Introduction:
As we have seen in the Beijing Winter Olympics, figure skaters spin at incredible speeds. Figure skaters can rotate four times while leaping three feet in the air in a little over half a second. A NASA doctor clocked one of our athletes spinning at a rate of nearly eight rotations per second with no dizziness. People with quad jumps may be rotating at up to 7 rotations per second, landing their jumps on one foot and continuing their programs with no dizziness. For spinning not affect a person’s balance takes training. Vestibular Training Services provides training products to develop and improve vestibular awareness in athletes and others.
Questions:
What equipment do Olympic athletes use to learn how to spin fast?
Olympic athletes use various training products like Bosu balls, treadmills, spin boards, etc. for training stationary balance. We start with balance measurements on a balance mat to determine the position of your head and the way you balance between feet, then place you into a harness connected to the ceiling through a multi-pulley system. We then utilize a multi-directional spinning platform to get the athlete up to a high rotating speed prior to hoisting the spinning athlete into the air. This creates muscle memory for that position, improves balance & proprioception, and helps reduce, if not eliminate, residual dizziness for the athlete. Training the vestibular system has helped figure skaters increase rotation speeds for jumps and spins.
Is it possible to increase the number of rotations in a jump?
The best jumpers in figure skating take between 0.5 to 0.7 seconds from take-off to landing a jump. You can often see that the skaters jump as high as the boards around the ice rink. Quadruple jumps may be the upper limit of rotations in that timeframe. An increase in the rotational speeds and proprioception would help increase the number of rotations while performing jumps. Who knows, with the improved training techniques, like Vestibular training, we may increase the number of rotations. This takes a lot of practice and training.
How do you spin a person in different on-ice positions?
Spinning fast is only part of a competitive spin, body position, and change of body position are also a big part of the spin. Our equipment and training emphasizes rotation, axis, and crossing the midline axis as part of the training. Maintaining a good axis allows the athlete to spin fastener longer. Moving appendages into or away from the body can slow or increase rotation speed. Changing positions from upright to sitting while spinning requires good proprioception and balance. Crossing the vertical midline axis of your body increases your proprioception and balance without getting dizzy. Again, this takes a lot of practice and training.
People often say that they get dizzy just watching the athletes perform. Can this really happen?
I don’t know if empathetic dizziness is a real thing, but utilizing the Vestibular training Service equipment and with some training, most people’s balance and vertigo can improve. Vestibular Training Services is eager to bring world-class athletic training to the general public for the benefit of all. Vestibular training Service is engaged with ongoing research involving autism, aging, and physical/occupational therapies
Can these spinning techniques be applied to other things?
Yes, we have had families tell us that our spinning equipment and methods have help family members with vertigo, traumatic brain Injuries, and concussions issues. We are also looking into research into how increasing your proprioception helps people in the military, fire fighters, aviation, police, martial arts, physical therapy, and sensory therapy professions.
Where may we get more information on your vestibular training and equipment?
Answer: At: www.vestibulartrainingservices.com (please spell vestibular)
Sheila Thelen is President of Vestibular Training Services and Master Rated Figure
Skating Coach. She applies these world-class vestibular training tools (patent pending) to improve the brain’s balance and cognitive processes. Sheila speaks about using world-class athletic training tools to the general population to achieve remarkable results.
CONTACT: Jerry McGlothlin of Special Guests PR. 919-437-0001 jerry@specialguests.com or Celinda Hawkins 432-349 – 2736 jerry.specialguests@gmail.com.
