swing my arms around I found myself off balance. When I made it a point to bring my arms all the way down, touch them together low in the center, and then back up, I felt much more stable.
Also reminding myself to look behind me as I wound up and snapped, helped too.

I also suspect being comfortable with back inside edges would help. Ironically, mine are complete crap. Perhaps its all mental.

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"Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." (Kathy Butler)

AFter the turn, try to keep your free hip up. This will help keep you from putting your foot down after the turn.

This is a very common problem -- you will get it!!

Practice. Practice. Practice.

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