Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a class on off-ice spin training. In Part 1 she explained and demonstrated in detail how to get started spinning off the ice in a repeatable and safe way. In Part 2 the class continued working on upright spins, advancing to forward and backward scratch spins with arm variations. In Part 3, the focus remained the same as Part 2 with additional insights and a clear process for developing skill. In Part 4, Kim taught the class how to do an eggbeater off the ice and in Part 5 she introduced the off ice sit spin with the “happy sit” position. In this video teaches full forward sit spins and introduces the class to combination spins.
Kim begins the class by asking for a sit spin that goes all the way down. She says, “Go all the way down. If you fall, you’re sitting on the floor.” She explains that working on the sit position off the ice is a great way to learn the position on the ice. It builds the necessary strength and flexibility, and Kim mentions another off ice training exercise for this (the pistol squat). She also encourages the class to spend 20-30 minutes a day on their spinboards. To make that practice more fun she suggests creating a playlist of music that is roughly that long and just keep spinning until the playlist finishes.
Next Kim has the class do the combination sit spin, egg beater, upright scratch. For those struggling with the full sit spin position on the spinboard, she allows the happy sit intermediate position. She says, “It’s learning how to transition from position to position without losing your balance on the ball of your foot.” She explains this as “isolating” the spinning foot so that even though the body positions above are changing, the weight placement on the foot is not changing at all. The class really struggles with this, and Kim explains the need to maintain core strength and positioning until the end or it’s possible to have a hard fall. She says, “Don’t get too excited after you’ve done it really really well.”
In order to give the class some idea of what’s possible on the spinboard in terms of combination spins and various positions, she shows video of some skaters on her phone. These skaters were obviously very serious about their spinboard training and were competing in an international off-ice spinboard competition, and it highlights how impressive off-ice spin training can be. Imagine how well these skaters could spin on the ice. She says, “Look at the amazing things you can do on your board” and “I wanted to show you what you can do with hard work.” Because these videos could be intimidating, Kim shares one last video and notes that it isn’t necessary to spin fast on the spinboard, as it’s mostly about control, balance, and position work (strength and flexibility).
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