Figure Skating Jumps

Terminology
➢ Definition of edges- when putting pressure on the outside part

of the foot, either the right or left foot (knee inclines away from
the body) is an outside edge. Pressure on the inside part of the
foot (both feet), knee inclines towards the body is an inside edge.
Types of edges-
1. Forward outside edge on the left and right foot
2. Forward inside edge on the left and right foot
3. Backward outside edge on the left and right foot
4. Backward inside edge on the left and right foot
➢ The metal spikes in front of the boot are called the toe pick.
➢ The free leg is the leg that is off the ice.

➢ The skating leg is the leg that is planted on the ice.
JUMPS- INTRODUCTION
The six most common jumps in competitive figure skating can be
divided into two categories:
Toe jumps - toe loop, flip, Lutz
1.
2. Edge jumps Salchow, loop, Axel).
Jumps that take off and land on the same foot are- loop, flip, lutz
Jumps that change feet are- salchow , toe loop and axel
"In toe jumps, the skater plants the toe-pick of her free leg and uses it to
help launch herself into the air. In edge jumps, the skater essentially just
uses knee bend to launch. The Euler jump, which was known as a half loop
before 2018, is an edge jump.
According to the International Skating Union (ISU), jumps must have the
following characteristics to earn the most points:
● They must have " good height and length";

● They must be executed effortlessly, including the rhythm
demonstrated during jump combinations;
● They must have good take-offs and landings.
The following are not required, but also taken into consideration:
- There must be steps executed before the beginning of the jump, or it
must have either a creative or unexpected entry;
- The jump must match the music;
- The skater must have, from the jump's take-off to its landing, a "very
good body position".
Jumps are divided into eight parts:

Entrance phase
1. The set-up,
2. Load, transition,
3. Pivot,
4. Takeoff,
Flight phase
5. Flight,
Landing phase
6. Landing,
7. Exit.
All jumps, except for the Axel, are taken off while skating backward; Axels
are entered into by skating forward. A skater's body absorbs up to 13
—14 g-forces each time he or she lands from a jump, which may
contribute to overuse injuries and stress fractures.
Factors such as angular momentum, the moment of inertia, angular
acceleration, and the skater's center of mass determine if a jump is
successfully completed.
Axel jump
The axel is typically regarded as the most difficult figure skating jump.
It is named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen, who first
performed the jump in 1882.
The Axel is a figure skating jump with a forward take-off.
The jump has an extra 1/2 rotation in the air due to its forward take-off.
For a jump with counterclockwise rotation, it has a takeoff from the left
forward outside edge and a landing on the right back outside edge;
this can be reversed for a clockwise jump.
Phase 1 - The set up
The skater skates backward right outside edge while the hands stretch
back and out to the side. There is a small rotation of the shoulders,
positioned perpendicular to the feet. The free leg is stretched out back
while the skating leg is slightly bent.
This is the position of the body.
Load and transition

The hands go back (pendulum effect- махово движение) to assist the
upper body to stretch maximum upward while the knees are bent.
The transition of weight happens when the skater does a back to
forward right outside mohawk. The weight goes from the skating leg to
the free leg and now the skater is skating left forward outside edge.
This is a mohawk
Once the skater skates forward, the free leg(right leg) that is behind ,
does at the same time the pendulum effect as with the hands.
This helps the skater gain as much momentum as she can to lift her
body up in the air as high as she can to perform the desired count of
rotation.
Pivot and take off

The pivot is a specific movement in figure skating. The pivot creates
small friction on the ice that gives the skater more stability in the foot
to jump from that particular point or placement. When the skater takes
off, the entire upper body and knee of the free leg reaches up as high
as she can. Not only does the knee go up ( approximately 90 degrees)
but it also has a small inward rotation to help the hips twist inward or
to the direction of rotation.
-View a demonstration of a pivot in the Tonia Harding file.
The flight phase

The position of the flight phase is the same for all jumps.
The person rotates counterclockwise. The left foot crosses the
right foot in the air while the hands are tightly crossed to the body.
The left shoulder is pulled back towards the direction of
rotation to help maintain the torque position. Most skaters turn their
head towards the direction they rotate. Some close their eyes even. It
is important for the body to remain upright and the feet and hands to
be close to the body. Some skaters stick out their hips and that
creates a breakage of the body , which slows down the speed of the
rotation. Some skaters also have too much inclination of the body
which is best to be avoided. To be able to have proper position of the
flight phase, the setup needs to be done correctly.
Landing and exit

The landing is not the same unlike the flight phase. The landing
happens on the left foot, first the toe pic touches the floor then the rest
of the foot. The landing leg is on a left back outside edge.
The free leg uncrosses from the landing leg while the arms unfold.
The exit position is free leg pulled back and slightly to the side.
Both arms are out and stretched to the side while the skating leg
skates to an outside edge.
Simplified explanation for performing the Axel

To perform an Axel, the skater approaches the jump on a right back outside
edge in a strongly held check position before stepping onto a left forward
outside edge. The skater then vaults over the toe pick of the left skate and
"steps up" into the jump with the right leg. Then the skater brings the left leg
through to cross in front of the right in what is known as a back spin
position.
It is quite common for skaters to skid the forward take-off edge slightly,
especially on double and triple Axels, rather than vaulting directly off a clean
edge. The skid helps the blade grip the ice on the takeoff, and is considered
acceptable technique as long as the skid is not so great that the skater pre-
rotates the jump or takes off the back of the blade rather than off the toe pick.
It can be divided into three phases:

1. The entrance phase, which ends with the take-off;
2. The flight phase, when the skater is rotating in the air;
3. The landing phase, which starts at the exact moment when the
blade touches the ice and ends when the skater is safely skating
backwards on the full outside edge with one leg behind in the air.
The entrance must be performed from the forward outside edge and
landed on the backward outside edge on the opposite leg to the one
used for the take-off.
FLIP JUMP
The flip jump is a Figure skating jump in which the skater takes off
from a backward inside edge with a toe pick assist, and lands on the
backward outside edge of the opposite foot. Entrance can be done
with a left outside three-turn or inside right mohawk.
The origin of the flip jump is not well documented. The jump was formerly
known as a Mapes, but it is not known for certain if Bruce Mapes was the
inventor. It was certainly being commonly performed by the 1930's. A few
male skaters, including Terry Kubicka, were landing triple flips in
competition by the mid-1970's. Katarina Witt was one of two female skaters
to land a triple flip for the first time at the 1981 European Championships.
Phase 1 - the set up
You can perform the entrance with e left forward 3- turn or a right
inside mohawk.

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Terminology

➢ Definition of edges- when putting pressure on the outside part

➢ The free leg is the leg that is off the ice.

● They must have " good height and length";

Jumps are divided into eight parts:

Load and transition

Pivot and take off

The flight phase

Landing and exit

Simplified explanation for performing the Axel

It can be divided into three phases:

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