COACHES’ CORNER
GR8 SK8 TIPS O
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TEACHING THE CAMEL SPIN COACH 1: A good method to use when
attempting a camel spin is to think of the design of half a heart. Starting at the bottom of a heart, push off on a strong left outside edge and guide your blade into the circle. Feel your knee bend as you create a three-turn, skating from forward to backward. We call this “the hook.” Straighten up into the camel position and stretch your body line making sure you are well balanced over your left hip and creating as small of circles as possible.
COACH 2: Have the skater stand with back against the wall and feet hip width apart. Arch back fully and bend over at waist until the core is parallel with the ice. Keep head and shoulders back with continued arched back. Hips should be against the wall and legs straight. Now shift the core of the body in line with the knee of the spinning leg. Practice holding this position for at least 10 seconds before trying the camel spin.
Practice straight line back spirals with only one push. When a skater can keep the spiral straight in a nice position all the way across the line, they are ready to begin the camel spin.
When entering the camel spin, wind
up with back in the upright position. When stepping on the entering curve, back should be flat to the ice with free leg staying low directly behind the skating leg. Hold the spiraling edge one revolution. I try entering with both arms in front across the skating side. It can be tried with skating arm leading or the free arm leading as well. Every skater is different so I try different positions with the arms to get the best result. At one revolution, the skater should rock to the toe pick for the left outside three-turn which initiates the spin. Simultaneously, both arms will stretch back just above the hips and the skating knee will lock by pushing the skating foot forward. Tis should now put the skater onto the front ball of the foot to spin on a back inside edge.
COACH 3: I make sure the skater has a solid spiral on the spinning foot before teaching the camel spin. We also practice holding onto the wall in a spiral position with the spinning leg bent and then straightening the spinning leg while the body stays still to mimic the action that will take place when we do the spin. Once we do the spin, I make sure the skater understands that he or she is to follow the arm of the skating foot into the spin and
that he or she needs to wait until they feel the toe for the three-turn to pull the skating side back and straightening the spinning leg. Te waiting seems to be the difficult part as all skaters want to pull the spin around. Other important points to note are that the free toe should be turned out and there should be tension from the back of the head to the tip of the toe of the free leg. Te head should be straight and the nose should be up.
TEACHING DANCE STEP SEQUENCES COACH 1: Brief tips for FS 4 dance step
sequences: • Breakdown all turns on a circle first.
• Introduce the long axis and draw the lobes with a marker.
• Create a rhythm for the skater to follow, reminding skaters about pre- rotation of turns, blade pressure, and weight placement for smooth turns and transitions.
• Play “add on” with each new turn. Start with the first lobe and master it. Ten add the second and master that. Continue until all four lobes are built together.
SUMMER 2 017 29
NE OF ISI’S goals is to draw our community of coaches together to network and share advice for the
betterment of the ice skating industry. Below, you’ll find tips from several ISI coaches on specific skating moves and techniques. A sincere thank you to the coaches who participated.
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