Author Topic: Crossovers  (Read 927 times)

NotAllWhoWonderAreLost

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Crossovers
« on: August 01, 2017, 08:01:58 pm »
Hi everyone,

I am really excited to say i've improved so much on forward and backward pushes on the circle. My coach has been getting me to do a fair bit of "tight rope" and "lemon crosses" to get the feel for one foot in front of the other. I can do neither but i have a feeling this may be to get me ready for crossovers. Does anyone have any tips for getting one foot in front of and over the other one? I just can't pick the other one up! I've tried crosses on a straight line when holding onto someone and my hips just feel...odd

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Crossovers
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2017, 07:16:55 am »
Hard to say without seeing you skate.  I think crossing feet/legs/ankles over on ice is an unnatural position that your body and brain resist because it feels unsafe.  I would guess most of it is mental.  Try skating along on one foot, in a straight line to start with, forwards then backwards, and cross your feet over one way and then the other, try keeping your ankles together.  That might help get you less uncomfortable with the feeling.
Other than that I think to do crossovers with confidence you need strong back outside and back inside edges, so practice both of those lots, try holding the edges for forever - so you dictate when you get off the edge, and don't just drift off it.
I think it is usually the underpush position that bothers people most - by which I mean the phase where you start on your outside edge and it pushes under you as the other foot comes across on an inside edge.  Practice that position as much as possible off and on ice, also you can do the underpush exercise where you start off in that position and propel yourself round the circle just doing the underpush bit.  You will need to bend knees and ankles lots.  Be slow and deliberate, and get someone stable to hold your hand.

NotAllWhoWonderAreLost

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Re: Crossovers
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2017, 07:23:11 am »
Thank you so so much!
Quote from: transmissionoftheflame
link=topic=7285.msg108939#msg108939 date=1501654615
Hard to say without seeing you skate.  I think crossing feet/legs/ankles over on ice is an unnatural position that your body and brain resist because it feels unsafe.  I would guess most of it is mental.  Try skating along on one foot, in a straight line to start with, forwards then backwards, and cross your feet over one way and then the other, try keeping your ankles together.  That might help get you less uncomfortable with the feeling.
Other than that I think to do crossovers with confidence you need strong back outside and back inside edges, so practice both of those lots, try holding the edges for forever - so you dictate when you get off the edge, and don't just drift off it.
I think it is usually the underpush position that bothers people most - by which I mean the phase where you start on your outside edge and it pushes under you as the other foot comes across on an inside edge.  Practice that position as much as possible off and on ice, also you can do the underpush exercise where you start off in that position and propel yourself round the circle just doing the underpush bit.  You will need to bend knees and ankles lots.  Be slow and deliberate, and get someone stable to hold your hand.

Leif

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Re: Crossovers
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2017, 07:38:16 am »
It's not easy, and I've only recently started to feel stable with my backwards CW crossovers. A mistake many make is to go too fast. I did it, and I see others doing it. You end up losing control. I recently got a young lad to slow down and he then started to do them properly. Try standing still, and then walking sideways by crossing for example your right leg over in front of your left, then moving your left leg behind the front leg and so on. The aim is to get used to the sensation of moving your legs in an unnatural way, and learning to balance. You can also try going round at modest speed and moving your legs to more and more extreme positions without lifting your feet. That gets you used to balancing in positions you don't normally get into. It also stretches your muscles and ligaments and gives them a good work out. The next step of course (no pun intended) once you get the hang of that is to lift your feet off the ice.

Incidentally, I think crossovers are an intermediate skill, and they took me months to learn and I'm still regularly working to improve them. Even when you can do crossovers, you need to learn to balance on the edges properly, and keep the blades flat. I have a friendly speed skater to tell me I'm doing them wrong.  ;D I often see people who should know better doing them poorly. And yes these are hockey skate wearers, the figure skaters tend to have better technique.

Anyway, in the end it's all about getting onto the ice and having as much time as possible practicing, and getting it all wrong until eventually it starts to fall into place. Have fun.   O0

Leif

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Re: Crossovers
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2017, 08:34:51 am »
And another suggestion. Start by standing facing the boards, hold on to the boards with one or both hands, and then try moving one leg across and in front of the other, followed by the other leg behind and so on.



 

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