Help on quick rocker

[leafygreens]

I am working on the quick rocker sequence in Novice MIF and I'm having trouble. If you can see the following photo this is what my tracing looks like. My exit lobe on the rocker is flat and non-existant and then when I get to the 2nd rocker in the sequence, I have no speed and am doing it at practically a standstill. I try to go into it with more speed but it's almost like I'm getting twisted and can't get speed for progressing forward.

I do not have money right now to pay for a coach and was looking online for some videos showing this move but I can only find this one and she does it so fast I can't really break down the body movements. I have been practicing just the rocker on a figure 8 pattern but it falls apart when I do it quickly on the sequence.

If anybody knows of any videos or can give me some tips I'd appreciate it.

[Doubletoe]

I haven't learned the new Novice moves yet, but the old version had these same quick rockers as an end pattern. The trick for me was to keep the leading shoulder pulled back and under control, so that my chest continued to face outside the circle at all times, even on the rocker exit and crossover. When done as an end pattern, this meant my face and chest would be facing the boards at the end of the rink at all times and my right shoulder would be pulled back if I was doing the clockwise rockers on the left foot (left shoulder pulled back when doing CCW rockers on right foot). I hope that helps!

[vesperholly]

I'm confused — what rocker pattern are you talking about? There is no second rocker in the quick rocker pattern. It's a BI rocker with a mohawk/cross front, repeat.

The straight-line sequence of rocker-3-rocker has been removed from Novice. Double rockers don't show up until Junior.

I'd look at the video but I'm blocked from YouTube at work.

[overedge]

I can't answer your question, but I just want to say that your drawing is excellent!

[C_T_T_]

I have no idea what's happeneing in the first part of that video- all happens to fast but I'm also working on the quick rocker choctaw sequence in the second part. Its actually is one of the few field moves which come naturally to me. Usually when I'm stuggling to get control of turns I have to think about the rise and fall of the knee and focus on turning on the right part of the blade. Only when I've got that sorted to I add speed. In this case on the rocker you should be turning over your heel. Make sure you have a deep knee bend, rise up for the turn and then bend agin on the forward inside.

[leafygreens]

Doubletoe you may have a point there, I may be twisting my body around too much. I'll try to keep my arms pulled toward the wall.

CTT, so your knee is supposed to be going up and down? Whenever I see people doing it, it looks like they're doing it with completely straight legs!

vesperholly, I meant the 2nd rocker is when I do the repeat.

[C_T_T_]

Yeah you will definately need to bend your knees! Of course in time it will get easier and you'll be able to do them without thinking but emphasising knee bends will make it smoother until you get the hang off it.

[Doubletoe]

Doubletoe you may have a point there, I may be twisting my body around too much. I'll try to keep my arms pulled toward the wall.

CTT, so your knee is supposed to be going up and down? Whenever I see people doing it, it looks like they're doing it with completely straight legs!

vesperholly, I meant the 2nd rocker is when I do the repeat.

Yes, on this move (which is actually rocker-BI3-chocktaw, BI3-chocktaw...), you need to keep your leading shoulder pulled back as strongly as possible so that your shoulders stay aligned right on top of the circle you are skating on, even as your hips may swivel a little (I imagine my upper body is like a crab, traveling sideways). And you need a lot of knee bend and *ankle* bend for sure!

[vesperholly]

Yes, on this move (which is actually rocker-BI3-chocktaw, BI3-chocktaw...)

Wait, what? There's no BI3 in this pattern. It's BI rocker-choctaw-cross front.

OK, I can see the video now! I'm so jealous you guys get to compress those patterns into one now. It probably wouldn't have taken me 4 years to pass Novice with that pattern!

ITA with the above advice, your free-side shoulder needs to be pulled back extremely tight. You should feel a pinch in your shoulder blade. But keep your head facing straight, don't look back. If you pull yourself around too much, you will do a 3-turn and the move will get all spinny instead of a large semi-circle.

Try to slow it down a bit. The biggest error I see is trying to go through the turns at light speed, which makes it really difficult to do a true rocker. How is your slow rocker-choctaw pattern?

[Doubletoe]

Wait, what? There's no BI3 in this pattern. It's BI rocker-choctaw-cross front.

OK, I can see the video now! I'm so jealous you guys get to compress those patterns into one now. It probably wouldn't have taken me 4 years to pass Novice with that pattern!

ITA with the above advice, your free-side shoulder needs to be pulled back extremely tight. You should feel a pinch in your shoulder blade. But keep your head facing straight, don't look back. If you pull yourself around too much, you will do a 3-turn and the move will get all spinny instead of a large semi-circle.

Try to slow it down a bit. The biggest error I see is trying to go through the turns at light speed, which makes it really difficult to do a true rocker. How is your slow rocker-choctaw pattern?

Oops, sorry about that! I can do it, I just can't tell you what I'm doing, LOL! Kind of a "duh" that those are rockers, not BI3's, eh?

[leafygreens]

I tried Doubletoe's suggestion of keeping my chest turned towards the wall and this fixed like 90% of my problems. Previously, I was facing forward, not to the wall, and just twisting my arms and I think that's where I went wrong. I'm still skidding on my heel a bit because I don't have the rhythm of rocking back on the heel, turning, then rocking back off the heel. It is difficult though because I'm not used to pulling my arms back so far so it's really pinching my back muscles.

Vesperholly, I am not going fast yet, still going very slow. I just started working on these. I am mostly working on them on a straight line - not even on the circle yet. I have been working on one rocker on the figure 8 pattern as well.

Something else that I noticed helped me because I was doing them straight down the glass and looking at my reflection. If you keep your skating side aligned straight over the skate, it helps. I think I was leaning forward before as well which was throwing off my alignment. Keeping over the skating side seemed to reduce the skid.

[Doubletoe]

I tried Doubletoe's suggestion of keeping my chest turned towards the wall and this fixed like 90% of my problems. Previously, I was facing forward, not to the wall, and just twisting my arms and I think that's where I went wrong. I'm still skidding on my heel a bit because I don't have the rhythm of rocking back on the heel, turning, then rocking back off the heel. It is difficult though because I'm not used to pulling my arms back so far so it's really pinching my back muscles.

Vesperholly, I am not going fast yet, still going very slow. I just started working on these. I am mostly working on them on a straight line - not even on the circle yet. I have been working on one rocker on the figure 8 pattern as well.

Something else that I noticed helped me because I was doing them straight down the glass and looking at my reflection. If you keep your skating side aligned straight over the skate, it helps. I think I was leaning forward before as well which was throwing off my alignment. Keeping over the skating side seemed to reduce the skid.

Yes, you definitely want to keep your back pressed against the big imaginary circle you are on. Focusing on ankle bend will help you press into the ice and squeeze out those edges and chocktaw pushes with less skidding. Sounds like you're making great progress, though!

[leafygreens]

Oh good I'll try ankle bend next time, thanks! Progressing but very slow.

[skateboy]

You also might try crossing your free leg in front of the employed foot/leg (just slightly) before doing the turn. Then do an easy turn, no pulling.

[leafygreens]

You also might try crossing your free leg in front of the employed foot/leg (just slightly) before doing the turn. Then do an easy turn, no pulling.

Trying to envision how to do this. I'll give it a whirl.

[Doubletoe]

OK, inspired by this thread, I tried that pattern this morning for the first time in quite awhile (I did it as an end pattern, as it was in the previous Novice MIF) . I found that when it worked the best was when I focused on really holding that back inside edge after the crossover. Holding that edge while pulling the leading shoulder back not only kept me on that curve, but it also deepened the entry edge for the back inside rocker, making it easier to execute.

[leafygreens]

I have tried these tips and improved quite a bit, so thanks everyone.

[backspin]

It helps me to make sure I'm on a true inside edge after the turn (rocker), so I'm not doing a 3-turn onto an outside edge. Makes it more stable for some reason.

My issue with these is that they take me in a very tight little circle & I can't keep the flow going. I can do the first 1/2 of the new Novice exercise without much problem, but then it all grinds to a halt on the 2nd section w/ the rocker/choctaws!