This is something I always mess up. I enter this spin with backward crossovers going into an outside edge "figure six". But it's still like 4-5 revolutions maximum and slow!!!! I don't know what I'm doing wrong! How do you make the spin go faster and not loose balance? I know you have to cross your legs and bring your arms together but whenever I do that I lose balance. Also, how do you do a layback without stopping and falling over?

???

It's hard to say what you're doing wrong without seeing it, but here are some general guidelines for getting speed on a scratch spin:

- Bend deeply on your preparatory edge and as you push off onto your entrance edge. Look in the direction of the spin and do a gentle sweep with your leading shoulder, keeping it high and level (don't let it drop).
- Stay down and keep your free leg behind you until you feel that you have completed a full circle on the ice. Only then bring the free leg to the front.
- Once your free leg is in front, keep it out and keep your arms open and rounded, with your shoulders level. Press into the ice with the ball of your blade (the round part right behind the toepick). Also, keep your skating knee slightly bent; do not lock it out straight. Hold that position until you feel stable and you feel that you have some resistance to pull in against with your arms.
- When you feel that resistance and you feel stable and centered, start pulling in VERY SLOWLY. The more gradually you pull in, the better you will harness the centrifugal force and the faster your spin will get. Continue to press into the ice with the ball of your blade.

Thanks for the tips! I'll post a video soon, I hope.

P.S. Also, try doing the spin starting on a line from a T stop position. Make a very small 1/2 circle for your entrance edge, and don't bring your free leg through and start the turn until you have come back to the line (check your ice marks to make sure). This exercise really helps a lot!

I still have a problem with this spin too.
What I think helps a lot is have your arms in a circle in front of you. Like if you were holding a big beach ball. When you get ballenced start to bring your arms in (or squeeze the beach ball) hope it works!

I have trouble with this spin too bringing the free leg in front. It is in front but sort of out to the side. (it is stuck at 2 or even 3 o'clock position) It is that fraction of a moment between---
and Same problem with sit spin. The free leg just keeps misbehaving and won't come around to the front. I just don't get it ????

This is a really great exercise - highly recommended!

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Keep Evolving. "From this moment forward, every voice that told you - You Can't - , has been silenced." - Freedom Writers

I used to have the same problem. That is what happens when you don't curl the entrance edge around enough before bringing your free leg to the front (refer to exercise where you do T position from the line back to the line). It also helps to keep the free leg low and close to the skating leg when you pass it to the front.

I have a problem!
I still can not stay on the ball of my foot I always rock to the toe pick. My freeleg is beside me and my skating leg is bent.
Could it be the blade itself?

Nope, it's you.....trust me on this because I used to do this also. You are either breaking at the waist or your skating leg leg is tooo straight or you are popping up too fast. Or a lot of other little things are causing you to pitch forward onto your toepick.

Although it's much easier to blame our equipment than ourselves...it's rarely the case of equipment malfunction...

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

True. You need to focus on staying level, both on the entrance edge and during the spin. Think of keeping your free leg, shoulders and arms on the same horizontal plane as you ride the entrance edge and spin. I started hitting my toepick on some of my spins a week ago and I thought it might be the blades (since I don't have any sharpenings left on them and need to replace them). But a few days later I stopped doing it and I realized it had been me. Apparently, my back hadn't quite gotten back to normal yet after I strained it, and it was affecting my ability to keep myself level.

If you have a habit of looking down (bad habit!!) it will pitch you forward and onto your toepicks. I've been re-taught to look OUT and onto the top of the far boards and my hands (looking through my peripheral vision) should be "riding the top of the boards." That means they should appear to be on top of the far boards. Never below and never far above. This is where bright-colored gloves come in...

Of course, this adds to the 50-million things to remember when spinning... and I still hunch my shoulders

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Yes, keeping hands and shoulders in the right place makes a big difference. The level of your hands should be between waist and chest.

Thats a lot to remember!
I like blaming it on the equepment better!

yeah, my blades are off, the ice is harder than normal, the hockey players messed up the ice, my toes are cold, i have a cold, i didn't eat lunch so my blood sugar is low, i didn't get my latte so i'm tired, my laces are too tight......


i think i've used every one of these at least 5 times....my coach just smiles and says "let's see that again"

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!