Do you want to distinguish between different jumps in figure skating? We will help you.
I love figure skating and this love has lasted for many years. But I have never been able to recognize any figure skating elements especially jumps. Now I am learning more about jumps in figure skating. Join me, it is fun!
There are lots of figure skating fans who regularly watch figure skating competitions on TV and cannot identify (recognize) jumps done by sportsmen. Now the names of the jumps can be seen during the performance in the schedule. But it is much more exciting to identify jumps by yourself. It is not that hard. Every jump has its own characteristics. Those peculiarities help me to understand the elements of figure skating.
So, we have 6 main jumps: rittberger, salchow, axel, lutz, toe loop, flip. They fall into two categories: toe and edge jumps.
TOE JUMPS
During these jumps the figure skater makes a kick with a toe of a skate. Flip, toe loop and lutz are characterized by this detail. The most difficult part is to distinguish between flip and toe loop.
TOE LOOP
This is the simplest toe jump. It was performed for the first time in 1920 by the American Bruce Mapse.
Getting prepared for this jump the figure skater does the reversal “triple combination” (sliding forward, reversal for 180 degrees and sliding backward on one leg) on the left leg then he makes a step with the right leg, moves the skate back and makes a kick with the toe of the left foot. The skater lands on the right leg. So the skater finishes the jump in the same position when he starts the jump.
This is the only toe jump with the start movement of the right leg.
FLIP
This is the next difficult toe jump. Flips have been performed since the 30s of the XXth century. The name of the first performer is not known. The name of the jump came from the English word “flip”. The first skaters heard this sound when they tried to perform it.
It resembles toe loop very much on the outwardly. The jumps starts with the “triple combination”. While doing this jump the figure skater does the reversal “triple combination” on the left leg but not steps then on the right leg but makes a kick with it.
The figure skater makes a kick with the toe of the right foot.
LUTZ
It was performed for the first time by the Austrian figure skater Aloise Lutz in 1913 and was named after him.
The figure skater starts lutz by sliding the long arc on the external edge of the left foot. Along with this the figure skater moves with his back forward. The element “the triple combinaton” is not performed in this jump. The figure skater squats on the left leg bending forward and with the toe of the right skate he makes the kick.
It can be the easiest jump for recognition – the jump starts with the long arc sliding with the back forward.
EDGE JUMPS
During the edge jumps performance the figure skater makes a kick with the support leg (that very leg on which the figure skater is sliding).
Edge jumps are: salchow, rittberger, axel.
SALCHOW
It is named after the Swedish figure skater Ulrich Salchow who performed I for the first time in 1909. It is one of the most ordinary jumps in figure skating. It is performed with the inner edge of the left foot. The right foot makes the swing around the body. Salchow is done with the help of both legs as it is shown in the picture above. Landing is done on the leg that makes the swing on which the figure skater slides backward.
The figure skater does not cross the legs before jumping, the right leg goes around the body and it starts with both legs.
RITTBERGER
In English-speaking and French-speaking countries this jump has a name “loop”. It was named after the German figure skater Verner Rittberger who performed this jump for the first time in 1910.
This jump is done with the outside edge of the right skate. By doing so the figure skater slides in an arc with his back moving forward while his free left leg is on the ice in front of the right leg. Landing happens on the right leg. The arc resembles the jump lutz but is done with the edge compared to lutz.
There is no kick at the ice as it is done with the edge of the skate. It is done with the back forward with the right leg while the free left leg is in front of the right leg.
AXEL
It was performed for the first time by Axel Paulsen in 1882 and was named after him. It is considered to be the most difficult one in figure skating. It is the only jump which is performed with the movement (face) forward.
The figure skater slides forward on the left leg and then makes a kick in the direction of movement (forward) and lands with the back forward. Therefore axel has not got the whole number of turns. If we say about double axel – it means 2,5 turns, if we speak about triple axel – it has 3,5 turnovers.
This is the only jump done “face forward”.
Learn the jumps and if you cannot right now distinguish between the jumps while watching figure skating competitions, don’t despair. After several competitions you will be able to recognize the jump.
The teacher can give this material as a homework and it is possible to divide the class into groups that could learn about one jump and then the students from each group could not only explain the jump in words but also can perform it themselves on the floor! It will be so much fun for the students!
And at the end of the performance each group could show a video with the figure skating champions performing the best jumps in this sport!
Knowledge is power!