Bobbe Shire discusses the back camel. She starts right off saying the back camel entrance is hardest of the back spin entrances. Some of the initial warm-up for this element was included in this final video clip because some of Bobbe’s comments to her skaters are insightful.
Bobbe describes why the back camel is challenging. It’s the only back spin entrance where you don’t swing the free leg to get “George.” This means the hook becomes all important.
Bobbe makes a point of stating that the upper body position on a camel entrance is the SAME as on a sit spin entrance. This is an important point which many less experienced coaches don’t know.
In the back camel, Bobbe wants the skater to twist the torso against the hip. She wants the free knee and opposite shoulder to twist towards each other. She also likes the head up and turned over the skating shoulder. She says she wants the head to have a “snobby look” and she explains that the head has an important role in the spin.
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4 responses to “Figure Skating Spins Tips: Back Camel Spin (Bobbe Shire)”
Great info as usual! Thanks so much Bobbe!!
Thanks Bobbe! Loved it!
pagelipeExcellent pointers in there–thanks Bobbe!
This is exactly what I needed. It was great to hear the games/teaching tools from Bobby, like the count to three. I remember hearing some of these notes when I would attend seminars with her as a skater, but the perspective as a coach these days is never the same. Does anyone have any tips on how they teach changes of foot? I have several skaters that struggle with it, and the basic idea of a back pivot isn’t enough for them to get the right feeling.