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Why do my child's spins travel across the ice — and how do we fix it?
TL;DR
A traveling spin almost always means the skater isn't centered over the spinning foot — usually because they're entering the spin with momentum still pointing in a direction, not over the spot they're spinning on. Fix the entry, fix the spin.
A "traveling" spin is one that doesn't stay on a single spot — the skater drifts across the ice while spinning, sometimes by a foot or two, sometimes by ten feet. It's one of the most common spin issues at the Pre-Preliminary and Preliminary level, and one of the easiest to diagnose visually.
Why it happens — three main causes:
1. The entry edge is too curvy or too straight (most common)
Most spins are entered from a small back-edge curve. If the curve is too tight, the skater is still gliding when they try to plant the spinning foot — the body's momentum carries it across the ice. If the curve is too straight, there's no clear "spin point" for the skater to settle into.
The fix: practice the entry edge slowly, isolating the moment between "still gliding" and "now spinning." Coaches often have skaters draw a circle on the ice and stop on a single point inside the circle — without spinning yet — to feel where the body needs to be.
2. The free leg comes in too early (also very common)
The free leg is the rotation generator at the start of a spin. If the skater pulls it in too early — before the spinning foot is fully planted — the body rotates AROUND a point that isn't fixed yet. The result is a circle of travel, not a centered spin.
The fix: practice spins with a deliberate pause after planting the foot — count "one, two" before pulling the free leg in.
3. The spinning foot isn't on the correct edge
Most spins are on a back outside edge or back inside edge (depending on the spin type). If the skater is on the wrong edge — or worse, on a flat (no edge at all) — the body doesn't have anything to "anchor" against, and travel happens.
The fix: a coach watches the foot — not the body — for several spins to identify whether the edge is correct.
4. Body alignment off-axis
If the head, shoulders, hips, or skating leg aren't all stacked vertically, the spin axis tilts. A tilted axis makes a tilted "cone" of motion — and the cone moves across the ice.
The fix: practice with shoulders square, head over the spinning foot, free leg directly in line with the body. Off-ice, holding a one-foot balance with eyes closed for 30 seconds builds the proprioception.
Practice progression for a traveling spin:
1. Two-foot pivot in place (no spin yet — just feel the spinning foot)
2. One-foot glide on the spinning edge for 5 seconds (feel the edge under you)
3. Slow-rotation spin on the spot with the free leg held still
4. Add the free leg pull-in, but only after 1 full revolution
5. Full-speed spin, with conscious focus on the entry pause
Don't expect overnight progress
Centering a spin takes weeks to months of consistent practice. A skater who travels 6 feet today might still travel 2 feet in 3 months — and that's actual progress.
Want to track whether your child's spins are getting more centered week over week? SkateMarks captures the spin path on the ice so you can see the actual amount of travel — not just guess.