Saturday, March 8, 2014

The Mohawk as a Half Drop Three Turn

 This works, but I've rediscovered a better way.


I'm about to babble on recklessly about something I'm having trouble with on ice: The mohawk. It's pretty typical for older adult learners to have trouble with these, so I'm not alone.

I'll wait while you go get popcorn.

Ready?
I've figured out a way for me that gives me reliable (albeit, not pretty) mohawks. Here is my solution. I do a FI3, and when the skating foot turns, I put the free foot down and don't do a 3.

Classically, the way three turns are taught is the down-up-down method. Go down in the knee before the turn, come UP on the knee to induce the turn, go down in the knee after the turn.

With my mohawks, when I come UP from the bent knee, the foot begins an inside 3. I just swap feet without finishing the 3 turn.

Yes, It's a "half drop 3".

Anyway,  don't need to think about the hip or the feet, it just happens.

That's it?
Yeah, what do you want? Pictures of cats?

Yes, cats, please!
 Here's my mohawk in cat medium!





7 comments:

  1. open or closed mohawks?

    What about outside mohawks (Foxtrot)?

    Not forgetting swing mohawks (Tango)

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    Replies
    1. It's just beginner mohawks that I'm having to relearn due to a hip issue.

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  2. Half the time (well, more than that when I get distracted on the lead in for a Mohawk or a FI3), I discover, mid way in, that I've blanked on which turn I had in mind when I launched in on the very similar entry edge (!) There I am in mid-turn, filled with existential ennui, wondering what it was I had in mind and whether or not this turn was even necessary or just something that seemed like a good idea at the time. During those kinds of moments I just let my body and the surrounding traffic decide what happens next. Sometimes a Mohawk, sometimes a FI3. Sort of like "fielder's choice" in baseball or like a yogi allowing a given session to define it's own purpose.

    Now getting back to Mohawks, one thing I've noticed, and probably this just applies to me, is that if I don't have deep enough knee bend entering my FI Mohawks, there's no way I can bring the free foot anywhere near to the instep of the skating foot. Without deep knee bend my free foot winds up touching the ice behind the original skating foot. This tends to be scratchy. My 2 cents.

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    Replies
    1. My problem is arthritis in one hip keeps me from bringing the free foot forward with enough turnout. The 'half drop three' means I can turn even without a lot of turnout.

      Delete
    2. Sorry. Must be painful when that hip is the entry edge? I don't have arthritis (yet) but don't have much turn out either (flexible as a brick says the PT lady who rehabbed my busted arm two years ago). I really have to think and work it.

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  3. (1) The pictures are hilarious!

    (2) It still breaks my brain that ice skaters all seem to be able to do 3-turns before mohawks. I have to keep reminding myself that you guys don't have nearly as much resistance from that pesky thing known as friction...

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  4. Ahh - the three-hawk. Unfortunatley mine are more three than hawk...

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