Backing into reining spin?

I had a reining lesson today, focusing on the reining spin. My instructor asked me to back my horse each time we halted, and asked us to back just before picking up the spin. I did, but was a bit confused since I know the spin is a forward motion: is it customary to back a step before spinning? Her reasoning for backing into the spin was that the horse would step back with the inside leg and make it easier for the outside leg to cross over.

We also did some cutting and she had me back my horse each time we stopped.

I am unsure about all this backing and don't want my horse getting backing on the brain, so advice from someone experienced in reining or cutting would be much appreciated.
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I never back into a turn. It kills the forward motion needed in the turn and will end up causing more problems then it solved. Now I do back into a role back at times but that is a different type of things and should be more of a sweeping motion then a turn.

Go to Youtube and watch some of the top riders and how they cue and ask their horse to turn. What and see that a lot of times especially with a young horse the horse will take as step forward before they start the turn. If you tech the turn correctly there is little problem with them crossing over.

I have watched quite a few reining vids, and have done research on reining --- that's why I was wondering why the instructor today was so adamant about always backing a step. Thanks for your clarification.

Everything is about forward momentum. Even doing some research myself, if you're training a horse to spin and they begin to fall out of the spin, you're supposed to go forward, make them leave the spin, relax, and repeat.

My trainer does this with me, but it's more of a cutting side of training to back into a turn.
Pivot/spin question!

As others have said, there needs to be forward momentum. I had it explained to me as a kid with a great analogy - It's like driving a car, if you want to turn you need to use the gas pedal and not the brake.

YIKES!

Sounds to me like perhaps your trainer is not just a reining trainer. Perhaps they train ranch/cutting horses also? I don't know, and I am fairly new at this. However, there is one thing I have heard loud and clear. Spinning is a FORWARD movement. No question. In fact some people jog into it. And out of it as their horses learn just for the purpose of instilling this in the horses lil brain.

She also had us back into rollbacks, but according to the thread Mango linked to (thanks, Mango!), that's okay. Unless there's a difference between the cutting rollback and the reining rollback?

Frank, they do train ranch/cutting horses as well. They show reiners and had a big win 10yrs ago, but since then I don't know how they've been doing in the showring.
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This is the video I watched when I wanted to teach mah pony some reining spins.

QHRider, thanks for the reining video!