Back Closed Parallel + Gazelle Swivel + Front Closed Lion + Full Cab + Back Open Gazelle
Fourth and last combo of the long-lines block: you enter in a back closed parallel, turn the gazelle into a swivel with an extra half turn to come out facing forward, chain a front closed lion and a full cab —fakie to fakie— and exit in a back open gazelle. The key: the torso starts the turns and the legs unwind to catch up with it.
Twelfth episode of Combos of the Week, fourth and last of the third block: with it there are now 12 combos for you to play with, experiment and expand your movement repertoire on skates. In this block you build longer, more complex lines using only the Wizard-style fundamentals and the elements from the previous blocks. The elements of this combo: a back closed parallel, a gazelle turned into a swivel with an extra half turn, a front closed lion, a full cab —a new move in the series— and a direct exit into a back open gazelle. Each one isn't explained in detail — for that you have their tutorials and the previous combos —, but there are tips for the new parts.
You enter the back closed parallel and turn the gazelle into a swivel, as in combo #8, with the difference that you add one more half turn to come out facing forward. For that extra half turn you bring your weight onto the corresponding edges and continue the rotation with the upper body; that leaves you in the slalom pattern, in a position that sets you up to bring your leg into the front closed lion. When you finish the front closed lion you're in fakie, and that's where the full cab comes in: with the same idea of the torso starting the movement, you close a full turn and arrive in fakie again. Starting in fakie and ending in fakie: that's the full cab. You choose the exit: the gazelle in slalom, or put both feet on the ground with a half step and set yourself up for the back open gazelle in the same orientation as the full cab.
This combo invites you to pay close attention to the upper body, because it's what starts practically every turn. From the back closed parallel you already carry half a twist; as you push toward the swivel and keep that twist, the torso does the half turn first and the legs unwind to catch up with it, leaving you in the forward-facing position that lets you push into the front closed lion. With the torso again, as you finish the front closed lion and end up in fakie, you continue into the full cab, land in fakie again, set the corresponding edges and exit in your back open gazelle. This combo closes block 3; in the next blocks, moves outside the Wizard core come in —spread eagles, stops and slides— within these same lines.
Steps
- Check the prerequisites: the back closed parallel and the swivel (parallels and combo #8, back closed parallel + swivel 360), the gazelle and the back open gazelle (gazelles) and the front closed lion (lions). The episode doesn't teach any of them: it gives tips for the new parts —the extra half turn and the full cab— and shows the line.
- Back closed parallel → gazelle into swivel: the pair from combo #8. Notice the half twist you already carry from the parallel: it's the one you'll use for the next turn.
- The extra half turn: bring your weight onto the corresponding edges and continue the rotation with the upper body. The torso turns first and the legs unwind to catch up with it until you're facing forward, in the slalom pattern.
- Front closed lion: from that forward-facing position, push and bring your leg into the front closed lion. When you finish it you're in fakie.
- The full cab: from fakie, the torso starts again and the legs close a full turn until you arrive in fakie again. Starting in fakie and ending in fakie is the full cab.
- The exit into the back open gazelle: set the corresponding edges and exit with the gazelle in slalom, or put both feet on the ground with a half step and set yourself up for the back open gazelle in the same orientation as the full cab. Practice both variants and stick with the one you want to give your exit.
Common mistakes
- Turning from the legs: if you push the extra half turn or the full cab with your feet, the turn comes out short and every turn gets rebuilt from scratch. The torso starts; the legs unwind to catch up with it.
- Letting go of the twist between moves: the half twist you bring from the back closed parallel is what feeds the extra half turn. If you undo it before pushing toward the swivel, you have to generate the turn all over again.
- Coming up short on the extra half turn: if you don't end up facing forward, in the slalom pattern, you don't have the position to push into the front closed lion.
- Cutting the full cab at half a turn: the full cab starts in fakie and ends in fakie; it's a full turn, not a 180.
- Taking a single exit as the right one: the back open gazelle in slalom and the one with both feet down on a half step in the full cab's orientation are variants; which one you give it is up to you.
In one sentence
Fourth and last combo of block 3: back closed parallel → gazelle into swivel with an extra half turn (weight on the edges, the torso continues the rotation) → facing forward, in the slalom pattern → front closed lion, ending in fakie → full cab, fakie to fakie → back open gazelle, in slalom or putting both feet down on a half step, in the full cab's orientation. The upper body starts practically every turn and the legs unwind to catch up with it. It closes block 3.
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More ways to supportFrequently asked questions
- What is a full cab?
- A full turn that starts in fakie and ends in fakie. In this combo it comes as you finish the front closed lion, when you're in fakie: with the same idea of the torso starting the movement, you close a full turn and arrive in fakie again.
- How do I do the extra half turn after the swivel?
- Bring your weight onto the corresponding edges and continue the rotation with the upper body. That extra half turn leaves you facing forward, in the slalom pattern, in the position that sets you up to enter the front closed lion.
- Why do we say the torso starts the turns?
- Because from the back closed parallel you already carry half a twist. If you keep it while you push toward the swivel, the torso does the half turn first and the legs practically unwind to catch up with it. The same happens in the full cab: the torso starts and the legs close the turn.
- How do I exit into the back open gazelle?
- There are two variants: doing the gazelle in slalom, or putting both feet on the ground with a half step and setting yourself up for the back open gazelle in the same orientation as the full cab. It depends on the exit variant you want to give it.
Sources
The nomenclature of families and variations follows the official source. The drills, progressions and teaching concepts around it are ARCO's own elaboration, created to communicate the ideas.
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