Metal spinner exercises? | Golden Skate

Metal spinner exercises?

bostonskaterguy86

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
Country
United-States
I was recently gifted one of those metal skate spinners (the type with two square platforms and ball bearings between) by a friend who doesn’t really use it any more.

I have some prior training in dance but never got to a level where I was doing more than a single pirouette, so while I know for pirouettes to keep my head up, core tight, spine straight, etc. I was in group lessons last year and got as far as beginning one-foot spins, but have never gotten past two revolutions before falling out of the spin. I’m temporarily out of lessons while dealing with some financial stuff, so I probably won’t be able to start again until the spring, but I did get some pointers from my instructor before lessons ended (picking foot up into “h” position, lifting the free leg from the hip, keeping shoulders square, etc).

I’m not having any issues finding the rocker (skating in MK Pros currently), but it just seems like I don’t have the balance / weight distribution right to maintain the spin for very long. For those of you who have found spin trainers helpful - how did you use them? What kind of exercises did you do? I was hoping to use the spinner to help me continue to develop good body position and maybe hold my spins longer and exit them gracefully (instead of falling out of them!).

I know a lot of folks on here don’t care for them / don’t find them helpful, so not looking for that feedback. I’m hoping that this is something I can use to develop my basic one foot spin a bit, since my ice time is a bit limited.

Thanks!!
 

treblemakerem

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
I’ve never tried a skate spinner so I can’t help you there but I would recommend doing some core strengthening exercises. Sounds like you are finding the correct spot on the blade so if you are falling out of your spin it might be a strength issue. Spinning really takes a lot of core strength.
 

Bill S

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Country
United-States
I built a spinner using that kind of Lazy Susan bearing almost twenty years ago. I presume that you can get some good from it with practice, but remember, a spin on ice is much more than spinning on some device. On ice, the entry in particular is important to establish a spin, and that can't be learned with a spinner.

You can develop some body awareness and balance through practice, and certainly it will help strength. However it won't instantly make you a better spinner on ice because of the other factors.

Because you already have it, just use it.
 

tstop4me

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Country
United-States
To OP:

I bought that spinner. One caveat: Don't hop onto it. The bearing is fairly flimsy. I tested it out by stepping onto it and then spinning. I tried it over a dozen times. A girl I know (advanced skater) wanted to try it out. She hopped onto it several times. The bearing seized.
 

leptichris

Spectator
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Have you ever heard of the Elite Spinner from Elite Skating Company ?
This is the best off-ice spinner on the International Market and has been endorsed by all the champions (Nathan Chen, Aljona Savchenko, Bruno Massot etc...).
You should have a look !
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Have you ever heard of the Elite Spinner from Elite Skating Company ?
This is the best off-ice spinner on the International Market and has been endorsed by all the champions (Nathan Chen, Aljona Savchenko, Bruno Massot etc...).
You should have a look !

I'm fairly certain the issue has been taken care of in the last year. This is a zombie thread.
 
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