Hi Tipsters: Well, I spent the weekend hanging around ice rinks again....and so talked to several people about the turning/spinning issue. It caught my attention because as a (very mediocre) skater I have concentrated on learning to turn in just the one direction that is more comfortable for me. Because I seem to have been particularly inept in learning to turn I have had to do it by breaking the turning motion down into its components which basically involves balancing on just one skate, while turning one's body--which means you have to have good balance on that one leg while the other is off the ice. Anyway, all of that is by way of saying that it might have something to do with balance, or with leg strength--I imagine it's similar for gymnasts who might push off harder on one leg--but then again, I don't know about divers?
All of what I heard about ice was anecdotal but the concensus was that although USUALLY skaters will spin or turn in the direction of their handedness, there are enough exceptions, when skaters are allowed to follow their preference, to this general finding that there seems to be no "rule". One person (a former profession and current instructor) suggested that it is an issue of balance, that as young children most skaters develop a preference for spinning in one direction versus the other because they get less dizzy and have better balance in that direction. But note that figure skaters, in competition, must be able to spin both ways, it's just that they prefer to do most of their work in a particular direction. Also note, if you watched the last olympics closely they talked about two olympians who used the ice (skated around) in the opposite direction from the rest of all of the skaters. Finally, one slightly older instructor (40-something--so not all that long ago) told me that when she was young all the kids were made to spin in one direction regardless of their natural preference. It is only very recently that skaters are being allowed to spin in their preferred direction. All of this does not answer the initial question.... Working hypotheses: differences in the semicircular canals...slight differences in body asymmetry...instruction in early childhood.....??? Sounds like a great study waiting to happen..... Annette Annette Taylor, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology University of San Diego [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
