How to Perform a layback spin in figure skating

The layback spin in figure skating is one of the most beautiful spins to behold. Here you will learn how to center your one foot spin and then lay back and bring your arms up into a circle.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. First, make sure that you are centered in your one foot spin. Your free leg is out in front of you in a slight attitude position and your arms make a circle shape in front of you. Your shoulders and hips should be even across, not tilted up or down. This means that you could take a tape measure from shoulder to shoulder and it would be straight across and from hip bone to hip bone and it would be straight across.

2. Now, completely centered and spinning fast enough, drop straight back in one felt swoop passing your free leg from front to back and placing it in a back attitude position. Let your arms drop open at the same time that you lay back. The idea is for the arms and leg to drop back at the same rate of speed and the same evenness.

3. Now spinning while laying back, allow your arms to rise up to a circle above you, while maintaining your shoulder evenness across.

4. Before you start to spin too slowly, come back in one felt swoop to your beginning one foot spin position. Finish off your spin by bringing your arms and free leg in and down, and then pushing out onto your back edge and holding it in a beautiful stretch position.

Tips & Warnings

• Some ballet training helps here in order to know that your hips and shoulders are even across.
• You should have an instructor or advanced figure skater watch you for your first attempts
• Do not attempt to lay back until you are balanced correctly on your one foot spin. If you are wobbling or one of your hips or shoulders are tipped, stop and start again.