Learn To Turn On Ice! Two Foot Turn Skating Tutorial

Hey skaters, welcome back. I'm so glad you're here. I am coach Julia and today I am going to be teaching you a basic two foot turn. That's the first way you're going to learn how to go from forwards to backwards out here on the ice. I've had a few requests for this video, so I hope you find it helpful. You're also going to want to learn how to go from backwards to forwards, so we're going to work a little bit on both of those, that basic two foot turn. Now to start with, I've actually drawn the pattern on the ice. This is the foundation for a three turn, and a three turn looks like you took a three and you kind of stretched it out a bit. So we have a two foot version drawn here on the ice for reference. All right, now there's a couple key things that we're going to focus on with this turn. One is the foot action, another one is going to be the upper body action, and then we have what we do with our knees. Okay, so three main focuses that we're going to start with. So we're going to do a forward turn, so that's going from forwards to backwards. Now whenever you do a forward turn, you're going to turn over the front of your skates. So I want you to stand and rock and get used to rocking and lifting those heels up until you can find that lowest pick on the ice, that drag pick. Now eventually in your turn you won't need to use that pick, but when you're starting to learn to turn, that pick is actually helpful for helping you kind of flip your foot around. So we're going to start with using the toe pick, but as this turn gets easier for you, you'll be able to use it less and less. Now for a backward turn, you're actually going to lift your toes up. So you can practice the same thing the other way, where you lift those toes off the ice and kind of pop up onto your heels. So then we have our knees. Our knees need to stay soft. You're going to bend just before the turn, and you're going to use those knees to help you get this little bounce to your three turn or your two foot turn. It's kind of like when we do our backward wiggles, how we have those soft knees, and that's going to apply to both the forward turn and the backward turn. The next thing we need to focus on is that upper body. We're going to do something called a check. Now you're going to use here the term check used a lot in skating, and it means that you're going to control your rotation. You're going to keep it under control. So when you're landing a jump or coming out of a spin, you're going to check out of it, and you're stopping that rotation. And in a turn, we use the term check to control our rotation. So what we're going to practice is have our upper body facing. We're going to start with our right hand and our left hand behind us as if we're doing maybe a crossover. And then what we're going to do is have our torso, it's currently facing the right hand, and we're kind of locking our upper body in, those muscles, and we're going to lock and try to face the other hand. So for that checking motion for a turn, we're looking at one hand. Our upper body is engaged. The muscles under our shoulder blades are engaged. Our core is engaged. We're going to then turn our body and face the other hand. So we're just reversing our position, and we're trying to keep all of that control the whole time. So our shoulders are really upright, and those muscles under our shoulder blades are engaged, and our core is pulled in tight. So we can practice turning our body and locking in, looking at each hand. We don't want those hands swinging around. We want them just below our shoulders. We're going to look from one hand to the other, letting our body move with our head. So our head's turning, our body's turning. We're going from hand to hand. So we have our foot action, our soft knees, and our check with our upper body. Once we have all those things, we can start doing the turn. So again, we're starting with our forward turn. I have my left side inside the circle. So any turn you do, you're imagining it on a big circle. So you would be the center of my circle. So right now, my left side is in the center of that circle. So I'm going to put my right hand in front and my left hand in back. This is the same as if I was going to do some forward crossovers. Same motion. I'm going to give myself a push with my right foot. It's on the outside, so my right foot is going to push. And then I'm going to go slightly in front. So I'm gliding with my right foot ever so slightly in front of my left. I'm doing this so that when I get to the apex of my turn and I want to switch, that foot is not in my way. And I can turn, and now my feet are reversed. If you do your push and your foot goes behind you, then when you go to turn, your feet are going to get stuck, and they're going to run into each other. So for this turn, we're going to give ourself a little push with that right foot. Drop it in the ice slightly in front of you. When you're ready to turn, when you're at the apex of your turn, your toe picks are going to go down into the ice, and you're going to flip around and then go backwards. Now, I did that very dramatically. When you're doing it with normal flow, you're not going to go so high on those toe picks, and it's going to be a very quick motion. But I want you to see how this turn works. We'll try it again in that slow motion version. I'm going to hit those toe picks, check the upper body, and reverse the feet. Now let's go over the edges that you're going to be on. You're not on a deep edge. You might feel like you're somewhat on a flat, but for this turn, the foot on the inside of the circle is going to be on its outside edge. The foot on the outside of the circle is going to be on the inside edge. Then as you hit that turn, your edges are going to swap. So now the foot on the inside of the circle is on its outside edge, and the foot on the outside of the circle is on its inside edge. So a turn like this, this is a three-turn type of turn, your edges are going to swap. So whatever edge you start on, you're going to end on the opposite. So earlier we talked about the foot action, the knee action, and that check. Now let's apply that to this three shape. So we have that foot action we talked a little bit about. So when we get to the apex of our turn, we're going to lift those heels and turn over the toes. Again, that'll be less dramatic as you get more comfortable with it. Then we need those soft knees. So I want you to think about bending down beforehand, rising up with your knees, and then bending down again after. So we have bend, rise, bend. Okay, so we have bend into it, rise up for those knees, and then bend out of it. That's a motion you're going to really use a lot when you start doing this on one foot. So I want you to practice getting used to that bend, rise, bend here when you have the safety of two feet. And then of course there's that check we talked about with the upper body. So going in, we're facing that right hand, and then we're going to, as we turn, flip our body around so we can face the other hand. We're locking that core in. Okay, and after the turn, you should be looking where you're going. Now, if you're on a really busy session, you might want to look back a little bit, but it can trip you up if you're just learning this skill. If you are out here by yourself, the proper position after the turn is for your head to be facing away from your direction, the same way as your toes. Okay, so your head should face forward when you're going forward, and then it should turn, your head should turn with your body so you're still in line. And of course you want to practice it both ways. So left hand in front, a little push with that left foot, put that left foot in front, check that body, rotate over the toes, and keep those knees soft. All right, now let's touch on turning from backwards to forwards, because that is also an important skill to have. So for this one, we're actually going to be facing away from the circle for the turn. So the forward turn we faced into the circle, the backward turn we're going to face away from the circle. So instead of facing in, we're going to face out. I'm going to put my left hand behind me and my right hand in front of me. So I'm facing you guys, you guys are outside the circle now, okay? So what we're going to do is the same idea, the same glide, and now my leading foot is behind me. So my left foot, my leading hand, I'm leading with my left hand, my left foot is going to slip slightly behind me. Again, we don't want those feet getting stuck on each other as we turn. So I'll give myself a little push and then that left foot goes behind. Now as I said, we use our heels when we turn backwards. So I'm going to lift my toes up and flip, and you can see my feet are not going to hit each other as I do that. If I had my left foot in front, then my feet would hit each other as I try to turn. So again, I have my back to the circle, keep that core really strong, you're going to want that. Engage the muscles in your back, just below your shoulder blade, pull that arm down. It'll help you feel anchored, okay? So we're going to have a little push, get that left heel behind you. We're going to lift those toes off and turn on the heels. I did that very dramatically. It won't be quite that dramatic when you do it full speed. And now I'm facing my left hand, my right hand is behind me, and I can glide forward. Let's do that all together. Okay, so left hand behind, left push, left heel behind, lift those toes, check that upper body, and now we're going to glide forward. So for this one, let's talk a little bit about the head, because the head is important. I find it easier to turn if I've kind of cranked my upper body around a little bit. So you can let your head go where you're going, all right? So look at the direction you're trying to travel. And that way, your upper body is already halfway where it needs to be. So when you turn, you're kind of releasing that twist a little bit, and you can keep facing forward on your exit. So let's go over the edges for this backward turn. The same thing applies where your edges are going to switch from backwards to forwards. So the foot leading the circle, that foot on the inside of the circle, that's my right one, is going to be on the outside edge. The foot on the outside of the circle, that's my left, is going to be on the inside edge. Then as I hit the turn, they're going to switch. So now my left, that's on the inside of the circle, is leaning towards the outside edge, and my right, which is on the outside of the circle, is leaning towards the inside edge. So whichever edge you begin your three-turn type turn on, you'll swap. So if you start on your outside, you're going to end on your inside. If you start on your inside edge, you're going to end on your outside edge. Just like the forward ones, we want to practice this going both directions. So now I have my right hand behind me. I'm going to give that little push with my right foot. My right heel drops behind so I can turn on those heels without my feet getting stuck on each other. And just like the forward ones, we want to keep our weight moving in our direction of travel. Since I'm moving, now I'm moving clockwise, my right side is towards the outside of my circle, I'm going to keep my weight going clockwise. So push, get your weight moving down the circle, and keep it moving down the circle so that your momentum can continue going after the turn. All right, skaters, I hope you enjoyed that two-foot turn tutorial. Getting the mechanics down on that turn is going to be really helpful for all those more challenging turns down the road. So practice it, be patient with yourself, but I'd love to see your progress. So tag me in your Instagram videos. I am skatingcoachjulia on Instagram. So if you tag me, I can check out your progress and we can cheer each other on. If you enjoyed this video, please do give us that thumbs up. And as always, I'm looking forward to reading all your comments in that section down below. 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