IDENTIFYING JUMPS

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Lutz and a toe loop? Why is it called a Salchow and why is it spelled that way? What makes
an Axel so difficult and why do those kids insist on
putting such big holes in the ice every day?
If you want to impress your family and friends,
put this article in your pocket so the next time
youre at skating practice or watching skating on
TV you can correctly identify those mysterious
jumps.

Michelle Kwan, the most

decorated skater in U.S.
history, finishes a jump with an
exquisite landing position.

ALL JUMPS HAVE

FIVE MAIN
COMPONENTS:

Preparation
Take-off position
Jump in the air (lift-off)
Rotation
Landing

Jumps fall into two basic categories:

Edge jumps consist of the Axel,
Salchow and loop.
Pick jumps consist of the toe
loop, flip and Lutz.
Since all of the air positions and landings are primarily the same, the only way to truly identify
figure skating jumps is by the take-off. You can
memorize take-off patterns and locations on the
ice surface, but this is not a fool-proof method
because some skaters prefer variations on patterns
and placements. While the speed of rotations may
be faster or tighter, all double, triple and quadruple jumps look the same once they are rotating in
the air.
Jumps are learned as a developmental sequence,
beginning with the easiest and gradually gaining
difficulty based on a skaters ability and dedication. There are six types of jumps. They increase
in difficulty by variation of take-off, number of
revolutions in the air, quality of jumping technique and successful landings (balanced on one
foot with a strong easy run out of the jump). The
easiest jumps are half-jumps and single revolution
jumps, then on to doubles, triples and quads.

of four edges (eight, including both feet). Confused yet? Just wait.

THREE-TURNS: A turn from forward to

backward or from backward to forward on the

same foot without changing feet. The mark left on
the ice looks like a 3.

MOHAWKS: A turn from forward to backward or from backward to forward changing from
one foot to the other.

Here are some basic skating terminology that will

help you understand the different take-offs better:

Below is a brief description of how you can identify each jump by take-off only. They are ranked by
degree of difficulty:

EDGES: The two sides of the skate blade on

AXEL: Named after the Norwegian skater Axel

either side of the grooved center. The outside edge

is on the outer side of the leg and the inside edge
is on the inside of the leg. There is a forward and
backward to each edge depending which direction
the skater is traveling therefore there are a total

Paulsen. It is the only jump that takes off moving

forward with no assisted turn. It has 1 revolutions in the air. The one-foot forward takeoff is
what makes this jump famous (and challenging).
Look for this jump starting from backward cross-

overs.The skater then steps forward and the free leg

kicks through helping the skater to jump into the
air (face first into the jump). After a skater lands
her or his first Axel, you will hear many screams
and see one very happy coach! Landing this jump
is a huge milestone in figure skating. This jump is
also performed in doubles (2 revolutions) and
triples (3 revolutions). An Axel is an edge jump.

SALCHOW: Named after the Swedish skater

Ulrich Salchow. This jump takes off from a backward inside edge (creating a rut in the ice). The free
leg extends behind the skater, swinging toward the
front as the skater springs into the air, drawing in
the arms at the same time. To execute a successful
Salchow, timing is critical. Normally skaters use a
forward outside three-turn, but some skaters use a
mohawk or simply jump from a backward inside
edge. A Salchow is an edge jump and can be per-

IDENTIFYING JUMPS
JUMP
Axel
Salchow
Toe loop
Loop
Flip
Lutz

TAKEOFF
Forward Outside Edge
Backward Inside Edge
Backward Outside with Pick
Backward Outside Edge
Backward Inside with Pick
Backward Outside with Pick

formed as a single, double, triple or quad.

TOE LOOP: This is the easiest of the toe-pick

assisted jumps. Normally, the placement of a toe

loop is straight down the middle axis of the ice
surface between the two hockey circles. The toe
loop takes off from a forward inside three-turn or
a forward outside three-turn with a change of foot.
After the three-turn, the free leg reaches backward
and slightly outside the direction of travel (similar
to a pole-vaulter). The arms draw into the body for
the desired number of revolutions (single, double,
triple or quad). A skater will pick into the ice with
the opposite foot that will be used to land. This
is the most common second jump used in combination jumps.

LOOP: This is the most fundamental of all the

jumps. The takeoff and landing are on the same

foot on a backward outside edge. This jump is
recognized by the big curve the skater travels on
with both feet normally on the ice trailing one
another. The skater jumps into the air from the
basic sitting position for the desired number of
revolutions (single, double or triple).

FLIP: Unlike what you are thinking, this is not

a back flip done by Scott Hamilton. This is a fairly straight takeoff normally performed down the

LANDING
Backward Outside Edge
Backward Outside Edge
Backward Outside Edge
Backward Outside Edge
Backward Outside Edge
Backward Outside Edge

middle of the ice between the two hockey circles

(like the toe loop). The skater will either do a forward outside three-turn or a mohawk and stretch
his or her free leg directly behind, tap it into the
ice and vault into the air. A skater will pick and
land on the same foot.

LUTZ: Named after Alois Lutz of Vienna. This

is probably the second-most famous jump after

the Axel. You will recognize this jump as its normal pattern on the ice is a long, backward outside diagonal take-off edge into one of the corners
of the rink. This jump is difficult because it is a
counter-rotational jump, which means that the
skater sets it up twisting one way and jumps the
other. This jump is often cheated which gives it
the nick-name of a flutz because the skater isnt
strong enough to maintain the counter-rotational
edge. A Lutz should have a strong backward outside edge before the skater taps into the ice again,
most easily recognized by where it is placed on the
ice (corner of the arena).

MAIN JUMPING ERRORS: Three

of the most common errors in jumping are considered cheated jumps (under-rotated), wrapped
free leg position and over-rotation. Most of these
errors begin with a poor preparation and takeoff.
Falling is not an error but is usually a result of one

1997 U.S. junior

champion
Andrea Gardiner
demonstrates
a perfect air
position as she
rotates a jump.

of the three most common errors.

A cheated jump means that not all of the rotations were performed successfully in the air
or that they lacked a clean takeoff or landing.
Cheated jumps never get full credit from the
judges.
A wrap refers to the free-leg position being
too high and appears to be wrapped around
the other leg while the skater is rotating in
the air. This gives an unattractive look to the
jump and is of a lower quality than a normal
rotating position.
Over-rotation means the skater has miscalculated when to land and continues to rotate in
the air. Often times, over-rotation makes the
skater fall.

BASIC

JUMPING

PRINCIPLES:

Most jumps occur in less than .60 seconds, so they

must be precise to be landed successfully. Jumps
require repetition, dedication and lots of falls before being mastered. Even the most-experienced
skaters slip up once in a while, and youll hear
them say, I dont know what happened! It felt
fine on the takeoff, but then I fell! Strong, solid
technique is a must, but jumping is certainly not
an exact science.

Stop motion
technology shows
2002 Olympic
bronze medalist
Timothy Goebels
quadruple jump
from start to finish.