Sucking at Spinning Support Society

[Hannahclear]

I've just founded the S.S.S.S, that would be the Sucking at Spinning Support Society.

Here goes:

I can't spin. I'm utter rubbish at spinning. Can't center a scratch to save my life. Can't exit a backspin without putting the foot down. Sit spin is more of a hunch and my camel cries for mercy.

Am I the only one?

[slusher]

Although I centered a spin today (once) to my utter shock and delight, I also,

*fell flat on my face on a spin entry, just slipped off the edge
*fell over on my pathetic camel "wild leg swinging thing" onto my hip, the exact same point I'd just landed on the failed spin entry
*couldn't do a back spin, never found the spin spot and fell over, amazingly, not on the hip I'd usually hit, but the one I HAD JUST FALLEN ON TWICE
*and my sit spin is called "hunched over spin thing".

Yeah, I belong to S.S.S.S.

It's the fact that I centered a spin, so I have proof I can do something right that keeps me trying and trying and trying all the rest of those spins. It's almost a cruel encouragement.

[sk8er1964]

Can I be a sept of the S.S.S.S. called the S.F.S.S.S? (Sucking at Forward Spinning Support Society).

I can do beautiful flying camels. :D I can do death drops! :mrgreen:

My forward camels suck. :cry: My laybacks travel from the US to China, and make me so dizzy I want to throw up. :frus: I get lower and faster on my back sit than I do on a forward sit. 8O The only decent forward spin I have is the fast scratch, and it usually travels at least to Germany. :evil:

Coach has given the command that I spin for 10-15 minutes a session. I want to die. :giveup:

[*IceDancer1419*]

oh, I'm a member all the way. :roll: Good thing I'm a dancer, cuz I can DO dance/pair spins, just not the ones by myself at ALL :roll:

I.

Suck.

At.

Spins.

(and jumps, for that matter ;) )

I had them mostly good at one point... then they decided to leave me. A nice normal 1 foot spin, that is. ;) so now I can't even do a 1 foot spin. SIGH. ah well. ;)

[Kevin Callahan]

Where do I get my membership card?

I fall over after two revolutions.

[skippyjoy_207]

Where do I get my membership card?

I fall over after two revolutions.

Lol. I'm not much better- My coach can expect me to last 3. And that's a simple one- foot spin, too!

[TimDavidSkate]

I hate spinning. I rarely practice it and even attempt it. I only do them when it is competition week. It gets me too dizzy and sick. :oops:

[Casey]

I love spinning when I can do it well. Every now and again, I'll have a good spinning day and manage 10+ revolutions on a forward scratch.

But my form is bad, my back is kinda hunched over and though I'm not looking at the ground, my head is tilted down (funny, it never felt like that but showed up on video). Attempts to lift it up make me dizzy and lose the spin.

And I can't backspin at all. Not one shabby revolution. ARGH to backspins.

[Skate@Delaware]

I love to spin, although I suck, too!
I think I'm eligible for lifetime membership:

+My shoulders hunch
+I'm way too tense! (I skate like Frankenstein-all stiff)
+I've been known to skid and fall onto my left hip going into the 3-turn entry.... :oops:
+My attemps at backspins have resulted in falls and ripped pants caused by blade entanglements.... :oops:
+My one attempt at a camel almost ended in a faceplant... :oops:
+My sit spins are half-sit hunched over things..... :oops:
+I think I've had only 10 really great spins - fast & centered (among 5,000 really bad ones)

[NCSkater02]

Ooh! Ooh! (Waving arms madly!) Can I be a charter member? I'm not sure if I dislike spinning because I struggle so much with it or if I struggle with it because I dislike it so. Catch-22.

Not to mention, I broke my ankle spinning. Not the triple axel that is my story.

[Skate@Delaware]

Ooh! Ooh! (Waving arms madly!) Can I be a charter member? I'm not sure if I dislike spinning because I struggle so much with it or if I struggle with it because I dislike it so. Catch-22.

Not to mention, I broke my ankle spinning. Not the triple axel that is my story.
Although, that's what I like to tell people when they ask if you are a pro skater (when you are messing around on public sessions)

"Oooooh, you are really good, are you a professional skater? Are you going to jump today?"

"No, I'm not, and no" they look at me with extreme disappointment and wander off, to tell their friends/family that I'm 'no-one'.... :cry:

--what I'd like to say and have happen---"Yes, but I'm recovering from an injury so my coach said no jumping or spinning today, sorry" look of sadness washes over my face and the person pats my arm and wishes me a speedy recovery so I can compete in the upcoming season they skate away and say to their friends there's 'someone' on the ice..... :roll:

[Mrs Redboots]

Me and Husband ought to be founder members. His spins are such that if you look at his tracings, you wonder what he thought he was up to. "Spirograph!" was one of his comments.... He does get the occasional good one, but usually doesn't pull in in time.

Me, I pull in too soon, and seldom get more than 2-2.5 revolutions. Our pairs spin is up to 2 revolutions now, which is huge progress. The only spin we can do is an arm-in-arm one, which reliably gets 4-5 revolutions these days at the start of our free dance!

[Debbie S]

Yes, I'll join this group! My forward scratch and sit spin (that doesn't "sit" very well) are stuck at 4-5 revs no matter how good of an entry edge I think I get and how good I think my form is. Note that I said "think" - I have no idea what my spins look like while I'm doing them and when I've seen myself on show or comp videos, I cringe!

My backspin has been stuck at 2 revs for almost 3 years (although I've only been consistently practicing them for about 6 months or so) and I can only exit properly if my free foot hangs out to the side when I spin - if I cross it over in scratch position, I fall to the right side (I spin CCW). And forget the camel - I think I get one reasonably good one (meaning that someone can actually recognize it as a camel spin) in about every 15 tries - and competition is never one of them. :frus:

Edited to add that the reason I know how many revs I am doing is b/c it's very easy to read my tracings - b/c I travel practically halfway across the ice! :roll:

[MQSeries]

Count me in the club. I can do 2sal, 2toe, 2loop, axel and rotate the 2flip, but I can't spin to save my life :oops:

[Kevin Callahan]

Hmm...

I managed to sucessfully duplicate a spin today with several revolutions, but because I'm working on ten year old memories I can't for the life of me recall what it is.

What is it called when you spin on your toe hook (in my case, the left) ONLY?

[samba]

Count me in the club. I can do 2sal, 2toe, 2loop, axel and rotate the 2flip, but I can't spin to save my life :oops:
Are you a man or a woman? I may be wrong but I guess you are a man - just an observation but men seem to be better at jumping and women seem to be better at spinning, dont know why.

But I'm sure you will correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers
Grace

[skateflo]

Send me my membership card.......I have been trying for 6-7 years and only a couple of months ago did I actually get into a 1 foot spin! Forget the 2 foot entirely - no way!

During last lesson I asked coach was I supposed to keep turning my upper torso as I stepped into the spin and she said yes. I've always just sort of set my arms. While trying to remember to continue rotating, I felt my skating hip going backward, and next thing I knew I was spinning. All I could think to say was "why didn't you tell me that 6 years ago!!!!" We both got a laugh about that. It was just one of those moments that her face reflected "I thought you knew that......"

But I don't have any high hopes that I will suddenly become a spinner, but at least it got me off the plateau.......

[sk8pics]

Me! Me! I am a charter member, too! I still can get barely 3 revolutions on a good day out of a two foot spin, sigh. Now finally after a few months I can do a pretty good forward spin... for 2 or 3 revolutions, but at least it is centered... but I do it from a standstill, not from any sort of real entry :roll: but at least it's something. My coach won't let me practice it, and wouldn't let me warm it up before my program run through, and it was fine... well, except for getting stuck in something on the ice while I was spinning, but even that didn't make much of a difference... This may be the only spin I can ever do! :evil:

Pat

[Figureskates]

I am afraid this has come a little late for me. :giveup: :giveup: :giveup:

I am beyond support, I need therapy..... :frus: :frus: :frus:

"My name is Figureskates and I can't spin worth crap........."

[MQSeries]

Are you a man or a woman? I may be wrong but I guess you are a man - just an observation but men seem to be better at jumping and women seem to be better at spinning, dont know why.

But I'm sure you will correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers
Grace

I'm a man :) I would luuuuuuuuuurve to be a good spinner. Heck, I'd settle for being a decent spinner. There's something about the spin entrance, especially the camel entrance, that my body just can't get. My mind is saying ride the entrance, let the body rise with the leg, etc.. but my body refuses to listen.

I find jumps much easier. If I can throw myself up into the air then I can cross my legs and my arms and rotate. Everything is happening within 1-2 seconds; BAM - all or nothing. With spins, everything seems to be happening in slow motion - step into the circle, don't drop the right side, keep the upper body down, ride the entrance, etc...... ARGH. Too much too think about. I'm sure people who can spin don't need to think about all those steps. It just happens naturally for them.

[skaternum]

Admitting you have a problem is the first step in conquering it. So here goes ...

Hi! My name is Skaternum, and I'm a Sucky Spinner. I've been struggling with centering a scratch spin for over 7 years. I've had an ongoing fight with the forward camel for over 5 years, and the camel is winning. I have the smallest spin repetoire of my Silver ladies peers. (You have some pretty uninteresting combo spins when you only have 3 to choose from.) I'm taking spin lessons from a spin coach -- and I think I'm going to be the student that "breaks" him.
:giveup:

[NCSkater02]

I'm not spinning at all right now. I've got new blades on order, and once I get those in and mounted, I'll try again. Everything is so difficult without rockers. :roll:

[Terri C]

Hi, my name is Terri and it took me 7 years of skating, several falls(one of which gave me a concussion, black eye and cracked left wrist) to get a decent scratch spin.
No matter what, I cannot ride the entry edge on a sitspin and a camel scares me half to death.
I've tried therapy such as seminars, watching some of my skating friends that are good at spins (one in particular is my visual for how my spins should be) but nothing is working. This past season, my sit and backscratch spins refused to come with me to competitions!

[Mrs Redboots]

Has anybody any tips on the pairs spin? We don't absolutely have to be able to do it (at our level, we are only required to do "A couples spin, minimum 3 revolutions, which we can) but a spin in pairs hold is required as we move up the ladder, and in any case would probably be factored higher than our present arm-in-arm spin:
http://ic.net/%7Eburgoyne/ice/smythe.jpg

That was taken last year. I hope my posture is better, this! Now that I'm a bit slimmer than I was then, I've been working on it.

[Scarlett]

Fed ex my membership card for same day delivery! I absolutely suck at spinning. My spins could best be described as comical. I would kill for a spin that travels in that I don't get enough rotations to travel.

Oh what I would kill for a decent forward scratch spin.

[icestalker]

Resurrecting an ancient thread.

I need the support. I have jumps up to flip, with lutz almost there and axel in near future, and can do axel/doubles off-ice.

I cannot center a spin. It randomly happens, but I can't figure out what I did to center it. It took me months of struggle to cross my leg on the scratch spin, and it's only an ankle cross, because I can't hold my leg any higher than that while spinning. I cannot do a sit, no matter how hard I try, my right side turns in and drops down, thus ending the spin after 1/2 revolution. Camels don't spin. A couple of little kids learned camels the other day, and they were getting about 1 revolution in an okay position. I just cannot make my camel spin. It's just a 3turn and a back edge, and multiple coaches have tried to fix this. I have come very close to stomping off the ice and having a breakdown.
Backspin is only there by sheer willpower. Change foot results in tripping all over the place. Layback actually stops spinning. I spin in forward open position, ease into layback, and I'm just standing there staring at the ceiling, wondering why I stopped spinning.
Worst of all, I spin extremely slow. I go into it with lots of speed, hook the turn just right, and stay open for a few revolutions before pulling in tightly. It's just embarrassing. You can actually count my eyelashes while I am spinning.

I spend about 3/4 of my practice time doing spins, and they SUCK.

[sk8joyful]

Reading thru this thread (like some others) was an absolute scream!

The itty-bitty skaters don't seem to have problems for so long. - There must be some nifty trick ;) What is it?

(I'm still playing around to find the sweet spot, lol - Sure, I can point to it on the blade,
just don't ask me to skate on it, as then I have NO clue :roll:) )

So aside a bazillion hours of practice, what's the secret :?: to 6-rev, stationary ;) Spins anyway. Do Tell...

.

[Isk8NYC]

Spinning is the best part of skating, imo. I'm a great spinner even on a bad day.

The only spin I have trouble with is the camel - my back camel was always stronger. It's the entrance torso twist that just doesn't come naturally. I always have to try two or three times before I remember to start and hold the torso twist.

I had an advantage: I love to get dizzy. (Never go on a tilt-a-whirl with me - you'll be pinned to the seat. DH won't ride with me anymore.) I would go outside as a child and turn around and around on the lawn until I got dizzy and fell down or staggered off like a drunk. So, dizziness was never a problem for me with skating because I had previous experience with fast turns. I think Skate@Delaware says she used an office chair for the same reason. A friend and I admitted that we regularly do spins and backspins in the kitchen while wearing socks, lol.

Secrets to spins? Controlling dizziness, balance, alignment, core strength, foot strength and blade control. Plus, you have to have good technique: body awareness/control, proper entrances, checking and timing.

[Query]

Can I join? Are you selling tee shirts?

I can only spin (without traveling) when I try to twizzle (ice dance spin, with travel), and sometimes vice-versa. :cry:

But, sharpening my blade in such a way as to emphasize the sweet spot (rocker change cusp), helps some, because it lets me feel when I am stably sitting on that spot on the blade. Some of you who have trouble just have lousy sharpeners who try to create a uniform rocker, and kill the sweet spot, or you need to have it moved to where you actually spin. But making a strong sweet spot usually just isn't enough for me. And I have more trouble with the two foot spin!

You have no idea how much time I've spent trying to fix this, working with how many coaches. It's not fair!

[Skate@Delaware]

I was a GREAT spinner before I lost weight...lower center-of-gravity. Now, my spinning sucks but my coach is ok with it (for now)...they only travel about 3-6 feet 8O

we still work on them and OCCASIONALLY I can do a fast centered one.

[singerskates]

SSESS which stands for Sucking Spin Entry Support Society

I can't seem to enter a spin without cheating the spin entry. I get down graded for my spin entry all the time. I use to be able to get a proper spiralling edge on my forward entries on spins but since I've gotten back to skating after my year and a bit away from skating which began in spring 2005, I haven't been able to hook a spin very often. I don't know what the problem is either. But once I've started spining, I'm good to go on uprights and sits.

Camel spins get 2 rotations if I'm lucky, 1 and 1/2 or if I'm off, I fall out as soon as I start.

Upright backspins are OK at the boards but who spins at the boards in a program. Away from the boards, I just don't feel comfortable on my RBO edge spinning, even if I can do twizzles and double 3s from my RBO edge away from the boards I can't get passed 1 and 1/4 rotation.

So, I do believe I belong in the SSSS and especially the SSESS.

[jjane45]

My coach seems to wonder why I have absolutely no control of the free leg position while spinning, and I wonder how do you FEEL the free leg while spinning!

I once had a magical sharpening that made one-foot spins go from frustrating wild 1-2 rev to nearly consistent 5-6 rev overnight, one day before testing. Alas that degree of makeover never happened again! :)

[katz in boots]

Backspins :frus:
worked on these for like 4 years without getting past 3 revs. New coach, suddenly could do them. Coach went overseas, spin went with her. Coach came back, brought spin back with her. Was regularly getting 10 revs 8O. Stopped having lessons - I think my backspins went back to stay with her for good.:frus:

[jwrnsktr]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this thread. Misery loves company. Sorry for your spinning woes, but I have been trying to do a simple one foot or scratch spin for 12 years now. Yes, 12 years worth of frustration and I don't even want to think about the $$$$$ in lessons. I even worked with the famous "Spin Doctor" up in Lake Placid. So the question is, do we keep trying or do we move to resignation? I guess I'll keep trying. :frus: Sigh.....

[Isk8NYC]

I've seen your spins, jwrnsktr - they're not that bad.

Should we start a "Spin Clinic" thread and focus on one aspect each week or two?

Sample topics:

The basics of forward spins
Blade usage
Posture and limb positions
Shoulders and arms
Entry edges
Crossover windups

[jwrnsktr]

Absolutely, a spin clinic would be fabulous!!!!!!!

[icestalker]

Backspins :frus:
worked on these for like 4 years without getting past 3 revs. New coach, suddenly could do them. Coach went overseas, spin went with her. Coach came back, brought spin back with her. Was regularly getting 10 revs 8O. Stopped having lessons - I think my backspins went back to stay with her for good.:frus:
My backspin tends to stick with my coach too. I had to do an exhibition last Friday, but coach had been gone all week, and my backspin had left me, thus resulting in my almost falling down during the exhibiton, then it came back when I had a lesson this week. Why why why does this happen?

Sorry for your spinning woes, but I have been trying to do a simple one foot or scratch spin for 12 years now. Yes, 12 years worth of frustration and I don't even want to think about the $$$$$ in lessons. I even worked with the famous "Spin Doctor" up in Lake Placid.
8O8O8O8O8O

Should we start a "Spin Clinic" thread and focus on one aspect each week or two? ]
YES!

[Laura H]

I cannot center a spin. It randomly happens, but I can't figure out what I did to center it. It took me months of struggle to cross my leg on the scratch spin, and it's only an ankle cross, because I can't hold my leg any higher than that while spinning. I cannot do a sit, no matter how hard I try, my right side turns in and drops down, thus ending the spin after 1/2 revolution.

I am not sure if you are a CCW spinner but if so, check off ice and see if you can lift your right leg and balance on your left leg WITHOUT having the right hip drop. You might need to work on strengthening your hip abductor muscles, particularly the gluteus medius (see the following link - just picked this one for illustrative purposes, you can also google "gluteus medius" or "Trendelenburg sign")
http://www.mikereinold.com/2008/12/gluteus-medius-evaluation-strengthening.html

Because if your free hip is actually dropping and pulling your pelvis down with it, you can see that this is going to cause problems with your spin before it even has a chance to develop - you will kind of be corkscrewing down into it and it makes it very hard to center after that (can verify this from personal experience, LOL!).

I have also had to work very hard on core strength and not breaking at ALL at the waist on the entry - and I'm still not GREAT at spinning, but it's definitely way better than it was. Unfortunately, there are so many things that can go wrong on a spin entry, and many of them are so subtle!! I will be waiting anxiously for "spin clinic tips!"

[icedancer2]

My coach seems to wonder why I have absolutely no control of the free leg position while spinning, and I wonder how do you FEEL the free leg while spinning!



I am guessing without seeing you skate that you have to learn how to feel your free leg and free foot in all of your skating. Feeling and tightening your free foot in your boot is one way to do that.

This is something that was taught in figures and now appears to be lost, but really your free foot and leg does most of the work (as well as the whole rest of your body actually) while your skating foot is just there on the ice.

It's one way of thinking about it.

[Isk8NYC]

Should we start a "Spin Clinic" thread and focus on one aspect each week or two?


Absolutely, a spin clinic would be fabulous!!!!!!!


YES!

I will be waiting anxiously for "spin clinic tips!"

Okay - I made an intro thread here to gather startup info: http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=31366

[ChristyRN]

I look at my replies from five years ago and think to myself: "Hmmmm, I still can't spin worth a damn." Same problems, just add that I've been off ice most of the last couple of years... I can occasionally center one, usually the first one in practice, then just bang my head in frustration.

(I was NCSkater02 back then)

[sk8joyful]

I had an advantage: I love to get dizzy.
I would go outside as a child and turn around and around on the lawn until I got dizzy and fell down or staggered off like a drunk. So, dizziness was never a problem for me with skating because I had previous experience with fast turns.
I think Skate@Delaware says she used an office chair for the same reason.
A friend and I admitted that we regularly do spins and backspins in the kitchen while wearing socks, lol.

For the most part, I'm like that too, & have been for the past 50+ years, lol


Secrets to spins? Controlling dizziness, balance, alignment, core strength, foot strength and blade control. Plus, you have to have good technique: body awareness/control, proper entrances, checking and timing.

Um, what a list :!: - And itty-bitties don't have all of these skills, or even 1/2 of them, & they don't Analyze everything to death, yet look at them go... :bow:

So (and please don't laugh at this) - what is THE difference, between spinning myself around on the kitchen floor, with glee :) and
doing it on the ice? from the same stationary position -- is it just primarily positioning of the blade, as on the sweet-spot?
.