How to Do Backwards Crossovers on Ice

Last Updated: January 28, 2021

Backwards crossovers can be hard...especially on ice! This article can teach you how to perform a backwards crossover, so you can become better at it.

Steps

1
Get into position. Keep your head up, and bend your knees.
2
Begin to skate backwards in a circle with backward half swizzle pumps. Keep your arms up and hug the circle. The arm further from the center of the circle should be in front of you, and the arm closer to the center should be behind you. If possible, look over your shoulder to make sure you do not hit anyone behind you.
3
Pump outward with the outside leg, and glide the outside leg in front of your inside leg. Extend the outside foot, and pump the leg with force so that you can hear a clean edge. Keep your back straight, and put all your weight on the inside foot. Unlike forward crossovers, do not lift your outside leg.
4
Push your inside leg out towards the outside of the circle. Push this leg with force. Replace this leg back into the inside of the circle.
5
As your comfort level increases, repeat this process quickly. The more you practice, the easier and more graceful your backwards crossovers will get.
6
Practice this skill on a circle in both counter-clockwise and clockwise directions. Both directions are necessary for later skills such as spins and jumps. Practice both directions equally.

Warnings

Although backwards crossovers is considered a basic skill, there is still a risk for injury, as with any type of skating.

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