Question My 13 year old daughter is a competitive figure skater. She has always scored high and advanced out of sections. She is a very athletic skater with excellent jumps. This year we realized that without the entire package she will not advance out of sections. She has zero flexibility and her sprial and spins were graded very low. How can we improve this by november?
Answer I asked Shawn Sawyer if he works on flexibility, Lisa, or if it comes naturally. He replied that he is somewhat naturally flexible, but he also has to do exercises every day. Flexibility is a matter of practice. It improves gradually over time with the proper exercises and effort. Your daughter should be able to make significant advancements in flexibility by off-ice exercises, and by putting effort into lifting the free leg higher and higher and turning out more and more in spirals on an everyday basis.
As far as spins, both technique and practice are needed. The better her balance is, the better will be her spins. Can she skate into spins with plenty of speed on smooth deep edges and then climb to the flat in time for the beginning of the spin? Can she stay close to a flat on the same place on the blade without rocking or wobbling, and with minimal contact of the toe pick? Do her spins make circles (or loops if they travel a little) on the ice? These are the types of questions she can ask herself when practicing spins.
I cannot possibly cover this topic exhaustively on AllExperts, but I hope this will point your daughter in the right direction to become better rounded by November!
