Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches the figure skating move called the “Ina Bauer.” This move can be very beautiful and graceful, but as Amy notes, when it is not done well it can be an “eye sore.”
Amy begins the Ina Bauer by having skaters do a spread eagle with bent legs on a tight circle around a spot on the ice (hockey dot or a cone). After the skater gains control of this, Amy has them repeatedly push using the back leg while maintaining the radius of the circle. The body should lean into the circle. (Amy also shares an alternate way to learn the basics of an Ina Bauer by starting from a forward lunge and then twisting the hips to get the back skate blade to catch the ice on an inside edge.)
After mastering this, the next step involves straightening out the move. This is done primarily by opening the front skate or steering with the front skate. This requires that the front knee moves more over the top of the skate to help the skate get off the strong inside edge.
The learning progression for the Ina Bauer is inside Bauers, then straight line Bauers, and then outside Bauers which are typically much harder. To learn the outside Ina Bauer Amy has her skaters do a drill that switches from one lobe to the other (symmetrical skater development). In this drill, the skater starts on a strong forward outside edge and maintains that edge while putting the back foot down. This is a very effective drill assuming the skater really does maintain control and focus on the outside edge on the front foot. Notice the body lean is into the circle, but because of the outside edge, the skater must lean back strongly.
Before ending, Amy discusses common mistakes as well as how to use the boards properly to develop the back-bend or arched back that makes the Ina Bauer look spectacular. Many skaters focus so much on the back that they lose focus on the strength of the edges and connection with the ice, thereby making the move look weak.
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