The "Cute Little Mohawk Element"

My Coach Loves Mohawk Variants

Especially the Mohawk Back Cross

The way my coach does it on a line
it looks like she's going backwards
and forward at the same time

I struggle with these because it makes me do mohawks, then turn my body in a way that confuses my feet. Basically, I'm mohawk back cross dyslexic.

Coach says, "It's Forward-Back-Back-Repeat." This is to be my personal mantra for the lesson. I have to do it on the line, and remember the rink geography.

1. Forward on the right foot, starting from the line, Facing the wall with the CLOCK
2. (mohawk step) Backwards to the line , To 'the Wall without the Clock'
3. Bring the right foot over the left foot (back cross) -- This is supposed to just magically happen and I have to face forward on the line
4. Forward on the Left foot, to the wall without the clock
5. (mohawk step) backwards on the right to the wall with the clock
6. Bring left foot over the right, facing down the line

I know my right from my left, but when I'm going backwards I've been know to think 'stage right' and 'stage left' which is from the audience perspective. Therefore I wear a black glove on my left hand and a red glove on my right.

To help me with right/left in the mohawk back cross, my coach gives me a marker to hold in my right hand. I hand it back.

"I don't need that.I have a red glove on my right hand," I tell her. "Right is red."

"Oh!" she says in surprise.

This is not  an actual picture of my coach--she is just this adorable

Anyway, with my mantra (Forward, back, back) and waving my red gloved hand for a tip on going the right direction, I can get ONE or maybe get TWO mohawk back crosses. Then everything falls apart. I don't do a 'real' mohawk, or I forget which foot I'm on or something. Normally this would be just a one lesson thing, but Group Coach wants me to do it, and when I told my private coach she's determined that I do it well, This thing is going to live on and on, LESSON AFTER LESSON.

"Forward, Back, Back"!