Stepping from backwards to forwards appears to be extremely simple, but is in fact very difficult to perform correctly, as can be seen by the importance it is given by Freestylists when they try to attempt Axels. If they step incorrectly forward then the jump will be a disaster. It is very easy to over rotate this movement. And great care should be taken to ensure that this does not happen.

Firstly you should commence from your basic outside edge position, with your hips and shoulders facing the inside of the tracing. If we take a right back outside edge the right hip, shoulder and arm would be leading and both hips and shoulders should be level to the ice. You should be on a strongly bent skating knee with your weight over the center back of your blade with your free leg extended in front and over the tracing. You then start to rise gently on your skating knee and this action should draw your free leg in towards your skating foot. As the heel of your free foot brushes your skating toe you start to rotate to the outside of your circle with your hips, shoulders and arms staying as one. 

It is important that at this point your weight moves still further back on you blade so that when you reach the heel to heel position your weight is on the very back of your skate and your axis is over the outside of your free hip (your left in this instance). You should also ensure that your arms have not over rotated. Your left arm should remain over your free leg also the left, throughout. This means that as you rise on your skating knee your left arm stays with your free leg not allowing the free side to open more than your hips, your head should also change from looking over your right shoulder to looking over your left at the same time that you rise on the skating knee. You should also make sure that your weight remains in the circle that you are skating. In this heel to heel position your feet should only be at 90 degrees and no more and you should feel perfectly balanced and comfortable, not twisted or forced. When you can maintain this position for as long as you wish then you are ready to step forward.

Your head now be looking over your left shoulder shows the direction you intend to skate. You should simply bend both knees and push to the outside of the circle into a basic outside edge position with your left side, hip and shoulder in the lead. Your left arm should also be directly over your left toe and your weight should be immediately over the left hip allowing you to skate a clean outside edge. There should be little or no movement of the body as you strike onto your forward edge. When you plie or bend before you push forward, as always you should ensure that your hips are forward and underneath you, it is a common mistake to allow the hips to fall back at this point.

This exercise should be practiced often and on both feet and in both directions. This is an extremely important step in ice dancing and in skating generally. Improve this and you will improve many areas of your skating skills.