Holding spin positions
The sit, camel and layback shapes, held still for longer than a spin lasts.
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.
A spin position has to be found quickly and then held while the body turns several times a second. The sit spin needs a skating leg strong enough to hold a deep bend with the free leg out in front; the camel needs the body and free leg level and still; the layback needs a back that can arch without collapsing.
These shapes can be held off the ice, still, for longer than a spin lasts. Holding them still is harder than it sounds and is most of the work: on the ice the rotation adds pull, but the shape is the same shape.
Flexibility for the layback and the camel is worth building slowly and with advice. A physiotherapist can say how far your back and hips should go, and that answer differs from one skater to the next.
On the ice, this prepares
- Sit spinA spin held with the skating thigh at least parallel to the ice and the free leg forward.
- Camel spinA spin held with the free leg extended behind and the free knee above hip level.
- Layback spinAn upright spin with the head and shoulders leaning backwards and the back arched; the free leg can be anywhere.
- SpiralA held glide with the free leg extended at or above hip height.
Written for the guide from what each element asks of the body. No governing body's material.