Core and carriage
A trunk that holds its shape while the shoulders and hips move separately.
Not checked yet. The suggestions on this page are a first draft by a non-expert, and no coach has seen them yet. Read them as a starting point and check them with a coach. Corrections are very welcome.
Carriage is how the upper body is held over the blade: tall, with the shoulders level and the arms where the element wants them. Turns and jumps both depend on the upper and lower body moving separately, the shoulders checking one way while the hips turn the other, and that needs a trunk strong enough to hold its own shape.
Off the ice that is core strength in the broadest sense, front, back and sides, held while the arms and legs move. Holding still matters more than speed.
Ask a coach to watch your carriage on the floor. Most skaters lean further than they think, and it is easier to see when nothing is moving under them.
On the ice, this prepares
- Left forward outside three turnLFO to LBI: half a turn into the circle, changing edge and staying on the same lobe.
- Left forward outside twizzleLFO to LFO: 1 rotation on one foot, travelling, one curl and no cusp.
- AxelLFO takeoff, off the edge, 1.5 rotations to RBO.
- Layback spinAn upright spin with the head and shoulders leaning backwards and the back arched; the free leg can be anywhere.
- Step sequenceA run of turns and steps skated as one element across the ice, to the character of the music.
Written for the guide from what each element asks of the body. No governing body's material.