Keeping the focus on posture seems to be helping a lot. Yesterday I worked on all kinds of turns while concentrating on putting  my lower spine right over my skating side and keeping my tailbone down and navel lifted. The result was that I could actually feel my lower core rotate. This is a very small movement compared to the large rotation of my shoulders. Small, but significant in making the turns much easier.

Posture was also key in improving the transitions from lobe to lobe in alternating forward and backward progressives. I tend to rush the edges and simply rock or step over into the new lobe rather than using my ankles to rock over and dig in on that inside edge to get a really good push onto the new lobe.  I thought a lot about the placement of my spine as well as the rise on the knee (not popping up shoulders and ribcage first, but feeling the blade push into the ice to lift the body).

After a few minutes of incessant self-interrogation (“Where’s your spine?” Where’s your spine?”) it started getting easier and I was able to put in that really great little edge pull at the end of some of those transitional edges. It happens as you rise up and rock over; the free foot comes in to give that little extra something, that soupçon of power to start the new lobe.

Sweet!