Ultimate bad week?!?

Question

ok this is weird...

a week ago my spins were centred and jumps higher. now this week im all off track!

i cant keep up a spin as i either start to rock backwards and catch the back of my blade or go onto my toepick (something i ddnt do before), and my jumps have lost height and speed... its as if someones just flicked a switch.. does anyone else have such bad off days? anyone have any suggestions on how to centre spins better? for every one good spin i seem to do 10 bad...

advice?

thanks :)

Answer 1

Before you go into your position in your spin (only for scratch, backspin, sit spin, layback, etc) Rotate with your leg forward for 3 rotations before you go into your position, also make sure your arms arent to high as you go into the spin, that can throw you off balance. Or maybe you just need your skates sharpened! That happened to me last week and what helped was getting my skates sharpened.

Answer 2

Make sure that your arms aren't going up too high when you spin, that can throw you off center, if you're talking about scratch spins, also take your time finding your center before you try to pull in. If you go in with back crossovers, make sure to aim for the middle of your circle. And watch for bad posture.

You probably know these things already, but if not, I hope I can help.

I used to have terrible off days too, but don't get discouraged. Keep practicing and everything will be fine.

Answer 3

Not weird at all!    Every skater has their totally "on" days and their totally, bleh, "off" days.  It happens at every level . . . it'd just be too easy (unchallenging!) if we all skated marvelously and fantastically all the time!  

It could be over worked muscles.  You're doing pilates now right?  That extra work out will affect your skating - in good ways and sometimes in bad ways (temporarily anyway).  When we're tired, we tend to slow down and not bend our knees as much (which may account for the jump height or not using the knee efficiently in the spin entrance to help center).  Make sure you adequate rest with all your training . . . when you do, you'll feel refreshed and recharged (mentally and physcially) when you skate!

If a move has become so off, just stop and work on something else.  If skating period has gone wild, take a break.  As much as I didn't want to, a day or two off the ice did a lot of good to recooperate.  Again, it's good to rest your muscles AND your mind.          

I think sometimes when we are able to do certain moves well, we tend to focus less on each step to do them . . . so it's possible for weird habits to slowly creep in.  It's funny how the littlest changes to a position can throw off a move!  

Anyway - you've gotten a lot of good on ice help here for centering spins.  Here's my off ice suggestion when you have those "rest" days.  

Stand 2 feet together.  

Take a wide step to the right with your right foot - with your arms open.  

As you step down, bend the right knee deeply - all your weight over that foot - and the knee is aligned over your foot. Make sure you're not leaning forward or sticking that hip out or making adjustments with your foot (plant the feet and keep them planted).    

Then pull your "freeleg" up like a one foot spin - pulling your arms in as well - and hold your balance on your right leg.  You should aim for steadiness - no wobbling!  

If that gets good, then do the same but with your freeleg in front as you would for a scratch.  Do the other side for back spins.  

You have to keep square or you get wobbles and fall out of position . . . so with this, you strengthen and balance to not do that on the ice.  It's actually easier to fix wobbles on the ice as you're moving, but off ice you can feel where the squareness is not happening.    

Too long again . . .hope this helps some anyway!!

Answer 4

Don't worry!  We all have those days.  There are sessions where I can't spin to save my life!  Also, I know I do this sometimes, I think skaters and maybe all althletes sometimes try too hard and then get frustrated.  I can have all the determination in the world, but it only seems to make things harder.  Just take it easy, take a deep breath and have fun with it.  If I get irritated with myself, I leave whatever I'm doing and work on something totally different.  If my spins and jumps look like junk, I'll work on moves for a little bit and go back to it later.

Be careful in your spins that you're not raising a hip or dropping a shoulder, which often leads to wild spins.  Try to stay square.  Or in a camel, try going into it (assuming you're righty) with your left hand on your right shoulder in your back inside edge.  As you step into your spin, extend your left arm out and it's almost like your body follows your hand.  When my camels start looking more like hippos and other crazy animals, I slow down and try that to get the feeling back for a better step and position.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Every person has a bad day or their off times in skating. Often times from training your body will need time to recover, which causes your performance not to be as good until you give your body enough time to recover from being trained so hard. You just need to keep practicing and do your best!