Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Another Lesson - Not Much Progress



I haven't skated since my last lesson 5 days ago.  Hence, there is not much progress on my part.  Kind of a wasted lesson because we just went over the same things.

My current struggle is my inability to hold the proper edge and body position after landing a Waltz Jump (or any other jump).  I will never be able to reach back for a combination jump if I cannot hold the proper edge and body position.  The fundamentals of any sport - learned incorrectly - will stab you in the back later .... skating is no exception.

On a positive note; before my lesson, I did work on a few new things.  I tried my first Back Sit Spin .. It was not even a qualifying position or rotation, but I was happy I tried and didn't fall.  (For that you have to see my back spin attempt!)

I attempted a few Lutz jumps (and popped them into 1/2 Lutz jumps).  My coach taught me a new Lutz entry I did not use as a child; crossing the left foot over the right before toe picking  to help insure you are on the correct back outside edge.

The only difference between a Lutz and a Flip is the take off edge.
Flip is from a back inside edge (usually after a mowhawk or a three turn)
Lutz is from a back outside edge (usually from a backwards glide into a corner, less frequently from a footwork sequence. As a  child I was taught to do them in a corner.  The RIGHT corners only ...
AKA the "Lutz corners".



6 comments:

  1. Hi Diane! I think I see what's going on with your landing. Your free leg (left leg) is angled too far towards the right side of your body. When you're landing, the left leg is almost crossing to the right side past your spine. This is causing you to pull your entire body towards the right side and forcing a tight, curved landing. See if you can land with the left leg toward your side more. Here's a visual: If you draw an arrow pointing upwards (↑), the left diagonal side should be where your left (free) leg is during a landing position. The vertical line in the arrow is your landing leg (right). Hope this helps!

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  2. Thanks Eva,

    This is what my coach and I are working on. It's one of those Weight and Balance things.. and many years of a bad habit. As you can see I am not a small person.... my leg weighs a lot and it's very influential !!! Controlling it to the right position is much easier said than done for me. I need more core strength ... for now my coach recommends making my Waltz jumps smaller (teeny tiny) but landing correctly. I hate the idea, but it corrects the problem sooner - I can move on. Thanks for your input!

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  3. I think that the ones that are better, where you have a squarer landing, are also the ones where the take-off is more of a jump up-and-out (to the right) rather than around yourself. The ones where the landing gets all twisted are the ones where you are jumping around your left side as an axis, rather than jumping to a right axis for the rotation (the way you would just before the snap for an axel). Does this make sense? Look at the ones you tried on a straight line to see what I mean. They have that nice transfer from left to right in the air, which sets you up for a squarer landing. Maybe if you think about the take-off, that will help the landing too?

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  4. PS I have nothing but envy for your spins. I find them so hard to do well.

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  5. Oh the pain of the lutz jump! If I find that magical solution for it, I will let you know! I'm convinced it's the most awkward jump ever invented.

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  6. I'm impressed at how systematic you are, videoing your lesson and adding the summary of it to your video. I am also in Washington State, other side of the mountains from you, and a middle-aged adult skater. Such an absorbing sport!

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Getting busy on these Silver Dances

I have been working on these silver dances too long!   Planning to go all in on them until I can test them in the next few months.