trouble keeping free leg straight on salchow and scratch spin? | Golden Skate

trouble keeping free leg straight on salchow and scratch spin?

swansongs

Spectator
Joined
Nov 27, 2021
(17 y/o skater working on singles minus lutz)
hi! so I've been struggling with keeping my free leg straight and extended at the beginning of my scratch spins and during my salchow takeoff. I think part of it is a confidence issue and my coach does too-- I tend to either put my free leg down reflexively (this happens on my backspin, loop & flip... coach thinks it's all related and I agree) or, more often, I bend my free leg and don't get the controlled power I need in the jump/spin. since I'm already working on the confidence aspect on ice & with my coach, my question is whether there are specific things I can focus on off-ice to help this? I started beginner ballet classes once a week to help my balance, flexibility and body alignment, and I work on the same things at home, along with just holding the position off-ice of balancing on my skating leg, with my free leg held straight in front of me. are there other things you guys do to work on this? I also stretch daily (both static and dynamic/mobility) because my flexibility needs work, but I know just flexibility isn't enough without strength and muscle control.
 

WednesdayMarch

Nicer When Fed
Medalist
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Country
United-Kingdom
I'm relieved to see that you're working with your coach on this issue; there is a limit to what we can do to help on an internet forum! Sounds to me like you're doing all the right things off ice but I would add one that few people think of and that is visualisation. Visualise yourself doing every stage of the jump perfectly from run up to landing. Picture yourself doing it from a spectator's point of view and also feel yourself doing it perfectly with every part of your body doing exactly what it should, when it should. I find that can help massively with confidence issues and it's a handy way of practicing in your head when you're unable to do it for real.

If you're worried about falling and injuring yourself, then invest in some padding to help remove that worry. Plenty of people wear crash protection these days, not just elites flinging themselves into orbit (triples).
 

swansongs

Spectator
Joined
Nov 27, 2021
I'm relieved to see that you're working with your coach on this issue; there is a limit to what we can do to help on an internet forum! Sounds to me like you're doing all the right things off ice but I would add one that few people think of and that is visualisation. Visualise yourself doing every stage of the jump perfectly from run up to landing. Picture yourself doing it from a spectator's point of view and also feel yourself doing it perfectly with every part of your body doing exactly what it should, when it should. I find that can help massively with confidence issues and it's a handy way of practicing in your head when you're unable to do it for real.

If you're worried about falling and injuring yourself, then invest in some padding to help remove that worry. Plenty of people wear crash protection these days, not just elites flinging themselves into orbit (triples).
thank you! I do try to visualize and while it's something I've slowly gotten better at, it really doesn't come naturally to me unfortunately. it took me forever to just understand the mechanics of a waltz/axel and after a few months of struggling to figure out which arm/leg was supposed to go where (and constantly needing reminders from my coach), it finally clicked and it got easier with each new jump I learned. I think I still need to work on the visualization especially as far as my arms are concerned because I tend to get "lost" in jumps-- I can get up there but I forget where my arms go and my rotation is very sloppy. off-ice has helped a lot with that thankfully.

honestly, I've more or less gotten used to falling and it doesn't bother me too much, I just get up and move on and sometimes take a break if it's bad. that isn't to say that I'm careless-- I do try to be careful, and ever since I dealt with an overuse injury last winter I've been more cautious-- but I haven't had any very bad falls and training myself out of the intense fear of falling that older learners tend to deal with has helped me (I started taking lessons at 16, so I never got that period of fearlessness that I see with some much younger skaters). I'll probably buy padding either when I start working on doubles, or if I start having worse falls.
 

Vicki7

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
An odd one, but how is your hip mobility?

For the longest time, I would tap my toe after the 3 turn for a salchow - my poor coach is so glad we’re through that phase! We worked out it was partly a confidence thing, but also I didn’t have control over my hips and my right hip would drop after the 3 turn.

So we worked separately on the 3 turn with my free leg extended, to build the confidence, and my off ice routine includes a lot of exercises for my hips.

I have no problems, in that regard with my salchow now, although my hips do still drop, particularly in spins, so it’s an ongoing thing my coach and I have to be aware of, and correct as needed.
 

swansongs

Spectator
Joined
Nov 27, 2021
An odd one, but how is your hip mobility?

For the longest time, I would tap my toe after the 3 turn for a salchow - my poor coach is so glad we’re through that phase! We worked out it was partly a confidence thing, but also I didn’t have control over my hips and my right hip would drop after the 3 turn.

So we worked separately on the 3 turn with my free leg extended, to build the confidence, and my off ice routine includes a lot of exercises for my hips.

I have no problems, in that regard with my salchow now, although my hips do still drop, particularly in spins, so it’s an ongoing thing my coach and I have to be aware of, and correct as needed.
you know, I saw this and forgot to respond, but I asked my coach this when I saw her at the rink today and she said that is my main problem. I suspected it was part of the issue because I've never had good leg or hip flexibility or hip mobility, and even though I work on stretching and strength/extension work, it's still a struggle (I have trouble getting my knee above my hip consistently on spirals, for example).

weirdly, I don't have that issue on 3 turns-- I actually have trouble keeping my hips closed during the turn itself and I tend to extend my leg automatically. in jumps where I'm taking off from my right foot or picking with my right foot, I tap my left toe right before takeoff (almost like a waltz jump) and I assume part of my issue there is that I feel more comfortable taking off from my left foot. my coach recommended that I focus on backspins right now partly for that reason, and work on off-ice hip and leg exercises. I noticed the other day during ballet class that I really don't control my hips very well, and I can see my hip either turn or drop when I lift up one leg, so I've been trying to just practice the basics while keeping my hands against my hip bones so I can feel when they're aligned and when they aren't.
 

gliese

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2020
Country
United-States
How's your glute strength? The answer for most people is bad. It's just as important as mobility. Sometimes more depending on the move.
 

MiraiFan

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
For hip and glute strength, work on yoga bridges and clamshells with a strap... that will help you a lot.
 
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