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The spiral is a beautiful move that is performed by any figure skater that can skate on one foot. Doing the spiral requires a lot of grace and coordination. The more flexibility one has, the higher and more dramatic the spiral.
Upon hearing the word spiral, many beginners think it’s a spin as it conveys the image of something circular. For those of you familiar with ballet, the spiral is skating’s version of the classical arabesque. Gymnasts will call a spiral a scale. In skating terminology, the spiral is done on one foot with the chest parallel to the ice, arms extended to the side and the back leg stretched behind so that the resultant image is similar to that of an airplane. However, before attempting the spiral, there are some recommended warm-up exercises.
Lunges are a way to really warm up the legs. To begin, you’ll squat so your right leg is in front and slide your left leg behind you. The leg behind you should be slightly bent and keep your toes on the floor and your foot will be in the same direction as your front foot. This stretch can be done in your sneakers, socks, or even your skates. Make sure you do this move slowly and concentrate on keeping your breathing regular—no holding of the breath! When you are at the lowest part of the stretch, your hands on the floor between your front leg look up and slightly arch your back. Don’t scrunch your shoulders up--keep them down and back. If you’re feeling comfortable, you can take this stretch further. Place both hands on your right knee and arch your back even more, beginning the move with your chin and trying to point it towards the ceiling. Do this stretch two or three times with your right leg in front, and the same number of times with your left leg in front. You’ll notice that one side is usually more flexible than the other—a clue as to which leg your spiral will be done with.
It’s recommended that you loosen your shoulders before skating. Many skaters have hunched shoulders and this doesn’t help your spiral. Doing some basic shoulder rolls and grasping your hands behind your back and pulling slightly will help loosen them up.
Another warm-up exercise is done standing up and using a wall, the back of a chair, a ballet barre or the rink barrier for support. It’s advisable to do this exercise only after you’re already warmed up, whether you’ve done the lunge exercise or another workout. The support system you use must be solid and should be at approximately waist-height. Begin by aligning your body so that your shoulders are down and back and you are looking straight ahead. Don’t be too far away or too close to the wall or barre. Hands should be about shoulder distance or a bit more apart. Feet are spaced at hip distance and facing the wall. Lift your right leg up as high as you can without holding your breath or feeling any pain. In fact, the first lift you do should be rather low so you can do it properly. You’ll want to use your seat muscles, the gluteus maximus, as this is the strongest set of muscles in your body. This exercise must be done with great awareness as to avoid pulling your groin muscle. Point your toe so you can get used to the feeling of doing this. Think of words such as ‘extend’ and ‘stretch.’ Try keeping your upper body still. Don’t worry if your leg isn’t parallel to the floor—the point of this exercise is to warm up for the spiral, not do perfect arabesques or scales off ice. Do about 10-15 per leg. Always exercise both sides, even if you only do spirals on your stronger side.
Once you get on ice you might be disappointed to learn that your leg won’t go as high as Michelle Kwan’s does in the midst of her spiral. Most skates weigh anywhere from three to six pounds each which is a lot heavier to lift than your socks, ballet slippers or sneakers. However, with a lot of on and off ice practice your spiral will only get better. You can also do another warm up exercise on ice by utilizing the rink’s barrier. Simply hold onto the barrier, place your right [or left] leg on it and turn your body so that your right [or left] leg is on the wall behind you and your left [or right] leg is next to the wall with your foot facing forwards. Be careful that no one is nearby when you’re doing this and be extra cautious during a crowded public session.
The first type of on ice spiral is the learning spiral. It’s done on the flat of your blade that allows you to move in a straight line. Beginners need to practice this type so they can get the feeling of what it’s like and to increase the speed and distance they can achieve. Having great flexibility is nice but not important at this stage. When entering the spiral you’re simply skating forwards and you look up and lift up your free leg. Concentrate on keeping the arms extended to the sides, palms down, and your head up in order to achieve a semblance of a spiral. The more arched your back is, the better this move will look. Another factor to consider is that even if your leg isn’t parallel to the railing [a way of determining the height of your free leg], you should keep the free leg straight and turned out. This means that the blade is parallel to the ice. If you do a spiral on your left leg, your right leg will be extended behind you and the knee should not be bent. The supporting leg must also be done on a straight knee—a bent knee looks awful and ruins the line of this move. Practice this on a hockey line if you are able to, otherwise it’s good to use the length of the rink. Make sure you try this move on both sides.
The next spiral to master is the outside edge spiral. As the name implies, it’s done on your outside edge although it often takes off from a flat edge. Greater speed going into the spiral is needed, as is a stronger lean to the left or right, and a lot of confidence! The edge will be a natural occurrence. Anyone doing spirals must remember certain key points in that the free leg is straight, foot turned out, and the supporting leg must be locked or almost locked. To achieve a dynamic looking spiral the arms can do more than just extend outwards like airplane wings. The arms can go in front or more to the back; even one arm can be in the front and the other in back. When you’re more comfortable you can practice various positions. Remembering to keep the shoulders down and back is more important as it improves the line of the spiral.
Spirals are done on inside edges and some people find these are simpler to do. You never know until you try. Back spirals should also be practiced, although it’s very important to do this on an empty ice rink, as you can’t look behind you when doing this move. Back spirals allow your free leg to go higher in most cases—something that encourages many skaters.
Finally, you can attempt to grab your knee or even your blade while doing the spiral. This must first be practiced off ice and for those of you with flexible backs, it’s a variation of the spiral that people love to watch.
Learning how to do spirals is fairly simple and the end results can make you look like the star of your ice rink!
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