Fear factor: How do you get used to spinning?

[Yazmeen]

Coach and I worked on one foot spins today, and they are starting to shape up a bit, but I have a question. I hit one really good one and went around about 4 times, but it absolutely shook me--I'm not used to the speeding up and the feeling of the spin. What did you do get by the "Fear Factor" and get used to spinning, aside from practice, practice, practice? We are going to spend a little time on spins with each lesson, and I have to do them every time I skate, but any advice you can give is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[blurrysarah]

The sudden speed is scary at first. At first I'd balk and terminate the spin if it started to speed up, but I found that if I worked up the guts to hang on and continue to cross my feet, the rest of the spin smoothed out. (Of course, doesn't always work, some spins are so out of control that I wobble and travel all over the place, but I'm talking about a good spinning day.)
And once you get used to speeding up, it seems you can never go fast enough.

 

[Cinderella on Ice]

Yazmeen - Don't fret. The more you do, the more normal they seem. Just keep pushing yourself a little each time and before you know it -- NO FEAR!

Just keep in mind that YOU are in control. You can decide how fast (or how slow) you want to go. At any time, you can stop (like blurrysarah said). Spins are not evil.

Good luck!

 

[blurrysarah]

I found the forward scratch spin the hardest element so far. I'm only *just* getting more consistent with them now and it's been something like 1 and a half years since I began doing them. Take your time, work on getting just one more revolution each session, or just practice the entry. Take the pieces of the spin apart and work on a bit each session. Oh, and if you're tired and dizzy then it's best not to bother, balance can be off.

 

[megsk8z]

spinning

Just keep working on them. Eventually your brain will think that the feeling is normal and you'll make the adjustment.
I have noticed that if I lay off for a couple of weeks that the dizzy feeling returns, so I always try to do a lot of spins during any practice.

 

[skateballet]

Hi,

It's going to take a while to get used to this faster type of spinning. Focus right now on control and being centered in your circle that you've stepped into and your correct posture. One of the most important things about the scratch spin is being centered at the beginning. You want to step into the circle, not outside of it and you want to have a bent knee but pause and then straighten that supporting leg you're spinning on. The key is to take your time when you're stepping into the spin. You're really doing a 3 turn and then spinning so take your time with that and use it to get balanced.

You also want to be on the ball of your foot when you're spinning and the best way to practice getting there is by spinning with arms out front in a "v" and with your free leg out front, foot not turned out but toes pointing forward. Don't bring your free foot in as you would normally with a scratch spin, just let it stay out suspended in front straight and get used to that feeling. Concentrat on getting your balance on your supporting leg and not rocking. There's a tendency to lean back towards your heel or rock back and forth at first and this will help you get where you want to be. At this point, the speed isn't going to scare you as much. Practice this part of the spin over and over until you feel secure and balanced.

Once you feel like you're comfortable, then attempt to draw your arms and free foot in to finish the spin. Drawing them in is what causes the momentum of the spin to increase so do it slowly at first until you feel more daring. Just keep practicing over and over and in time you'll get much better!

 

[beebeeuk]

I agree....you just have to keep doing them and increase the revs and spins as you grow more confident.
The dizziness reduces.
However, if you stop doing them, as I have for 5 months, it's weird, because the dizziness returns.

 

[Ladskater]

Fear factor: How do you get used to spinning?

Yazmeen:

I never experienced a feeling of fear while spinning; however, it does take awhile to get used to the feeling of turning fast; I used to always feel dizzy for awhile. The best way to approach this is to start out slowly and bring your leg in. That is when you will build up speed. Also focus on something in the rink, this will keep you from feeling dizzy. Remember the more you do the spin the more you will get used to it and before long you will be spinning like a top!