Skating technique: Beginner Back Spin from Back Pivot (free foot not crossed)

The back spin is a difficult one for adults. For counter clockwise spinners, it spins on the outside edge of the right foot, just back of the ball of your foot. You should shift the weight so the right side of the mid and lower back is over the skating hip and foot, and that is the axis around of which you spin.  Oh, yes... the feet should be crossed at the ankles, left over right... very scary.

Next are few approaches that I remember for learning the back spin. Different approaches work for different people.

Beginner back spin (free foot not crossed over the skating foot):

The first approach to back spin is starting with a two foot spin, lift the left foot so you'll continue spinning on the right. This was also the first approach for the forward one foot spin. I could never do it, for both forward and backward spins. I balance the two foot spin between the left inside edge on the ball of the left foot and the inside edge on the tail of the blade of the right foot. So, how to get to the outside ball of the right foot? Maybe if the two foot spin is done on the center of both blades...
And here is a video with me trying and not succeeding much.

 BUT, this approach was the least scary so it is worth trying it even just to get you started. It also bring awareness of were the weight should fall and that is on the right side, and hip. You can also stand by the board, hold onto them and lift the left foot.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the free foot should be brought straight up, near the ankle of the skating foot, not back as I did of my first try.

Then you can try a back inside pivot into a back spin.

At first I just did lots of back pivots pumps on a spot, trying to put my weight over my right foot in between the toe pick and ball of the foot on an outside edge (first part of the video).

Second part of the video is few back pivot pumps into a back spin. The trick here is to finish the last pivot bringing the left foot near the right while still on ice, if you try to lift it while feet are shoulders apart, it will trow you off balance. Still, I feel that doing more then one  pivots pumps will take your weight off the toe pick as you push around (you can see this clearly in the video), so will take you off balance. I actually started to be able to do it only after I started working on the "Change Foot Spin"  from ISI Freestyle 3 level. That is a 3 spins combination: a foreword spin to a back spin to a forward spin. I'll describe it one of my next posts. For now, I'll say that it seems that doing the regular, forward spin first, put my upper body in a better position, that I kept then for the back spin. That position would be square, straight over the hips...

For me the best outcome was to spin after just one pivot pump and that's the third part of the video. I will add that it took me months to get here, practicing 2,3 times a week...

Here is a video from you tube, first part is the back spin from back pivot, second part is the more advanced scratched back spin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZjTbmFRpEE. He holds the upper body twisted a little towards right. I have the feeling that when I first started working at the back spin, I was over rotating the upper body and stop it towards my left side. So, I suppose, try for the upper body both square and hold to the right, definitely not to the left.