Confused about backward crossover ....

[thevaliantx]

This is intended for the figure skaters out there, but I know that some hockey players used to be figure skaters (and undoubtedly better hockey skaters because of it). I have been taking private lessons for 3 months now, and before that the ONLY skating I did was 3-4 times a month on hockey skates (I wanted to be a hockey player ... at the age of 40 ... before realizing that music, dance and choreography are better suited for me), and then about 3-4 times a week for a month on rented figure skates.

Now, 3 months into the once-a-week (I practice out side of that on average 1-3 times a week) lesson I am beginning to skate backward more and am finding my balance. While I *sort* of get the forward crossover (coaches have me picking up free skate and placing it over other skate, but will eventually just glide it over), the backward crossover is stumping me. Is the free skate pushing the skater backward, and then the other skate doing the same thing?

It almost seems like an illusion. It *appears* that the skater is doing the forward crossover move but is going backward.