Tips for not getting dizzy?
I think this applies to other categories but I'm hoping I can find the best advice here.
I and someone I know both tend to get vertigo/motion sickness relatively easily, but mine is not as severe and I've done a few things to help me not immediately fall over after spinning lol. But my friend tends to get seriously dizzy and can't seem to do anything beyond skate in a wobbly line after spinning. Everything I do to help myself is done beforehand to prevent vertigo or done after spins to help me regain my balance, but my friend has been saying they tend to suffer the most during the rotations and can't find anything to help them out.
Apart from just practicing (which, by the way, any tips on how they should practice so as to help them make progress but not over-exert? I've never put this much thought into it so I really got nothing there), does anybody have any tips or tricks to help them with spins or getting used to being dizzy?
Comments
First I would ask, can you two both skate backwards and turn forward to back proficiently? Also, what spins are you doing? I tend to get the most dizzy in camel spins and uprights, but not as much in sit spins.
If you can, I would practice skating in a straight line and doing mohawk turns turning forward to back, back to forward, at whatever pace you are comfortable with. It's a good way to get the feeling of spinning without actually spinning, and you can stop whenever you want.
If you can do fast upright or two foot spins I would work on gradually controlling the rotation until you're used to the feeling of being dizzy. The skaters who spin really well don't stop getting dizzy, but they have better control of their body from practice.
Thank you for the comment!
We can both skate forwards and backwards proficiently, those are no problem at all. Mohawk turns are kind of tricky for me but that's mostly just because I'm bad at transitions haha - my friend can do them better than me - but could you elaborate on controlling the rotation? Do you just mean maintaining good posture/position during the spin?
Maybe focus at one point of view.
From The Netherlands
Do you mean like with spotting?
It gets kind of difficult to spot once you pick up speed, so they can't really do that, but I already recommended focusing on one point/object after finishing the spin to regain balance. Thank you for the idea though!! :)
You can't spot while spinning in figure skating if you're doing a spin properly (due to the speed and mechanism of turning). I did some ballet at one point, and spotting during pirouettes was so difficult for me after never spotting while spinning, which the teacher thought was funny.
Maintaining good posture/position during the spin is definitely part of controlling the rotation. Some cues to use could include: shoulders level, top of head pulling to the ceiling, or keeping the stomach muscles tight.
Also, be able to pull your arms and legs in and out during the spin to feel yourself control the speed in which you spin. When I spin, I sometimes I also look in the direction of spinning. For example, if I am doing a two foot spin, I can either keep my head looking straight ahead, or turn it to the left (if I am spinning counterclockwise ). While jumping, in the air position, turning your head to the direction of rotation is usually what happens as well in double and triple jumps.
Personally I would not recommend focusing on one point, if for some reason you're relying on that for balance but then get on a different floor during competition it will feel strange. It is also difficult to pick up that spot if you're spinning in different positions at speed, but of course if it works for you keep doing it. I think the main answer is to practice. I have a lot of trouble immediately transitioning from my OF traveling camel spin to a double jump, so I work on doing the spin, and then quickly doing the jump while still dizzy in order to get used to it.
Yup same here when skating on smaller wheels I did a lot of spinning. Just practice, practice.....
From The Netherlands
If you get vertigo, try searching for "Half-Somersault or Foster Maneuver" there is a simple exercise I have used to get rid of the dizziness. When spinning on skates I pick a point at one end of the rink or the other and focus on that point. I can then count my revolutions, and know when to stop my spin to be going either forwards or backwards.
I used to get motion sickness very easily but it seems as if learning to spin has helped it to subside, or at least taught me how to control it. I notice when I spin, I tighten up my stomach and that seems to help. Another thing I sometimes do is spin in the other direction to counter the amount of dizziness I get (I can spin in either direction proficiently). I never pick a point to focus on because I'm going to pick up speed and suddenly stop most oftentimes.
You are gonna have some type of dizziness when you stop anyways, that is inevitable. You just have to learn how to control it/become used to it.
My coach had taught us to spot when coming out of a spin but not during the spin itself. Once you start to slow down you spot but not before that.
I know for myself I did this thing like a 'far away focus' You know that look one gets when day dreaming? I just automatically did that and never got dizzy except for my super fast crossed-foot spin. Which when I learned to spot as I slowed down.
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Great advice. Thanks for the share.
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