Champion Cords Help Skaters Spin Faster: Back Spin & Toys (Sheila Thelen)

Sheila Thelen continues her discussion of the backspin (see the first part here).  Sheila is a master at using training aids and here she starts by explaining how she uses a “squishy ball.”  The ball helps skaters be aware of and engage their upper body muscles.

Sheila also addresses the common backspin problem of spinning on the forward inside edge.  She notes it’s important to stay near the front of the skate blade.  She tells her skaters to “push down on the baby toe” of the skating foot.  She also offers a nifty trick that works for some skaters.  With the feet crossed the skater can put their non-skating toe pick into the ice and pivot around it briefly.  The key is to remain skating backward.

Sheila also addresses the issue of equipment.  Sometimes skaters cannot do a backspin properly because their blades are mounted incorrectly on the boot.  Sheila tells a story about this and it offers a good reminder to coaches and skaters alike that sometimes new skills are hard to develop if our equipment is not correct.

Next, Sheila demonstrates a backspin drill using two Champion Cords.  The purpose of this cord usages is to get the feet to cross AND get the upper body to align over the skating side.  Sheila offers an observation that young skaters tend to struggle more with their feet on backspin while older students struggle more with their upper body. Sheila notes the benefit of using the Champion Cord is not only how it “feels” to the skater, but often we can use the cords in a way the skater can “see” them as well.  This engages at least two learning modalities for faster skill acquisition. Please leave Sheila a comment.

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