Camel Spin In Ice Skating – Part 2 (Charyl Brusch)

Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues her discussion of the camel spin. For skaters having trouble with the basic position, Charyl likes to use back spirals to work on the position. She wants them to do the back spiral in a straight line, with their skating knee straight and just dragging their toe pick. Getting this position right is important for centering the camel spin. Skaters that cannot pull their free foot directly behind the skating foot with both legs locked will often be unable to do the back spiral in a straight line.

[Editor’s note: Some skaters will drift onto an inside edge during this back spiral drill just like the skater in the video, which makes diagnosis easy. However, many skaters can only do a back spiral on an outside edge, partly because this helps them camouflage their position problems. Work it on a straight line!]

In this video, Charyl also talks more about where she wants the body in terms of final position. She draws pictures to illustrate her point. She wants the leg lifted and the back lifted. She says, “I’m looking for both ends lifting.”

Charyl also mentions the common problem of sticking out the skating hip. This is common for skaters that cannot open their hips correctly.

In terms of timing, Charyl clarifies the sweeping motion of the skating arm. She wants the arm to sweep only after the skater hits their toe pick in the spin entrance. A very common problem is to sweep the arm immediately after the step onto the entrance edge and way before the three turn. She says, “I do try to keep the arm in front a little more because I feel like when you open the arm your leg releases.” To help prevent the leg from releasing, Charyl keeps the hand in front longer and suggests using more body lean on the entrance edge.

Another common problem with the camel spin is the urge by skaters to tilt their shoulders as they open their hips. Charyl wants the shoulders more level to the ice. To help fix this she says, “I like to have them look at their left arm going in, keep their chin over their left foot. As they pop up I really do stress that your nostrils are level and your shoulders are level. It’s easier to think about your shoulders if you can think about your nose because it’s right there under your eyeballs.”