55. Turns: Forward Inside Rocker

We're Xenia and Oleg, four-time U.S. national competitors whose goal is to make Team USA and represent the U.S. at international competitions. We'll share with you what we learned along the way, so let's make this journey together! Hi everyone! Today we're going to be showing you a new skating element. What are we showing them, Xenia? We will show you how to do forward inside dropper. But first we'd like to thank some of our recent supporters, Thank you for helping us to reach our goal. All right, let's go show them the rockers! The basics of what it takes to make the rocker happen correctly applies to other one-foot turns. The information presented here you will likely hear again in future one-foot turns videos. One-foot turns such as the rocker consist of three parts, A forward inside rocker consists of a forward inside edge, a rise and turn on that same foot to a backward inside edge. The upper body twist happens like this. As you start the forward inside edge, you twist so that your upper body is facing inside the circle that your foot is on. As you rise and turn, you check the shoulder and arm of your skating foot back so that your back is now to the circle that your foot is on. Make sure that your upper body is warmed up and that you do side-by-side twists off ice. Don't rush to do the turn. You have to press into the inside edge and curve the edge until you feel the maximum amount of pressure and edge. Then rise and turn. As you rise, start to check the shoulder and arm of the skating foot back. Keep checking them back. This is an approximation to where you need to keep the maximum pressure in your foot. Skate in through your heel on a forward inside edge. Turn on the ball of your foot. Exit skating through your heel on a solid back inside edge. Scratchy turns usually happen when you do your entry or exit edge on the ball instead of the heel. Remember to do the entry and exit edges through your heel. Only the turn happens on the ball of your foot. Avoid going on your toe. A common mistake is to get up on the toe pick when rising for the turn or on the exit edge. This will result in a scratchy turn. Avoid looking down when doing turns as this will negatively affect your weight distribution. Instead, keep your head and chest up. Maintain a solid core and strong arms. A common mistake is to be loose with the upper body. This will prevent you from having a good exit edge. Don't force the turn. Even if you manage to turn, it will look forced. Instead, press and bend the knee and ankle of the skating foot as you near the point of the turn. When you reach the point of maximum pressure, rise and turn. Your knee and ankle action should be smooth and continuous. You can incorporate the forward inside rocker as part of your warm-up. Just as you would do deep forward inside edges down the ice, do an inside rocker turn after two or three deep inside edges. When working on one foot turns, occasionally go back and check your tracing on the ice. Frequently, the emphasis is placed on the turn but not enough on the entry and exit edges. Here are some examples of correct and incorrect patterns. Incorrect pattern. Entry edge is flat. Exit edge is correct. Incorrect pattern. Entry edge is correct. Exit edge is flat. Incorrect pattern. Exit edge starts with outside edge and changes to inside edge resulting in incorrect turn. Incorrect pattern. Entry edge changes from inside to outside edge resulting in incorrect turn. Incorrect pattern. Entry edge is flat. Exit edge is flat. Correct pattern. Entry edge is good. Exit edge is good. There's being able to do turns. Then there's doing clean and correct edges with correct turn action. No scratching and smooth knees and ankles. Doing clean turns is very difficult and takes a lot of time, patience, hard work and regular practice. So don't let it frustrate you. Proper technique, practice consistently and regularly will get you there. As always, keep a strong hold, skate on deep edges and make deep lobes. Don't tense up your upper body. Press and bend the knee and ankle of the skating foot before you choke onto the free foot. Keep your body weight over your skating foot. This will increase your strength of push. Turn out your free foot so the toe doesn't point down. Don't toe push. Keep your shoulders down and back and extend your neck but don't be stiff. Skate through your hips. Work on your basics a lot. Crossovers, edges and turns are the core of your skating ability. And finally, don't look down. The ice isn't going anywhere. One of the difficulties in making these corrections while skating is having to correct multiple things simultaneously. But if you apply yourself, practice consistently, push your limits, resist fear and self-doubt and work hard, your skating will improve significantly. Hey guys, we really hope you enjoyed the video. If you did, hit the like button and click on the subscribe to subscribe for more videos. Alright, see you next time!