The back spin turns on the backward outside edge of the other foot. Build entry, axis and position in five steps, with clear milestones along the way.
The back spin is a spin on the spot in which you turn on the backward outside edge of the other foot. According to Skate Canada the entry typically runs through a forward inside three-turn that creates a backward outside edge to spin on [1]. The honest answer: technically it is an ordinary spin – but you learn it on the "wrong" foot, and your body has to find the axis again.
A spin counts only when you rotate in a basic position at least two revolutions without interruption; fewer than three revolutions is considered a skating movement, not a spin [2]. Skate Canada requires at least three revolutions for an upright spin [1].
Realistically you learn the back spin in a few months of regular training if your spin on the spot is already solid (experience, not study data). The entry is the sticking point.
Master the two-foot and the one-foot spin. In the Learn to Skate USA curriculum it goes from the two-foot spin (up to two revolutions, Basic 4) via the advanced two-foot spin (at least four revolutions, Basic 5) to the first one-foot spin (two to four revolutions, Basic 6) [3].
Milestone: 3 calm revolutions on both sides.
Glide backward on the outside edge, knee soft, gaze over the shoulder. Feel how the blade behaves in the curve. In the Skate Canada glossary this outside edge is the spinning edge of backward-entry spins [1].
Milestone: 3 seconds calm on one side.
According to Skate Canada, a three-turn is a turn on one foot from outside to inside edge or vice versa, with the exit curve on the same side [1]. A coach should accompany the transition into the spin, because the entry is where falls happen (safety reason, no imitation instructions).
Milestone: 3 clean entries with a coach.
In a measurement with seven figure skaters on a spinning device (off-ice), what mattered was quickly bringing the center of mass to the axis and arranging trunk and limbs stably; at full speed there were many individual postures, and at the end the rotation slowed in most [5]. So keep head, trunk and arms calm over the supporting foot.
A mantra helps: head still, chest up, center of mass over the blade. Practice the posture first as a two-foot spin, then on one foot. A phone recording from above, if possible, shows whether the axis stays vertical (practice, not study data).
Milestone: 3 revolutions without drifting.
Increase gradually from 3 to 6 revolutions. If you get dizzy after spinning, stop.
On the exit you slow the rotation by opening the arms and lowering the free leg. Give the exit an arc of at least one meter so you do not stop abruptly. A calm exit shows the spin was controlled (practice, not study data).
Milestone: 6 calm revolutions and a controlled exit.
When spinning, dizziness and falls are the risk. A clinical commentary on elite skaters names "high-speed spins, jumps, inversions and overhead lifts" as the particularities of figure skating, for which a staged return is needed after a concussion [6]. A systematic review found more than twelve training sessions per week as one risk factor but pointed to limited study quality [7].
Wear a helmet, stop when dizzy and increase the number of revolutions slowly. This guide explains and motivates but does not replace supervised training – the entry belongs in a coach's hands.
Set a fixed point for your gaze while spinning: find a spot on the boards at eye level and spin as long as you can hold it. That helps against dizziness and shows whether your axis drifts (practice experience, not study data). Fixing your gaze first when exiting also catches the spin more calmly.
A spin on the spot on the backward outside edge of the other foot. The entry typically goes through a forward inside three-turn that creates a backward outside edge to spin on [1].
At least two revolutions in a basic position without interruption; according to the handbook fewer than three revolutions are considered a skating movement, not a spin [2].
Usually the center of mass is not over the supporting foot, or the arrangement of trunk and limbs wobbles. In a measurement of seven figure skaters, quick stabilization of the center of mass toward the axis was decisive [5].
Often at first. Fix one point, increase revolutions slowly and stop when dizzy. After head impacts or persistent dizziness, see a doctor [6].
The spin on the spot yes, the entry through the three-turn preferably not. That is where falls happen, and small errors in edge and weight are hard for beginners to notice alone. I found no studies on learning time for this spin – it is practice, not study data.
Learn the Layback Spin: Backbend Only With Back, Head and a Plan