Figure Skating | Learn Forward Inside Rockers The Easy Way

Hi and welcome to Next Step Tutorials. In this lesson today we will be learning a right forward inside rocker. I'm going to give you four easy steps to get you started and then I'm going to show you where you can put them. So before we jump into this lesson I want you to click on the link below in the description on the four turns that we have in figure skating and they are a three turn, a bracket, a rocker, and a counter. It's going to give you an understanding of what they should look like on the ice, where to turn, just give you that extra bit of knowledge that way when you take the ice you will know what you're doing. So today we're going to look at this forward inside rocker turn. Though it is considered a difficult turn it is relatively easy to pick up for beginner skaters and to execute well. So let's look at the forward inside rocker turn. You're going to go push inside, forward inside, to back inside edge. Let's look at it one more time. So it's a right forward inside edge to a right back inside edge. So it's an inside edge to inside edge and that's what makes it the rocker turn. All right now that we understand the concept of the rocker I'm going to walk you through how I teach it starting at the barrier. So again I always like to start on two feet to give my students really comfortable and give them the confidence. So even though I'm on two feet my main focus is going to be this right forward inside rocker. So I'm going to go shoulders towards the barrier, press around, turn and exit out. So I'm just focusing on that right inside edge coming in, turning and then pressing that right inside edge. Yes I'm on two feet but the main pressure is in that right foot. The left foot's there just to give me a little bit extra confidence. My weight's not on it a little bit but not dropping to that left leg. I'm still remaining over that right leg. So let's look at it one more time. Notice my shoulders are facing already into that circle. Press, turn and exit and it just gets the hips working and the shoulders working. Now we're going to move it to one foot. So I'm going to go here, I'm going to put my pressure towards the back of my blade towards the heel, heel pressure, turn, press around. Now you'll notice how I enter with one arm. I'm holding, you can hold, then turn and then if you want to two hands and then push around. The two hands also gives you that extra push to feel that pressure on the exit out because that's what we want to create when we're out there without the barrier is that acceleration after the turn. Right now that we understand it and we've learned some exercises on the barrier we're going to look at it on the ice and what it looks like so you can really grasp the turn. So what you're going to see on the ice in the blue marker is you're going to see a right forward inside edge coming around. Now you'll notice how the turn turns back towards the old and then we exit on the new circle and it's so important to remember that that it comes in towards the old, the toe pick and then it exits on the the new circle on that back inside edge. Now I'm going to demonstrate it for you the best I can gliding on the blue. Okay so I'm going to start out here. I want you to notice my shoulders are going to be facing in towards the circle so we're going to go in. Now watch my toe it turns towards the old and exits on the new right there. So you can see that how my shoulders are already guiding me where I want to go. I'm facing in here then it turns towards the old turn and then exits on the new. Now notice how my shoulders are towards the outside of the circle. This helps me hold the edge. If they fall in too soon I fall in and I'm not able to maintain that back inside edge. All right now the fun part. I'm going to give you four exercises that starts from that two foot beginner all the way up to that one foot giving you a nice forward inside rocker. So let's begin. All right so the first exercise is going to be on two feet but the main focus is going to be the right foot. So we're going to go press notice my shoulders press turn exit. Then repeat again shoulders rotating in press turn exit. Notice my right foot. I'm on two feet but after the turn I'm going to press that right foot around. Last one shoulders rotate in turn and press. Again yes you're on two feet but our main focus today is this right forward inside rocker. So I'm thinking about that right leg going in turning and exiting. This is just going to give you that rhythm that you need for when you pick it up to one foot. Okay now we're up to exercise number two. This one we're going to enter on one foot make the turn and exit on two. So I pull up with my upper body. I'm focusing on my arms. Here's my one foot. I bring the foot in press turn and exit on the two. Then push again one foot rotate my shoulders into my circle press exit on two feet. Last one push notice my foot comes into my body shoulders turn and exit on two. Again I'm constantly thinking about my shoulders coming into my circle the foot nice and extended. I bring it in I make the turn and I exit on two just to give me that confidence. Now for exercise number three we're going to reverse it. So we're going to go in on two feet and exit on the one. So I'm going to go push two feet press turn exit on the one. Then we're going to go again two feet turn exit to the one. Last one two feet keeping the shoulders the same turn and then shoulders to the outside of the circle for that exit. So with this one it's all about the turn and exiting on one foot and making sure that my shoulders are to the outside of the circle after that turn. We don't want them coming back in and falling into that circle. So this is a great exercise to get the hips and shoulders right where they need to be. All right this is the final exercise number four. We're going to bring it up to one foot all the way. So we're going to go push I'm going to go extension bring the foot in shoulders make the turn and hold. Then one more time push shoulders rotate into the circle turn and hold over here. Last one push press heel turn ball of the foot hold. When I go up to one foot I'm making sure that the edge comes around nice heel pressure make the turn rock towards the toe exit on the ball of the foot and that will give me the clean turn. When we don't do clean turns we tend to be in the middle of the blade which then will create a skid. All right now we're going to take those four exercises and put them together and then I'm going to give you a new exercise that combines everything. All right now we're ready to take all those four steps and put them together and pull it up to one foot. So we're going to go push right forward inside rocker hold here. Now I'm going to step forward with a cross over which leads me right to that right forward inside edge hold. Now I'm going to step outside inside press turn hold. Last one outside inside press turn hold and that's your exercise. It keeps the flow going down the ice. It keeps you on that right rocker. Please don't forget to do everything on the left foot. All right that concludes our lesson today on that right forward inside rocker. Some things that I want you to think about while doing the rocker is that right forward inside to right back inside edge. Sometimes a mistake happens where we go in on a beautiful right forward inside edge and then we make the turn and it does this little bit of a fish that inside outside inside outside and then you finally hit that right back inside edge and that's where the mistake happens or it turns more into a three turn where we exit on that outside edge. So that's one thing that I want you to be aware of when doing the rocker turn. Now you'll notice I like to use my free leg an extension and then I bring it in and then I make the turn. This is only to give me more stability over that right leg so that I'm my weight is over it. Sometimes like when I use a different free leg like in front or in back your balance isn't as strong so when starting out I do recommend keeping the free leg into the body but again this is a preference so you might find that it's easier to have it in front or back and I have some examples for you that you can look at and decide what's best for you. Thanks for watching Next Edge Tutorials and look forward to seeing you in our next lesson. So there's our lesson for today. Now just a quick reminder click on the link below in the description on our four turns we have in figure skating. It's just gonna help you out overall to identify each turn and where they might go on the circle. Are they turning in? Are they turning out? That way when you get on the ice or if you're watching figure skating you can say oh that's a three turn there's a rocker there's a counter there's a bracket. Just check it out so you have that extra bit of knowledge.