ARCO
Course contents

Routine · 02

Routine 2 — The turns

Put the stance to turn along a curve: prepare the practice circle, gain spatial awareness with the diagonals, cover the 8 variations of the Parallel turns and take the step onto one foot with the Trees.

Phase 1

Preparation

The practice circle and the diagonal rhombus — the visual guide and the spatial awareness before the first turn.

EXERCISE · R2/01

Drawing the practice circle

Objective: Build the course's visual guide with three objects: a string, a keyring and a piece of chalk. A well-drawn wide circle turns every attempt into evidence.

Material: string, keyring, chalk

Execution

  1. Tie the keyring to one end of the string and the chalk to the other; the length, roughly from the center of your chest to your extended arm.
  2. Step on the keyring at the center, tension the string and use the assembly as a compass to trace the full circle.
  3. Aim for a wide circle — a radius of a little over a meter; adjust it to your practice over time.
  4. For the transitions stage, trace a second circle next to the first: the point where they touch will be your climax.

What you should feel

There is no body sensation to look for — there is a criterion: the circle must be visible from afar and wide enough for curves you don't yet control tight.

Breathing

Free; this is a preparation exercise, not an effort one.

Common mistakes

  • Drawing a small circle 'to make it easier': small forces tight curves — it's harder, not easier.
  • Skipping the guide entirely: without a visual reference there is no way to know whether the arc was an arc.

Related

EXERCISE · R2/02

The diagonal rhombus

Objective: Build spatial awareness before turning: approach the circle diagonally, in base position, from the 4 diagonals — drawing a rhombus around it, still without turning.

Material: practice circle

Execution

  1. Advance facing forward in your base position, but with the reference toward the circle on a diagonal — not straight at its center.
  2. Pass by and repeat from the next diagonal; cover the 4 diagonals around the circle.
  3. The result is a rhombus drawn around the circle, without having turned once.
  4. Those direction lines are exactly the entries you will use for the turns.

What you should feel

Orientation without looking at the ground: after a few laps of the rhombus, you know where the circle is with peripheral vision. The diagonal entry starts to feel natural, not forced.

Breathing

Even and calm; this drill is about navigation, not intensity.

Common mistakes

  • Entering straight at the circle's center: the diagonal exists so the turn has somewhere to enter from.
  • Doing only one or two diagonals: spatial awareness is built by covering all four.

Related

Phase 2

Parallel turns (two feet)

The heart of the stage: enter diagonally, change edges, follow the circle. The 8 variations, both sides.

EXERCISE · R2/01

Parallel turns on the circle (the 8 variations)

Objective: The heart of stage 2: enter diagonally, change the edges and follow the circle's direction — first open on both sides, then closed, then in fakie, until covering the 8 variations.

Material: practice circle

Execution

  1. Approach the circle diagonally in your Predator position, change the edges and follow the direction of the circle: that is your first Parallel turn, open.
  2. Use the circle to practice the same turn on the other side — it is exactly the same, mirrored.
  3. Move to the closed one: same entry, now with torsion (the shoulder relationship changes). Alternate left and right.
  4. Cover the remaining directions in fakie: base position, approach to the circle, open driving the torso, and closed. With that, the 8 variations are done.
  5. The movement's detail lives in its tutorial: arcoskating.com/tutoriales/parallels.

What you should feel

The curve appears when the edges change — you don't force it with the feet. And the quality rule: toes and heels never lift; both skates roll fully through the whole arc.

Breathing

Exhale as you enter the arc; a long exhalation accompanies the full drawing of the curve well.

Common mistakes

  • Pivoting by lifting toes or heels: if the wheels don't roll fully, it is not a Parallel turn.
  • Practicing only the comfortable side: the circle exists for both sides and all directions.
  • Entering without a diagonal: facing the circle head-on there is no angle to take the arc.

Phase 3

Trees (one foot)

The same, on one foot: the static V-position drill and its impulse progressions.

EXERCISE · R2/01

Tree from static (V position)

Objective: Build the one-foot turn without relying on momentum: facing the circle, V position, push with the leg that ends in the air and sustain the arc with consistent shoulders.

Material: practice circle

Execution

  1. Stand in front of the circle in V position, arms up.
  2. Push with the leg that will end in the air; the leg doing the Tree presses toward the inside edge.
  3. The shoulders follow the line of the rotation, consistent with the turning leg; hold as far as the body sustains the arc.
  4. When you finish the circle, repeat to the other side. For the closed one: slight torsion, foot in the air, and the weight toward the outside edge.
  5. When you need more impulse, the progression is a cross and pushing with the back leg — or arriving on a diagonal and pushing from there.

What you should feel

The push sensation, the flexion and the lean working together. The drill's question is how much you can sustain: how your shoulders go, your gaze, your feet.

Breathing

Inhale preparing the V; exhale during the push and the arc — the air leaving sustains the lean.

Common mistakes

  • Seeking the turn with the foot instead of push + edge: the Tree is born from edge pressure and the shoulders, not from kicking the arc.
  • Shoulders inconsistent with the turning leg: if the torso goes elsewhere, the arc dies early.

Related