I Need Some Help WIth Backwards Crossovers?

Question

I'm trying to do backwards crossovers, but it just really confuses me! My instructor tells me to do a pump, glide, lift the leg, then put it over the ice. But whenever I try to do it, I always end up never lifting my leg, but when I do, I go on my toepicks and end up almost falling 75% of the time. Can anyone give me pointers and advice for this? If I can't do this, I can't go onto the next level, and I really want to move on. I already now how to do pumps, and forward crossovers, but it's just something that I can't do! Is there any techniques i can do off the ice with/without ice skates? Thanks!

Answer 1

When you're doing backward crossovers its really important to lean into the circle and sort of tilt your body to the side that you're turning. Crouch down really low and make sure you're going at a pretty fast speed to. I think you're going on your toe-picks because you are leaning forward to steady yourself. Try not to do this, just think about crossing over and side stepping once your foot is crossed over. I hope this makes sense... I took lessons a few yrs ago tho, and I found out that the only way to do this was to actually practice on ice. Once you do it a few times you see how easy and simple it is. It takes a lot of actual experience tho.  ;) good luck!

Answer 2

BEND YOUR NEES loadss

Answer 3

So if you're scraping your toe picks, your weight is too far forward.  What really helps is to really, really "sit" back - heck, visualize that you are sitting in a chair. It's not really that far but mentally you have to fool yourself to sitting into it so that your weight is more in the middle of your blade (not the back or you'll slip off the edge).

Something to try when you're by yourself practicing - this exercise helped me get the feel of the cross when I was just learning.   Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, skates parallel. Then gently pivot BOTH feet so that they are in the same position, but you start to turn. By the time you are facing the other direction, your legs are crossed.  Again, your feet do not move, they just pivot exactly where they are.  That crossed feeling is what the cross feels like.

Once you feel comfortable with that, do that pivot but push off with your outside edge on your inside foot.  So if you pivot counterclockwise, push with your right foot underneath your left and glide on the inside edge of your left foot.  Lift up your right foot, and place it next to your left, shifting your weight onto your right foot on the BO edge.  

You end up doing crossovers without lifting your forward foot which is the more advanced version, but I found it helpful for learning the feel of the crossover.  Good luck! Everyone struggles with BXO's at first.