Spin specialist Charyl Brusch shares some fantastic tips for doing the sit spin variation with the leg in front and the body forward and down. This sit spin is known by many names including the bullet spin, the cannonball spin, and the Fratianne spin (after Linda Fratianne who did the spin in the late 1970’s), among others.
Charyl begins with a simple standstill exercise on two feet, establishing the hold and elbow positions. Notice the head down position. She encourages them to think about “kissing their skating knee.” She wants the back flat and the bend to come from the hip rather than from the middle of the back. Skaters must bend from the ankle to do this spin!
Because many skaters have problems grabbing the leg, Charyl offers her skaters options. Some grab on the way down, others only after they’ve already established a solid sit spin. She also uses the transition from camel spin to the cannonball since the body is already forward in the camel and they’re already spinning.
For added clarity, Charyl explains the desired position with stick figure drawings on the ice. A common error is dropping the free hip, so Charyl wants the body lined up over the skating leg.
To help skaters learn the position, she often has them do shoot the ducks backward (in the desired position). When doing this drill, it’s important that the skater can glide in straight line, as this helps with centering the spin. Charyl also discusses turning out the free toe just slightly, but warns against dropping the hip.
She says, “People, I find with this spin, can either do it or they can’t. If we spend a lot of time on it and it’s not getting anywhere, I go to another feature.”
Sorry, this content is for members only.Click here to get access.
Already a member? Login below… |
Add to "My Favorites" (Beta testing)
