How do figure skaters not get dizzy when spinning so quickly?
In: Physics
I’m a dancer not a figure skater but we both use a method called “spotting”. Basically when we turn, we pick one spot on a wall, in the audience etc. and keep our eyes and head centered on that dot for as long as possible each rotation. Then, quickly spinning our heads and refocusing on the one spot. By doing this our eyes are not roaming in circles and it can mostly prevent dizziness.
They do, and they train themselves to get used to it. Another technique is to look at a place on the rink,and snap your head around when you can’t see it any more. This rotates your head much faster than your body, because your neck is nimble, and then gives it time to stabilize a little before you snap it again. It doesn’t prevent dizziness, but it reduces it somewhat.
One word: training
There also is some technique to it. Fix your eyes to one point and stay there, then quickly move your head and fix another point. Don’t get into the “movie mode” where the whole world gets blurry.
I am not a figure skater but a dancer, so I get my fair share of spinning too. When I first started I couldn’t do some figures that involved a lot of rotations.
It’s absolutely nothing to do with focusing on one point and then quickly moving your head to look at it again (aka “spotting” which dancers do). Figure skaters spin WAY too fast for that. You can use a line for stability, for example the top edge of the barrier which beginner skaters hold onto, which looks like a horizon when you spin — but really we just get used to it.
Studies have shown that when a figure skater spins, the parts of the brain which make you feel dizzy don’t actually activate properly. It’s just a matter of training and putting up with it until it starts to decrease.
I’ve been skating for years myself!
I think they make sure to balance the amount of times they spin one way compared to the other way as to rebalance things through counter-spinning the previous spin… this is why they do a lot of inverted standing splits mid spin.
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