I feel like this is a stupid question but I can't seem to find the answer in any books I have around.

My t-stops weren't quite right back when I was 12, and I'm starting skating again at age 20 (sorry if i'm being repetitive lol). I want to do them right this time around! I worked on t-stops at the end of my last lesson, so I haven't had an opportunity to ask my coach. When you actually make the t and come to a stop, you should be on an outside edge, right? (that's what she said) And getting this outside edge - is it more to do with placement of your foot or how you shift your weight? (or both? isn't it the actual stopping part has to do with how you shift your weight?) Lol or I"m totally off on all of this...

I'm not sure that I entirely understand your question, but I teach T stops all the time, so these are some of the things I stress:

• The stopping blade needs to be on an outside edge from the beginning.
• To get an outside edge, you need to push your ankle back and bend the knee.
• Put the stopping blade down at the tail of the skating blade, it doesn't drag at all.
• The skating knee should barely be bent at all, and you must not break at the waist.
• Lean back onto the stopping blade.

Hope this helps.

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I teach the students that:

∙ It 'feels' like you're shoving the stopping blade under the heel of the skating blade.
∙ Push with your pinkie toe/outside ball of the foot of the stopping blade - that keeps it on an outside edge.
∙ Keep your arms at waist height, but no higher than your chest.
∙ Make an "L" with your arms, keeping the stopping arm more to the front and the skating arm to the side.
∙ Keep your tush tucked under - you don't want to break at the waist or lean backward too far. (Some backward lean is necessary)
∙ Soft knees and HOLD THE STOPPED POSITION for a count of 3.

If you glide on one foot and make a "T" by putting the free foot instep behind the heel of the skating foot, that's the spot where the stop should finish. (Obviously, with the stopping foot on the ice.) I teach this position as a a drill for the skaters in preparation for the T-Stop.

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That reminds me of a drill I use to teach this. Do a very small T push and without moving your pushing foot, put it right back down and stop. By small, I mean you should not go more than about a foot on the ice.

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Can a T-stop be used to stop quickly? All the people who have taught me t-stops demonstrate with a long skid.

I've been working for 6 months now, and can finally do one- with a long skid. I can stop exactly where I want to, and once I've skidded a few feet decide to stop then, or continue skidding a while longer. But I couldn't just jam my foot down and stop- and I can stop almost instantly with a good snowplow. So should a t-stop be able to stop instantly?

Mine aren't perfect yet- I'm still a bit scared to lean back into the stop, but man am I thrilled that I hit that outside edge and can skid to a stop almost every time now! It justed to be "bump, bump, bump- foot slides away from perpendicular" no matter what I tried!

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Jessi -- eventually your T-Stop should be as efficient as your snowplow stop.

And for all of you practicing T-stops, please don't make my DH's very common (to him, anyway) mistake of putting your blade down on top of the other, then really leaning into the stop. You end up on your back... He HAS done this more than once...

Okay- I'll start working on doing them to stop quickly. I hadn't really tried to much, cause I've never SEEN anyone use this stop to quickly stop, more to glide into a gentle stop.

Quick stops always seem to be hockey or one foot hockey stops- which I can do neither.

(BTW- HI!)

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

My daughter does a quick one footed t stop.

j

Now HOW does that work? Don't you need two feet to make a T?

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

The stopping foot is in front, rather than back and she just picks up the back foot. Starts out as a t. I couldn't do it to save my life but I can't even do a front T stop.

j

Yep, you can do that one-footed T-stop (well, *I* can't, but one can) either in back, or in front (which is showier). You can also do a two-footed T-stop with the braking foot in front instead of in back.

Most people use a hockey stop if they have to come to an abrupt stop, but a T-stop if it's planned (for example in testing).

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Gordon Zaft
http://sk8rboi.blogspot.com
School figures are skating's equivalent of the Latin Mass.

i saw a girl that must have been about 7 years old do numerous t-stops that were very fast and very perfect. lol

i can do a great t-stop on an inside edge Haha but that's not right! I just can't seem to get myself to lean back enough. Anyone have any tricks to doing that?

I believe that's often called a Tango stop, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

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I've also learned it as a Tango stop (T-stop with foot in front) but I learned it two footed. So it would still be a variation on a tango stop if she is one footed.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

I thought it was a Tango Stop also, so we're either both right or both wrong. At least I'm in good ocmpany! :wink:

I can finally perform a tango stop, albeit slowly, after months of practice but I keep the free foot and hip very close. Some people (incl. Lov2sk8) can really slide it forward and put their weight on that stopping edge. Sigh. Someday.


I taught t-stops earlier this week in groups. The USFSA LTS is very kind: the ISI requires the skater to perform BOTH t-stops; the USFSA only requires one or the other. One of my group students surprised me last week by being able to stop on one foot using that outside edge only. Of course, she can't do a normal snowplow or t-stop.

When I'm skating fast and have to stop unexpectedly, I use a one-foot inside edge/hockey stop. It's reliable and somewhat impressive, but I like the way it feels. On tests, I always use a t-stop to stop quickly because that's what the coach/judges want to see.

Getting off that inside edge on the t-stop requires you to really bend your skating knee and turn out the stopping knee. Don't do a big extension and try to draw the stopping foot in a big distance; it throws your weight balance off. Instead, think about touching down about 4" behind the skating heel and pressing down with your pinky toe to use just the outside edge of the rocker. It truly does feel like you're going to shove that outside edge under the skating foot.

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I like to think of it as "grating cheese". You really have to hold that braking foot close to the other foot and not let it escape.

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Gordon Zaft
http://sk8rboi.blogspot.com
School figures are skating's equivalent of the Latin Mass.

The people that I have seen who do very confident, fast, t-stops all seem to have their knees pointing in opposite directions from each other, um ballet 3rd position? Really quite bent knees on both legs. And really sit back on the back foot.

Mine are heaps better now than 20+ years ago. Back then I started doing the front t-stops because the other ones were pretty awful. Love doing front t-stops now. I start with the bent leg 3rd postion described above, and as I come to a stop, straighten both legs, with the aim of finishing in a nice position. Also sometimes finish with the back foot off the ice. Kinda fun actually.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am