Help!! Tips on camel, sit and loop?

Question

I just started in intermediate level figure skating and my teacher is hopeless! I really want to learn how to do these but all she says is watch the others in the group do them and try it out. Then when I do try it out she gives no criticism, just stands there looking bored! The only way I can get another teacher is if I get private coaching but I think its too expensive. Do you have any tips to help me with these moves because my teacher sure doesn't. I find that when I do the loop I can't help putting my foot down when I land so is there anyway to overcome this? Also, with the sit how far do you have to go down?

Answer 1

Camel: Really focus on getting the momentum when you go into the spin. Keep your arm level on the wind-up, and swing it around (without dropping it) as you go into the spin. My coach told me to pretend I was sweeping a bunch of plates off a table with my arm, and my camel spin has been my best element ever since then. Try not to drag your free leg on the ice as you enter the spin because that will slow you down, but don't flick it up too high either or you'll get thrown off balance. Just make sure you get enough speed on the entry, hold the position for as long as you can and don't be afraid to fall trying. If you're still having trouble, maybe try switching your arm position? Some coaches like you to do it with one arm in front and some like you to have them both stretched back. If one isn't working for you, try the other.



Sit: Again, it's all about the momentum (and, in this case, the balance). There's no distinct rule as to how far you have to sit - you should try to sit as low as possible to begin with, but I think the general rule is that your butt shouldn't sink below the central point (your knee level). You'll know when you're sitting low enough. If sit too far down, you'll start spinning on the heel and you won't be able to hold the position for as long. Make sure you turn your foot out, keep your legs close together, sit straight and hold your arms out in front of you, in line with your free leg. On the entry, go into it with a lot of speed and do one rotation in an open position, then swing your leg straight down into the position. The faster you get into that position, the easier it is to spin.



Loop: The main thing I can tell you is this - don't be scared to fall. You're hardly likely to fall doing a loop anyway, but if you're scared, you have no chance of landing it. As soon as you leave the ice, just say "I'm not putting this foot down", and, even if you feel like you're going to fall, just keep it up off the ice. It sounds difficult but I swear it's the easiest way to start landing jumps. If you're having trouble getting the full rotation (even if it's only by a little bit, this can still be why you're not able to land on one foot), then you need to work on the jump. Make sure you bend your knee before you take off and keep your weight on that one leg. Keep your arms rounded a little and make sure your back arm isn't too far behind you. Then, when you take off, make sure you lift your free nice and high off the ice and swing your arms around really quickly, pulling them in nice and tight. As long as you jump high enough, hold the position and tell yourself not to put that leg down, you should be fine.



Hope that helped :)

Answer 2

You don't have a good coach. A good coach would help you learn it, and criticize for your own good. Your coach is probably very inexperienced since she is teaching group lessons (I'm old enough to, it's not hard)



Work on sit and loop before camel. A good exercise for sit spin is shoot the duck, which is the same position as a sit spin, but you hold it while gliding over the ice. I learned it by my mom getting on the ice and pushing me around while I was doing shoot the duck. When you get used to that, sit spin should be very easy.



Loop is a easy jump. Ask someone to demonstrate a loop, or look it up on youtube since I can't really describe it in words. Remember to push hard off your right foot (If you're right handed) and pull yourself in even if you're afraid you'll fall. I guarantee your fall will be much less painful if you are pulled in because you will be more balanced.



Camel spin should be learned after spiral. If you need a example, watch Sasha Cohen's spiral. It's the best! Please don't try to raise your leg as high as she does, though. Just raise your leg to be parallel to the ice at the most. When that becomes comfortable, camel spin should be a simple thing.



Good luck!

Answer 3

Are you a recreational skater? Because it sounds like you're somewhat more serious than that...even if you are, at this level you really need a private coach. They range from $45 - $90 an hour, depending on the coach's quality. But anyone who is a private coach can probably teach you better than a group coach; or even if they are a group coach themselves, you'll be better off with a private coach, because they can (and will HAVE to) focus on you. Even once a week is a good starter. But it's definitely a neccessity.



The loops took me quite a while to get, because I was so scared of it, and I used to fall over a lot - HARD. As for the not touching down thing, I had that issue too; it took me a few weeks, but all I did was keep telling myself, "Don't put the leg down. Don't put the leg down." and turning that into something in midair. I got my loop consistently over spring break, when I could skate 3 hours a day. xD For the sit, to count (at least for my coach), your legs should be at a 90 degree angle (like, the knee is the corner/vertex/whatever here, your calf is one half, your thigh is the other). Try to get lower, though; push yourself to get a little lower each time. Off the ice, you can do shoot-the-ducks (20 IN A ROW on each foot, no hanging onto things!) to help lower your sit spin. As for the Camel, I have some issues with that myself, so I'm not COMPLETELY qualified to help, but... :) Some tips are to keep your leg straight, point your toe, keep your knee facing outwards, keep your chest down (unlike in a spiral), and (for now) look to your left when you rotate.



Good luck! :)

Answer 4

You should talk to your teacher more often so your relationship wont be like how shes treating you, when you do some of those steps you have hard time on try meeting a friend and to help you be balanced. When you do the sit tell your friend to hold under one of your arms and one under your leg. Just practice on the sit. Always remember Figure skating is the sport wich need "Practice makes perfect"! Good luck hope this helps!