Figure Skating |Simple Steps To Learn A Backward Outside Bracket

Hi and welcome to Next Edge Tutorials. In this lesson today, I'm going to be giving you some simple steps so that you can do a back outside bracket. All right, so let's take a look at this back outside bracket. I'm going to start on a right back outside edge and then I turn towards my circle and exit on a forward inside edge. Let's do it again. So I push back. I'm on a back outside, forward inside. Last time and press outside, inside, hold. So we have a back outside edge. We turn towards our circle and we exit on that forward inside edge for a back outside bracket. So now that we know what the turn looks like, it's from that back outside to forward inside edge, we're going to look at it on the barrier because I always like to start all my skaters off learning at the barrier first so that they understand the concept of the turn and what they should be feeling and what direction they should be going in. So let me show you what it looks like. Again, I'm going to do all my turns on the right leg just to keep it simple and clean so that you can understand the bracket turn. So I like to start off. I'm going to balance on my right foot. My arms are going to be towards the barrier holding on nice and light. I'm going to push off, ball of the foot, turn, push into the heel. So that is a back outside. I'm on the back outside. I push, ball, push into the heel to that forward inside edge. One thing that you're going to hear me repeat it a lot is changing the weight in the blade. It has got to be one of the most important things that we need to remember. We go from the ball of the foot and then we push down and then press into that heel so that we can make the turn clean without a big fall. So I know what you're thinking, Stacey, that's even too difficult to start off with. Don't worry. We're going to start off on now two feet. I'm going to show you what you can do. So you're going to go still hands on the barrier. We're going to go two feet. We're going to press outside, turn, inside edge. Now, I know that we're on two feet, but I'm still focusing on that right leg so that we're just really comfortable here. I press, I'm down on my knees. I rise, turn, sit. Let's go again. Again, focusing on that pressure. We come up out of our legs so that we can change our weight in the blade, that ball, and then into the heel. Let's look at it again. So we're going to go press, ball of the foot, rise, turn, press, heel. Again, I can't emphasize enough changing the weight in the blade for that turn, pressure, ball of the foot, rise up, turn, and then press into that heel. All right. Now that we understand how to do the turn at the barrier, we're going to take it off the barrier, and I've used the marker. That way you can see what the bracket turn. Now, I don't have the best drawing skills, so you're just going to have to bear with me at this point, but I will talk you through the actual turn. So we're going to push onto a right back outside edge. I'm going to push. I'm going to be balanced on that outside edge. I make the turn at the top of the circle, and then I hold it around for that forward inside edge. Now, this is what it's going to look like, and then we're going to give you exercises to give you this bracket turn. All right. Now we know what we're doing from the barrier. We know what it looks like. We know the direction. We know what foot we're going to balance on. Now we're going to put it together with four easy steps, so let's get started. All right. First step that we're going to do is a two-foot bracket turn. So we're going to go down the ice on two feet. My arms are going to be inside my circle. Ball, push into the heel, hold. Mohawk. Then we're going to shift our weight. We're going to rotate our shoulders inside the circle. Ball, push into the heel. Mohawk. Shift. Now watch these shoulders. They're going to be inside our circle. Ball, push into the heel, and we're going to do one more. Shift our weight. Then arms come inside. Ball, push into the heel. Again, I know that it looks like it's super easy, but it actually is a great exercise so that we know where our shoulders are going. Our shoulders are inside our circle for this bracket turn, and our hips work underneath. One thing that I like to do with my arms, I put a little extra pressure into that right arm and then left arm, and it just helps me to give a little bit of rhythm to make the turn easier to do. Okay. Now let's look at exercise number two, and this one's going to go from two feet to one foot. So let's take a look at it. So we're going to go pull up. I'm going to go press two feet, one foot. Mohawk. We're going to still shift our weight. Pull up. Press. Ball of the foot. Push into the heel. Mohawk. Shift our weight. Arms inside the circle. Ball of the foot. Push into the heel. Now you can notice my free leg. You can put it anywhere you'd like. I like to bring it into my body and then in front and hold. It helps me just finish that a bit more. Let's look at it one more time. Focusing on the shoulders inside our circle. Ball of the foot. Push into the heel and hold. I love the second exercise because it gives you the confidence on two feet first, and then as we make the turn, we pick it up to one foot. Again, you probably notice my free leg is into my body, and then I like to finish with a nice line to exit. Now we're going to look at exercise number three. This one's going to go from one foot to two feet now. So again, keeping the shoulders exactly the same, we're going to go one foot. Press. Two feet. Mohawk. Keeping this exercise the same. Arms inside our circle. Outside. Inside. Mohawk. Again, shoulders. Press. Turn. Hold. Let's look at it one more time, and we're going to go one foot. Ball of the foot. Push into the heel. Again, I'm thinking about my shoulders being inside my circle. That hand pressure right into my left, changing the weight. Ball into the heel on two feet, just to give it that little bit of stable on the two feet after the turn so that you feel really comfortable. Then to pull it up to one foot. Okay, now we have those three exercises done. Now we're ready to pick it up to one foot. Again, take your time. Remember your arms. Remember to change your weight in the blade, and let's go. So we're going to go. I'm going to push. Ball of the foot. Arms are inside my circle. Ball. Push into the heel. Foot in front and hold. Mohawk. We're keeping the same pattern. Shift. Push back. Arms. Ball into the heel. Foot in front and hold. Mohawk. Shift. Let's look at it again. Rotate. Arms inside my circle. Press that outside edge. Press that inside edge and hold. Again, I can't stress this enough. Make sure your shoulders are inside your circle. Make sure your arms aren't turning one way or the other way. Make sure you feel it against your hips here. The arms are pulled up. I feel this tension in my right shoulder. I press the weight from my ball of the foot. I bend. I press that knee. Drive that knee over the toe. I push into my heel, and then I push and hold out, feeling now the pressure into my left shoulder so that I can come around on that curve and hold without my shoulders opening up and rotating to the outside of my circle. This is all done inside your circle for that bracket turn. Now that you have that lovely back outside bracket, now we're going to insert it into a fun little exercise that you can practice. Okay, let's take a look at it. So we're going to go back outside bracket. Outside. Inside. Hold. We're going to insert it inside three turn. Pull that edge around and then pull up again. Then pump. Bracket. Hold. Inside three turn. And then we're going to pull up. So we set our shoulders. Pump. Bracket turn. Hold. Inside three turn. And push. Ball. Push into the heel. Hold. Inside three turn. And there you have it. That is your exercise that you can use down the ice, adding in your beautiful back outside bracket. Now that you have that back outside bracket down perfect and those exercises are working beautiful, I'm going to give you some ideas of where you can use them in your program. So let's take a look. All right, now let's do a quick recap on what we've learned today. We've learned that we want to start off on the barrier to get really comfortable. We know where we're going. The direction. And then I gave you those four easy steps that you can use down the ice to really get the bracket turn working. And not even that, I gave you a bonus of an exercise and where you can use them in the program. Now the main thing that I want you to take away from this lesson today is the shoulders need to be inside the circle and we must change our weight in the blade. It's going to help you eliminate some of those falls. So there you have it. Thanks for watching Next Edge Tutorials and looking forward to seeing you soon.