Backward Swizzles

flutterby1145 · Apr 4, 2006

About five weeks ago I started taking a beginners level adult lessons and one of the things we have been practicing is backward swizzles. My instructors shows and tells me how to do them, toes together push out from your knees bring your heels together. I can get the feet positions, but when I try to push "from my knees" I barely move! How do you push from your knees and are there any off ice exercises to help with this? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

orangemonkey558 · Apr 4, 2006

You might try inlines. Me being an inline skater, I find both front and back swizzles fairly easy on them.

Clarice · Apr 4, 2006

Are you bending your knees? Just about everything in skating is easier if you do! Toes together, bend your knees, then push - straighten your knees as you push your heels together. The down-and-up knee action is where the power comes from.

dlkksk8fan · Apr 4, 2006

A "swizzle " is a two-footed move and a backward swizzle is the first backward skating that most start with. Make sure you bend your knees, then push backward with both inside edges. Then bring your heels toward each other and pull your skates back together along their insided edges. Repeat the push backward with both edges, continue. Your skates make a curvy print on the ice that mirror each other. Instead of pushing at your knees, push from the top part of your legs called the quad muscle and bend your knees.

julietvalcouer · Apr 4, 2006

"Sit" towards the ice (or I as I have been hearing for what seems like forever now "push your tailbone towards the ice.") You do this by bending from the knee and hip WITHOUT tipping forward. Then push, toes in, on an inside edge, and the curve of the blade will carry both feet out and back in the "swizzle."

Off-ice, I might practice deep plies from second, only turn your feet forward, not out like for ballet. Get a feel for bending while keeping your back straight

Alexei'sgirl · Apr 4, 2006

I had a lot of the same troubles when I first started (two years ago in beginning adult classes). What others have said has been my golden rule....Bend Your Knees! (I can hear my coach now.) :laugh:

Wolfgang · Apr 9, 2006

Bend your knees -quite deeply - and kind of 'sit down', almost as though you were sitting in a chair, pigeon your toes, and push outwards, arms out for balance, of course.

lindasaffell · Apr 10, 2006

flutterby1145 said:
My instructors shows and tells me how to do them, toes together push out from your knees bring your heels together. I can get the feet positions, but when I try to push "from my knees" I barely move! How do you push from your knees and are there any off ice exercises to help with this? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

I second, third, and fourth, all the advice about bending your knees. And, I had exactly the same problem at first, but now I have a decent backward swizzle. (The wiggles backward still give me trouble though). I found that I was bending my knees but ALSO leaning toward my front, so I was kind of stopping any motion before it had a chance to even start. Once I got the feeling of where "sitting upright" is on the ice for me, I've made good progress.

Let us know how it is going, I'm hoping one day to be able to say I've mastered a crossover.

Wolfgang · Apr 11, 2006

Linda - Crossovers are basically a matter of committing yourself to the move, and not being afaraid of the speed you will very quickly pick up. And, again, deeply bending the knee you're crossing over.
They're not difficult physically, it's more like something has to 'unhinge' mentally.

Backward Swizzles

flutterby1145

orangemonkey558

Clarice

dlkksk8fan

julietvalcouer

Alexei'sgirl

Wolfgang

lindasaffell

Wolfgang

Similar threads

Connect with us