Ice skating backwards?

Question

I have been learning to ice skate backwards for three weeks now, and all they tell us to do is to glide backwards and lift one foot off the ice at a time. Then we progress to doing backward lemons, but the only problem with this is I only get halfway through doing a lemon and then I stop, can anyone give me some tips on how to do them properly? Is it 'cos my leg muscles are too weak? And are you supposed to lean your ankles in when you skate backwards? And once you have mastered the backwards lemons, is that all you do to skate backwards?

Any help will be great, thanks!

Answer 1

yes, most of the time once you've mastered the lemons then you can properly skate backwards. I had the same problem with that. Do not lean on your heals it will not help. try to even out your weight when your doing it.

doing exersices(sp?) with your legs like tredmills and going on regular walks and that will help your leg strength. all you have to really do is focus on what your doing and you have to passionate to get through with what your doing. Totally think about it before you do it and think WHILE your doing it. Remeber what you have to do next.

Answer 2

I'm assuming "lemons" are like swizzles or "fishies" (I've never heard them called lemons).  So you need to bend your knees well because you won't get anywhere with straight legs; there's no where for you to push.  

On the inwards push, it's more of a feeling of pulling your legs in together. If you do it right you will feel that you are using the muscles in your inner thighs.  

You should be on an inside edge for this maneuver but I wouldn't go so far as to say you lean your ankles in.  Leaning your ankles in will deprive your skating legs of strength.  But you're right, your feet are not straight up and down - especially when they are at the farthest spread of the lemon -  because that would be physically impossible.  You're using the inside edge of your blade to generate power.

Gliding backwards and lifting one foot is generally on the flat of your blade to get you used to the feeling of traveling backwards in a straight line.  I think when you actually skate backwards all the time you don't do that all that often, mostly you are doing backwards crossovers in one form or another unless you're doing a particular figure.

Answer 3

Backwards skating is easy.  

1)  Put your weight on your left foot and extend your right leg out slightly.

2) With your right leg sweep it back in an arc ) shaped like this.

3) This should start you moving backwards.

4) Immediately swtich your weight over to your right leg and use your left leg to make a backwards arcing sweep (

Note: the way you shift your weight is be moving your hips and your center of gravity from your left leg to your right and back again.  Moving your hips is really helpful in getting started going backwards and then as you pick up speed, you don't need to do it as much.  

Rinse and repeat and your going backwards!

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