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

Sheila Thelen shows how to use a Champion Cord to help skaters cross their feet in the back spin.  First Sheila shows how to attach the cord to the skate and how to hold it properly.  Next Sheila stresses the importance of the back spin and the need to get used to crossing the feet.

Notice that Sheila introduces the back spin FIRST (even before two foot spins) at the very lowest levels! Sheila describes it as 3 positions.  The first position has the arms outstretched as this maximizes the stretch of the Champion Cord so the skater crosses the legs.  The second position is the circle with the arms (also called the hoop).  And the third position is the fully pulled-in asymmetrical air position.  The first position can use either the “h-position” or “d-position” for the legs.  For those skaters that will be overwhelmed by moving their arms and legs together, it’s better to start with d-position to keep it simple.

Later in the video, Sheila expands it to 4 positions to more easily include all the arm and leg positions. And to continue with the theme from all the top coaches at iCoachSkating.com, Sheila also focuses on the head position.  She wants the skater to keep their head turned toward the cord and their hands.

Next Sheila focuses on ideas to help teach the back spin.  She likes to use the back pivot but continues to focus on keeping the head to the right (for skaters that spin to the left).  When adding the forward inside entrance edges, Sheila asks her skaters to slow down to focus on control.  And she wants her skaters to spin right on top of the three turn that initiates the spin. The entrance edge must get deeper to allow the edge to happen.  And Sheila really wants her young skaters to spin with the skate skating backward in a back spin.  (The forward inside edge is probably the most common error when learning this spin.)  To accomplish this Sheila has her skaters keep their weight on the front of their blades with their “baby toe pushing down.”  She also focuses on a strong upper body that is “quiet” and has minimal movement. Please leave Sheila a comment.

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