Another spinning problem. ;/

By the way, before I ask for advice, I would like to brag that my two-foot spin has gotten to 5-6 or even 7 rotations! (still no classes... ) But the one-foot spin...Everytime I spin on two feet and bring my one leg up I manage to spin about one rotation and then I just stop (or lose balance). Can someone please, please teach me in words how to hold balance/spin on one foot? By the way, how do you make the spin faster (+ more rotations) and exit it correctly?!

Thank you so much for reading about my "problems"! I would be very glad if someone gave me some good advice!

congratulations on your 2 foot spins!

i find spinning a great challenge in my skating, but maybe i can try to help you from my own experiences.

you may be only rotating 1x on 1 foot b/c you may not have all your weight committed to your spinning leg. begin your 2 foot spin then when you feel secure place your free foot against the ankle of the boot of your spinning foot. your arms should be held to the sides slightly rounded like your holding a really big exercise ball. to go faster bring your arms in. when you get better and feel more secure doing it like this and have maybe like 3-4 rotations on 1 foot spins you can begin to work on your scratch spin. (you don't mention how you enter your spins, a 3 turn vs. back crossovers vs. standstill) You can exit in 2 ways. the first and not so dramatic way is just putting your free foot down on the toe pick, its nothing fancy. the more common way is the following assuming you spin ccw. as your spin dwindles down, open up your arms and push off onto a right back outside edge. your end position is a right back outside edge, skating knee slightly bent, free leg pointed and exteded back, right arm extended to the side and left arm extended in front. this position is the same position for landing all jumps (well that is all jumps except some little jumps that have a forward landing like 1/2 lutz, 1/2 flip, and 1/2 loop, and falling leaf).

i hope i explained that clear! good luck!

When you bring your foot in, is your skating leg very straight? It needs to be bent slightly; when your spin is centered then you raise up. Try to push onto the ball of your foot (I sometimes lift my toes). Also, if you are not crossing your free leg over yet, be sure to keep it next to your skating leg (touching).

This transition will take tons of practice. Be sure your shoulders and hips are square, not rotated and that you are not bent over at the waist (a common mistake).

The exit will be the same used for jumps; place your non-skating foot (toe first) onto the ice and skate backwards using an outside edge, be sure your knee is bent. So, if you don't spend much time working on those back outside edges.....now's a good time to work on them!!

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

Gosh, I had exactly the same problem at first! But later I found out that was because I brought my leg in too fast to start the one foot spin (and scratch spin). As for the exit, it's pretty much like the pose after you land a jump. The rest is explained in the posts above. ^

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It's all about holding back and waiting, and monitoring your edge and balance throughout every step of the process. You are probably rushing your entrance edge because that's what just about everyone does. Stand on a line on the ice in a T-stop position, with your spinning foot (I'll assume Left) in front. Gently push off onto a very small, round half circle that brings you right back to the line and don't bring the free leg to the front until you've actually come back to the line. Look at the marks on the ice to make sure you really made it back to the line before bringing the free leg through and starting the spin.
Also, when you push off onto the entrance edge, make sure your shoulders stay level (don't dip the leading shoulder) and that you face the direction you're going and very GENTLY sweep out with your leading shoulder. Bend the knee deeply and keep the free leg extended behind you until you are back at the line, then bring it GENTLY to the front, not swinging it wide, but just passing it to the front and keeping it fairly low. Keep the skating knee bent and never completely straighten it out. Press the ball of your skating foot into the ice the whole time,

i hate spinning, i dont do them until the week of competition

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Tim David's Website

What? Bad boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now get on the ice and get spinning. I'm telling. LOL Yeah right.

Why do you hate spins so much Tim?

I have a problem with my backspin but it soon will be fixed. All of my other spins are either OK or pretty good. Now, I haven't tried flying spins yet or the Biellman, Donut or Y-spin.

singerskates

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I had just gotten multiple revs on my backspin and camel on the last night of lessons....just before our rink closed for the season I've spent all summer trying to get them back....but I work on spins every session on the ice (but I'm not even talking about the stupid sit spin...mine neither sit nor spin)

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

To practice my spins off ice I got an office spinner, it really helps with your blance and your centering.
To make the spin go faster you have to be tight, just like getting rotation in your jumps.
Well good luck with spinning

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I get dizzy very easily, Im not like other skaters who can spin and spin , Thankfully at this time with my body I have ok muscle memory, so I can just pull it out of the hat when I need it
I occasionally at least once a month do a run through of camel/attitude/half beilman combo, flying camel, backscratch spins.

I do admit the competition is getting tougher every year, now that the COP is creeping in the adult skating world, there is a demand of standing out in the field.

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Tim David's Website

This really helped me. Today at my group lesson I was trying to do one foot spins (which I haven't been able to get even 1 time around on before because I'd rock my weight over my heel), and I tried lifting my toes. I was skeptical, because I thought that this would place my weight farther back even, but I went around THREE times!

Yay, Hannah!!! I can't take all the credit, though, as one of the other members of this board gave me the tip when we met up at The Pond....but, you GO!!!!

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

Sounds like you have good control over the 2foot. Whan you are doing yor 2foot, think about concentrating your wt on your spinning foot w/o lifting the other foot off the ice. This will give you that balance shift you need. As you learn the balance shift, you will need to put very little wt on the free foot. When you pick up, do not lift high. Keep the free foot touching your ankle and lightly flex the knee of your skating leg.

Kay

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That's funny, when I need to get my weight on the ball of the foot (for backspins), I actually curl my toes under and that does it for me, LOL!
BTW, if you want to get your spin to go faster, yes, you pull in tighter, but not until you have been in the open position for a few revolutions and are feeling the resistance against your arms and free leg. Then you pull in slowly, not quickly (like you're squeezing a big beach ball). In other words, before you can get your spin faster, you need to develop enough control to hold it in the open position for a few revolutions.

I have learned a one foot spin differently than doing a two foot spin and picking up your foot. What I do that I think is easer is, skate foward and turn your left foot out you will start to turn. (Do not rush into the spin, you will wind up loosing your balance and falling over) Push with your right leg and find your balance, you will be spinning now. SLOWLY cross your right foot over your left. At this time your arms should be in the position of holding a very large beach ball. As you bring your right leg over bring your arms in. As if you were squezing the ball. The straighter you are and more "squezed" the faster you will spin.

Thanks everyone! Today I got my one-foot spin to 4 rotations!..

Hey, that's awesome! Do you know what you did differently that made it work?

I entered it differently, from backward crossovers.

and Thanks!

Great news on the spin - sounds like you're getting it!

S xxx

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