Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan shares a process to developing and mastering the off-ice forward sit spin on a spinboard. You can learn more about spinboards here and purchase a spinboard directly from Kim. Kim recommends a standard spinboard upright warm-up before working on sit spins.
Kim begins with stationary balance and strength drills, where the skater goes down into a one-leg “deep knee bend” or full sit spin position. Skaters should initially practice this with hand support for safety, but Kim recommends being able to go down and come back up 5 times without assistance. Once a skater is strong enough and is able to attain the desired position, Kim has the skater walk-through the positions on the spinboard, without rotating.
Next, skaters can wind-up and perform what Kim calls a “happy sit” where the hips are in an intermediate position between an upright and a full sit position. Skaters should develop consistency spinning in the happy sit position before going all the way down to the full sit. Kim wants skaters to return to the “skinny-V” on every spin attempt, and stop by touching the free toe lightly on the ground in front of the spinning foot. After that, skaters can do full sit spins, all the way down, again making sure to maintain control and come up to the “skinny-V.”
Once a skater has mastered the basic sit spin, Kim recommends playing with features such as a “tuck sit” as demonstrated in this video. Again, notice the discipline of walking through the positions on the spinboard without spinning, with no balance assistance. Kim wants 3 revolutions in full sit, then 3 revolutions in tuck sit, and coming up to skinny-V.
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