Ice Skating Turns: Back Outside Three Turns – Part 2 (Amy Brolsma)

In this video, Amy Brolsma continues her discussion of the back outside three turn. This short video covers an incredibly important point which is why it’s a stand-alone video on the site.

The point is this: skaters need to have control of their basic edges and positions to effectively do ANYTHING properly. The problem is that most skaters don’t have the patience to master the fundamentals and most coaches do not demand that their skaters spend the time getting the basics right. Everyone, including skaters, parents, and coaches are eager to move on to new skills.

For the back outside three turn, Amy addresses the extremely common error of the skater “sticking their butt out” on the edge and turn. And as Amy says, this is generally due to poor balance which results from poor body alignment and control on the entry edge. Just working on the edge can immediately solve the problem.

Unfortunately, skaters that learn and repeatedly practice a back outside three turn without having proper balance on the back edge develop incorrect muscle memory for the turn itself. This means they have an ingrained physical habit that then prevents them from easily fixing the turn by simply improving the entrance edge.

As a jump specialist, I would estimate that 80% of my coaching comes down to edge control and turn control. I believe the vast majority of skaters are attempting jumps from insecure entry edges and positions. For those skaters without ingrained bad habits, by improving their entry they’re often able to immediately land a new jump or get a jump back. But those with incorrect muscle memory have a huge uphill battle to replace old habits with correct new ones. -Trevor

Everyone involved in skating should be constantly vigilant in terms of edge control and alignment. Amy’s game of holding the edge for a count of 10 is priceless.