Exercise to help close hips in a scratch spin? (figure skating)?

Question

Okay so ive been skating for close to 3 years and im getting good at my jumps, but my spins are suffering. Lately ive been feeling my scratch spin digressing.. and its so frustrating. I know to keep practicing it, but i am not improving it.. because i am traveling reallyyyyy too much. im close to sure that it is because i cannot close my hips and bring my foot to the center and front.. but instead it is out to the side. I feel like this is probably from a lack of muscle in a certain part of my leg, right? Are there ways to strengthen whichever muscle this is off the ice? certain exercises or something i can do? pleas help me get this scratch spin!

Answer 1

When you step into your spin make sure you're over your knee and let your free leg swing around naturally then keep your leg in the sloppy T position. make sure its NOT turned out. keep it parallel and in front of you. While your leg is in the sloppy T position press your arms down then when your balanced, pull in!

Answer 2

suck in while you spin

Answer 3

Just practice holding the open position of the spin.  Go into your spin, hold and while doing so, check your posture.  Get your leg in front, arms out, head looking ahead and not behind.  Make sure your shoulders and hips are square and free the toe of your free foot is pointed out.  Don't worry about pulling in so much....focus more on making sure your posture is correct and you feel that you're getting centered on your blade.  Once you hit that position more frequently, you can obviously cut way down on holding the open position.  Working on this helps your body "memorize" the correct posture, helping you hit it more quickly.  

If you're traveling, be careful that you're not popping up on your knee too quickly when going into the spin.  That can send you traveling right off the bat.  Practice your step into the spin without the crossovers....just practice from a line, making a half-heart shape.  Where you start would be the pointy part of the heart and the top of the heart would be where you spin.  Practice your entrance with a lot of knee bend, holding your free foot behind you until you *snap* into the spin by bringing it in front.  I tell my skaters when they start "make yourself real little" and when they snap, "make yourself real tall."  Practice the entrance as if you're balancing a very heavy book on your head and you don't want to drop it.  You can draw the "half-heart" shape on the ice to follow, which some skaters like, or after doing a few in the same spot, you'll see that the entrance really does make that shape -- or should!  :)

Good luck!