Most skaters spin counterclockwise, and if you do, your forward spins are on your left foot and your back spin is on your right foot. Adults usually start with a two-foot spin, then move on to a one-foot upright spin entered from a left forward outside edge. If you spin clockwise, all of it mirrors.
Key takeaways
- Most skaters turn counterclockwise, and most spin and jump in the same direction. Your coach can help you work out which way is yours.
- Counterclockwise skaters do forward spins on the left foot and the back spin on the right foot, turning the same way in both.
- Spin on the ball of your foot, toward the front of the blade but behind the toe pick. A scratching sound means you've rocked too far forward.
- Traveling across the ice and feeling dizzy are both normal at first, and both usually ease with practice.
Spins are the part of skating that looks like magic from the stands. Up close, they're mostly balance: finding a small spot on your blade and staying over it while the rink goes round. Adults can absolutely learn to spin, and your first real one, even a slow and wobbly one, is a moment you'll remember.
Which way you spin, and on which foot
Most skaters rotate counterclockwise, turning to their left, and most spin and jump in the same direction. If you're not sure which way is yours, try a few two-foot spins each way and ask your coach to watch. Pick one and stick with it, because everything you learn later builds on that choice.
For a counterclockwise skater, forward spins are on the left foot. That includes the upright spin, and the sit and camel spins as most skaters first learn them. The back spin is on the right foot, on its back outside edge, and it turns the same way as your forward spins. Clockwise skaters swap all of this.
| Spin | Counterclockwise skaters | Clockwise skaters |
|---|---|---|
| Two-foot spin | Both feet | Both feet |
| Forward upright spin | Left foot | Right foot |
| Forward sit and camel spins | Left foot | Right foot |
| Back spin | Right foot, back outside edge | Left foot, back outside edge |
| Coming out of a forward spin | Step onto the right foot, gliding backward on its outside edge | Step onto the left foot, gliding backward on its outside edge |
The two-foot spin
A two-foot spin teaches you what rotating on the ice feels like before you have to balance on one foot. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees softly bent and your weight over the balls of your feet. To spin counterclockwise, wind your arms and shoulders to the right first, then turn them to the left and let your feet follow, turning on the spot.
As you start to turn, bring your arms in slowly toward your chest. The closer your arms come in, the faster you'll turn, which is the same physics that makes Olympic spins so fast. Keep your back tall and your head up, looking straight ahead rather than down at your feet. To finish, open your arms out to slow down and step away.
Don't worry about how many turns you get at first. Two or three that feel balanced are worth more than six that drag you across the ice. The number goes up on its own as you get comfortable.
Your first one-foot spin
For counterclockwise skaters, the first one-foot spin is usually an upright spin on the left foot. Your coach will set up the entry, and a common one is a curve on your left forward outside edge, sometimes after a couple of backward crossovers and a step forward. Bend your left knee on that curve and let it tighten, then rise onto the ball of your foot as you start to turn.
Your right leg usually starts out to the side, then draws in close to your left leg. Your arms start out in front of you, rounded as if you're holding a big ball, and come in toward your chest as you turn. Keep every movement smooth, because a sudden swing of an arm or the free leg will knock you off balance.
To come out, open your arms and free leg to slow the spin, then step onto your right foot and glide away backward on its outside edge. That exit is the same position you'll land jumps in, so it's worth practicing on its own. If the entry edge is giving you trouble, our guide to inside and outside edges has ways to practice it.
The back spin
The back spin usually comes once your forward spin is fairly steady. For a counterclockwise skater it's on the right foot, on a back outside edge, turning counterclockwise just like your forward spins. You'll often hear that it helps your jumps, because it's the same foot, edge and direction you'll rotate and land on. You come out of it on that same right back outside edge.
Traveling, and finding your center
Almost every new spinner travels, meaning the spin drifts across the ice instead of staying in one spot. It often happens because the entry curve didn't tighten into a small circle, or because your weight is rocking forward and back on the blade. Coming in slower helps, and so does staying tall over your skating foot instead of leaning or looking down.
If you hear a scratching noise, you've rocked onto your toe pick, which drags on the ice and pulls you off center. Settle your weight back a little toward the ball of your foot. Your coach can also look at the marks your spin leaves on the ice, which show what your blade was doing.
Dizziness
Feeling dizzy after spinning is normal, and most skaters find it eases as they spin more often. Take breaks between spins instead of doing a long run of them back to back. When you stop, it can help to fix your eyes on something still, like the boards, for a moment before you skate off.
Be sensible about it. If you feel sick or faint, or the dizziness doesn't settle quickly, stop spinning for the day. If you have an inner-ear or balance condition, check with your doctor before you work on spins.
What comes next
Once an upright spin feels steady, the next spins are usually the back spin, a sit spin and a camel spin, and later combination spins that change position or foot. If you compete, spins are scored by level, and our guide to spin levels explains how that works. Some adults also practice turning at home on an off-ice spinner, which is a fun way to work on arms and posture.
This is general advice from adult skaters, not coaching. A coach can see things you can't feel, so if something here doesn't match what yours teaches, go with your coach.
