Coach and choreographer Kate Charbonneau continues her presentation on the USFS Bronze Skating Skills test (formerly USFS Juvenile Moves in the Field Test). In Part 1 she discussed Forward Crossover Power Circles and in Part 2 she offered insights about the second pattern, Stroking: Backward Power Circles. In Part 3 she discussed the Eight-Step Mohawk Sequence and in Part 4 she shared insights for the Forward and Backward Free Skate Cross Strokes. In Part 5 she offered tips for Backward Power Three-Turns and in this video she teaches details of the Forward Double Three Turns.
Kate begins by noting that skaters sometimes initially struggle with this pattern because they are used to performing the first turn on each lobe at the top of the lobe like on the Pre-Juvenile test. Instead, it’s better to think of the lobes being split into 3 sections.
Kate then critiques the pattern as the skater skates it, focusing on step direction and arm scissoring. The arm scissoring between the forward and backward turns helps maintain alignment and rotational control. To get the correct scissoring motion Kate says, “Just brush your hands next to your legs.” She reminds the skater to step perpendicular to the long axis of the rink to start each lobe.
The edge quality between the forward and backwards turns is one of the more challenging aspects of this pattern, and it’s important to press on the edge and maintain desired curvature. The neat scissoring motion of the arms and free leg also helps maintain this edge. Similarly, the exit edge of the second turn “needs to be held and balanced.” It’s very important to push strongly onto each new lobe, and it should be a real push with a pre-bend and not a toe push. Kate notes that skaters working on this test should not really struggle with dropping a hip or having poor body alignment since they should have mastered that on the turns in the previous test level.
