Back In The Woodshed

Today's lesson:

• FXOs -- The theme was "extend and flex." They are slowly improving, due no doubt to our persistent focus on them. Whenever I am tempted to despair about these, all I really have to do is remember (with the help of this blog) what they were like a few months ago. They have come a long way! Probably the biggest single problem with them now, though, is that on the very first push I'm not getting immediately to a good outside edge.
  
• BXOs -- Still working on getting the outside toe pointed and weight on the back foot. The CW ones are not too bad, the CCW ones still need quite a bit of work but are improving slowly. To work on getting the weight placed properly, Anna had me do an exercise I'd done quite a long time ago, swooping down the rink in alternating lobes in an extended sort of position, for example an LFO with the right foot on an RFI in the ice, widely separated and holding the separation until the lobe is complete, then feet together and do the same on the opposite foot. The point of this was to work harder on getting the weight on the FO edge. She had me do these both forward and backward.
  
• BI3s -- To get into these, Anna had me doing an RFO3 and back 2-foot turn on the hockey circle. The back 2-foot turn has really improved! The RFO3s are still a bit forced. Anna told me I should work on getting into the rotated position and then doing the turn with just a little additional rotation. Then it was on to the BI3. They are getting closer. With the RBI, in particular, Anna said I'm pretty much getting all the pieces in place, but until I'm willing to commit to the turn it's not going to happen. I suppose that's my cue to practice this stuff a lot so that it's more comfortable and I can go ahead and try the turn full-bore.
  

The ice was much better today -- the rink was a little foggy, and there was still rain from the roof, but the ice itself was pretty good.