Straight from the hip

November 5, 2017 by Joskates 2 Comments

A while ago I wrote a post that identified the “back dimples” as where the different bones of the pelvis come together. In the mat Pilates class I’ve been taking from PT Sarah, she has been talking a lot about lengthening the back from those dimples to the kidneys (which are roughly in the bottom part of the ribcage).

This is a another way of thinking about maintaining better alignment using the core muscles. I’ve had some success finally getting that sensation on the left side while doing off-ice exercises.

So this past week I’ve been trying this out on the ice as well. Another game-changer! It has really stabilized those problematic back edges (left back outside, right back inside) and it helps on other edges as well. Best of all, it’s way easier to tell where I am on the blade, and to keep the rest of my body from flying around furiously on turns.

I’ve been using this idea on a lot of things, and it was especially helpful on the inside edges and back crossovers that Laurie and I worked on in my lesson.  With the inside edges, I haven’t been keeping my body inside the circle, especially on the left side. Sounds crazy, but I think now that I wasn’t really quite sure where my body was.

It’s funny how things can be just a little off in the hip/back department, and whammo, everything is out of whack. Wish I had an auto-correct function on my body! Then all my edges would shoot straight from the hip!

No, I take that back.  I’m going to share my lesson notes without editing them. The first two items I just wrote but, but the second half are notes I took right after my lesson on my phone. Then you can witness yourself what havoc auto-correct wreaks.

• back crossovers: think about really getting the weight properly into the circle over the outside edge. Foot rolls over the edge to push and hold.
• Inside edges: again, get your weight into the circle. On back inside edges, practice counter-rotation and turning out from the standing side.
• Chaser swing roll swing through straight knee.
• Swing rioll change mohawk step around.
• Swing through Goh change twizzle.
• Eoropean wife step down.
• Same pattern with triple three.
• Back three pull change forward three other side.

Wasn’t that fun? Now for a classic from one of the “manly Canadians,” Bryan Adams.