How do you spin for a long time?

Here are a few scenarios I came up with.

- You aren't getting enough speed.

- You aren't balanced correctly. I used to have a scrunching problem. Make sure your hands are on the side of the foot you are spinning on. Stay over your axis, don't drop your hip, shoulders level, don't bend at the waist, don't look down, nose over toes.

- You are trying to spin on an outside edge instead of an inside edge. You actually do a forward outside 3-turn when you start your spin but instead of checking, you set it free and spin.

- You are trying to spin in the wrong direction.

- You are pulling in too soon. Take a little time to get your spin centered and get comfortable, then pull in slowly so you don't waste your momentum or go crazy-out-of-control-fast.

Look at your blade. In the front are the toepicks. Behind that is a curve, called the "rocker." That's where you spin. It SHOULD BE under the ball of your foot.

If you haven't had your skates sharpened recently, get it done so that you can find and hold the spin spot easier.

Here's how to find the spin spot: Stand near a wall and put one hand on it. Now, "swish" your spinning foot back and forth in place. If you're on the toepicks, they'll dig in or scratch the ice. You're too far forward; come back further on the blade to the ball of your foot. If you feel like the blade is scraping, you've gone too far - you're on the middle of the foot. Come forward more. You have to memorize the spot where the toepicks don't scratch and the blade doesn't scrape. This is a great exercise to use with new blades or skates.

That spot is where edge changes, turns and spins are managed, so you have to master it sooner rather than later.

One-foot spin tips:

Don't be afraid to use your arms to start the spin. Lots of beginners freeze up and won't let their arms move from the right side of their body. (CCW spinners) You have to be willing to use your arms/shoulders - swing them from the right side all the way across to the left side as you pump/pivot or just push to start the spin. It's silly to expect your feet to move your entire body.

To start the spin,your upper body should be turned slightly in the spinning direction.

When the spin starts, straighten your spine - try to make yourself taller. Strong upright posture helps keep you balanced over the spin spot.

Pick up your toes inside the skate so that you really do press down on that spin spot. It's not a flat-footed maneuver.

Don't let the blade ride up to the toepick because the digging will put the spin out of control, making it travel and die.

During the spin, keep your arms out with one shoulder on each side of your spinning foot. Many beginners twist backwards, away from the spin direction, which makes them dizzy and throws off balance. No balance = no spin.

Don't pull your arms in right away. Wait until you've done three revolutions, then close your arms in a big circle, then wait three revs and THEN pull in. The sooner you pull in, the faster you'll go. That either throws the spin off balance or it ends it too quickly. So take your time pulling in.

The next biggest problem with beginning one-foot spins is the position of the free leg and foot. All too often, people just yank the free foot off the ice and throw it behind their skating leg. That's not skating - that's panicking. Instead, do this:

. Shift your weight to the spinning foot;

. Lift your free knee in front of you, facing forward; then

. Firmly hold the free foot toe against the skating foot ankle.

Think of making a lower-case "d" with your legs. Hips should be even - don't drop the free hip.

The forward-facing knee is important: it keeps the hip closed.

Yes, to do a two foot spin all your weight needs to be at the ball of your foot.

Maybe you aren't getting enough speed. I know it can be scary spinning fast at first, but you should try.

Make sure your feet stay close together and your arms crossed at your chest.

try doing some backward crossovers , to get more of an edge,before getting into the spin, .if you haven't tried that. also Never look down at the ice,and pull your arms in when spinning, it makes the spin much more faster, and also you can try bending your knees more