Freestyle Stuff

Today's lesson:

• forward spin -- some quick review on the 1-foot spin. I think Anna only works this stuff right now just to keep me from getting sloppy (which is a good thing). She pointed out that I'm tending to bring my arms in more at belly-button level -- too low! And of course I'm still fighting the tendency to go right to the 1-foot spin before stabilizing the 2-foot spin.
• back spin -- mostly worked on getting this more stable. We worked on getting me to not pick my foot up so high, which tends to destabilize me. I actually managed to keep my free foot low by more or less consciously saying "must... keep... foot... low!" And wow, what a difference! Ironically in some ways this is better than the forward in that I know I have to have a good 2-foot before I get into this. Before we left this I remembered to ask Anna how you are supposed to exit a backspin. She said (and demonstrated) that you basically do a power pull out of the spin position. When I made the "yeah right, that's not happening" face, she said for now I can push off with the other foot.
  
• spin entrance -- serious work on this, and some real progress. Anna reminded me to lead with the hand but not hunch forward (I fell the first or second one I tried, caught my toepick), and get the knee over the boot more -- as I said, sort of like the extension I have on stroking, but with the free leg more straight back and less out to the side. She also said not to rush the step forward, but be willing to sit on the RBI edge until it's ready. Also she reminded me on the step forward to have my back to the circle; and finally, to push that LFO edge and when I feel like I have to put my free foot down, to bend my knee more. We finished up with a couple of fairly good ones. I feel like I'm getting closer on this -- gotta practice it more.
  
• waltz jump -- I'm really glad I've been making myself do these recently. We only spent 6 or 7 minutes on them but got some good stuff done. Anna reminded (for the millionth time?), jump UP not OUT. Also she said I am still tending to jump from the side of the blade and not over the toepick. She showed me the tracing, and it's true. The turn in the jump should happen mostly from the edge itself, and maybe a bit (I think) on the toepick, but definitely not on the blade. These improved a bit. I probably should work more on doing them from a moving start and not a standstill.

All in all, a good lesson. Anna said she was pleased that I was (once more) pretty aggressive. That's good to hear.