Figure Skating | The Beginners Guide To Different Spin Entries

Hi and welcome to Next Edge Tutorials. In this lesson today I will be showing you three entries that you can use into your spins. So let's get spinning. So spinning is a huge part of figure skating. Not only is it beautiful, there's no other sport like it. So today I'm going to be showing you three different entries that you can use in your next program or just practice. So let's get started. So the first entry that we're going to be looking at is from the back crossover. Now where do you predominantly see this is when you begin to learn to spin. So we learn it from the back crossover step forward and we learn it in an upright or a camel or a sit. So I'm going to demonstrate what it looks like. So we're going to go pull up and here's the back crossover and then we step forward we wait on that outside edge and then I'm just going to pull it into a nice upright spin and nice exit out. So when you start spinning this is the first entry that you tend to learn. So I'm going to show it to you one more time so you can really grasp the entry. So we pull up here's that push under here's my step forward my spin and exit out. Now I just want to go over a common mistake that some people tend to forget about when using this entry. So they do this beautiful crossover here and they do the push under then they forget to press this outside edge and then pull up into the spin. They tend to go more flat when they step forward and then it creates a travel. So I'm going to show you the mistake. So they'll go push under then they step forward and then they try to spin. And as you can see I couldn't snap up into a nice fast spin because I had no edge work I had no pressure that allowed that pressure to three turn into the spin. So that's where the mistake tends to happen when using this entry. So I know what you're thinking gosh that entry is kind of boring but let me show you how you can jazz it up with some arms. So I'm going to go pull up and I'm going to go one two then I'm going to push forward nice fast spin and then exit out with some arms. Do you see how I changed the look of that entry just by adding my arms. Now remember you don't have to do jazzy arms you can do soft arms pulling up where you use your body a bit more that down and up and then push under and stretch and you can get more angles going on with their the torso leaning or going to the side just to really make it nice and challenging for yourself. All right the second entry that I'm going to be showing you today is the forward inside three turn. This is something that you will use if you need to get quickly get into a spin in your program. So I'm going to show you what that looks like. So I'm going to pull up I have my right foot in front and I'm going to do a right forward inside three turn press the edge and spin and out. As you can see it doesn't take as much time as that first entry from the back crossover and that's why this entry is like used quite a bit in programs. It's a quick way to get into a spin. So I'm going to show it to you one more time and I'm really going to emphasize the nice push and that pressure on that left foot into that spin. So I'm going to go inside three turn now here's the pressure and then into the spin. As you can see I'm always focusing on that left forward outside edge into the spin. Okay now it's time to talk about a common mistake that will happen in this entry. The first thing is too shallow of a three turn. So you might push and you do a three turn you're on settled on that edge and then you step forward and then again no pressure on that outside edge into the spin. So that's a really big common mistake not using the edge properly into that inside three turn. So that's something that you need to focus on while using this entry. Now it's time to jazz up this entry and I'm going to use soft and beautiful arms. So I'm just going to back up just a little bit. I'm going to pull my arms up over my head on that inside three turn. So I'm going to go inside three turn stretch then I'm going to bend down with my body and then pull it up into a fast spin and hold. Now again you can use any arms that you want to this is just to give you an idea but as you notice probably before I step forward for the spin I used a little bit of body movement into that spin and that's really nice just to change up that standard look of an inside three turn is really getting that body engaged in that inside three turn when you feel very very secure. Now the third and final entry is going to be from an inside edge three turn and pull it up into a back spin. I'm just going to do a standard back spin position but again from this one you can do a back camel you can do a back sit. So let's take a look at it. So I'm going to back up just a little bit. I'm going to do actually a left forward inside to a right forward inside just to give me a bit more power and speed. So I'm going to go push hold now here's my press and then pull it up and then I can pull it into my spin. Now what we tend to use this entry for is for our back spin. That is something that all skaters tend to warm up with. It's because it's the standard position for our jumps so that's what we want to really get strong and use in our everyday warm-up is that back spin position. So we will tend to see this entry a lot for our warm-up. Okay now we're going to take a look at this entry one more time. So again I'm pushing from a left forward inside edge just to give me a little bit more edge quality then press on that right inside edge let it three turn pull up back spin and up and out. Now I want you to focus on those two forward inside edges. It's so important that we have beautiful strong edges going in because when it's more flat that's when the common mistake comes in. Let's come down to my feet we're going to take a look at just those two inside edges right here. So I'm going to do a left inside edge here which then I re-bend and push on that right inside edge. When you have a nice deep inside edge it helps flick that turn into the back spin and this is where skaters go wrong they do it too flat. So now I'm going to show you that big common mistake that skaters tend to do which then they go oh Stacy I can't get into that back spin and it's because of that forward inside edge. So I'm going to show you the mistake. So they might do a nice left inside edge here then they push straight and then they try to pull in for a spin and you can see I am struggling to get into that back spin because it's off of a straight line. So all you have to focus on is pressing that right inside edge in a bit deeper to create that spin. Now we're going to take a look at our upper body and adding some soft arms to this entry. So I'm going to take a push and I'm going to bring my arms through and hold then I'm going to bring them in and I'm going to push away and then into that back spin position. Sometimes when we use our arms it helps give us that little bit of rhythm. Press and then into our back spin so don't be afraid to use your arms while using this entry. All right so those are our three basic entries into spins. Now I know what you're thinking only those three? No. So we actually have a whole other category of difficult entries into spins but it's about getting those entries that I showed you today very strong, confident and that way when you do decide oh I want to add more difficult you're able to do that. So get working on those basic entries into spins and then add more difficult. Thanks for watching Next Edge Tutorials and looking forward to seeing you in our next lesson.