Today, professional athletes use a whole arsenal of jumping tricks, divided into two separate groups. The costal jump in figure skating got its name thanks to the technique of pushing the ridge off the edge. Axel, loop and salchow belong to costal jumps.
The next group - a toe jump in figure skating - requires pushing off the toe of the skate, on which a number of special teeth are located. In this group of jumps, athletes most often perform a sheepskin coat, a lutz and a flip that is popular with everyone.
Axel
Axel - a jump in figure skating, which is considered by the skaters as the most complex element in
terms of technical performance. The jump is the only one that can be reached by moving forward. The correct execution of the axel requires the skater to slide outward and lunge on the right leg with a forward turn. During the jump, the skater simultaneously throws out one free leg and slightly slows down the other.
Rotation in the air during the execution of the axel needs a quick rearrangement, which provides a smooth emphasis on the fly leg. Despite pushing away during acceleration forward, the athlete lands with his back to the direction of movement. Therefore, this jump in figure skating is a unique element, where the number of spins is calculated exclusively with half.
For a long time, Axel was considered a male element in figure skating. Only in the middle of the last century, American Carol Hayss secured the title of the first woman to whom the double axel obeyed. Later, in 1988, the Japanese woman Midori Ito succeeded in triple rotation while performing the element. Since then, only five girls managed to repeat the athlete's achievement in official competitions. However, an axel for women is not considered an absolutely mandatory element of the program.
Salchow
Probably, for the professional skater there is no easier jump compared to salchow. This single rib jump was first performed by Ulrich Salkhov in 1909. After a decade, the athletes began to demonstrate double and triple salchow. Well, the fourth jump obeyed the young skater Timothy Gable in 1998.
If we talk about the technique of performing a jump, then it consists in the following. The approach to rotation is carried out by an arc in the direction back-inward. In parallel with this, a swing with the free foot around the body is performed. The athlete lands on the outer rib, after which the fly leg lowers onto the platform and continues to move.
The loop
The loop is an edge jump in figure skating, also commonly known as a loop. For the first time in international competitions, the element was made by the German skater Werner Ritterberger in the distant 1910.
The loop technique requires sliding back and forth with support on the right foot. In this case, the free leg goes crosswise in relation to the supporting one, turning the body counterclockwise. At the same time, repulsion from the right leg is performed.
Sheepskin coat
The most common jump in figure skating is called a toe loop. It is with him that many athletes begin to get acquainted with the technical elements of sports discipline. For the first time with a single turn, the jump was performed in 1920 by the American athlete Bruce Map. Later, three more rotations were added to the element's complexity.
Today, skaters see the sheepskin coat as a fairly easy jump in figure skating. For a technically correct execution of the element, repulsion from the toe of the left ridge is required, rotation back and landing on the outer edge of the supporting leg. Skaters performing a jump in the movement behind the clockwise, respectively, change their foot for repulsion and landing.
Half-turn jump
Compared to a three-to-four sheepskin coat, a flip jump in figure skating is considered a relatively uncomplicated element. It is performed with a counterclockwise sweep. Next, the car is rolled on the right leg slightly bent at the knee. When moving on the outer surface of the blade of the ridge with hands spread out in the frontal direction, a jump entry occurs.
Sharply moving the right foot in front of the left and straightening the bent knee, you can perform a fairly simple half-turn rotation. In this case, the hands act as a buoyancy force.
In order to prevent a flip jump, starting from the moment of changing legs during repulsion, you should try to freeze for a moment in a suspended state. The completely left leg is straightened only in a jump.
Flip
The second most difficult element among the group of socks in figure skating is the flip. The element got its name due to the characteristic click that athletes hear during its execution. A triple flip was first performed in the mid-70s. Unfortunately, the quadruple jump in figure skating has not yet been submitted to anyone.
Performing a flip requires approaching backward, with emphasis on the inner edge of the supporting leg. Next, the toe of the free leg strikes the platform, after which there is repulsion with rotation and rolls back and forth.
Lutz
Professional skaters consider Lutz as the most difficult toe jump technically. The element was first demonstrated by Austrian athlete Alois Lutz at international competitions in 1913. It took some ten years for the skaters to learn how to play double and triple loots. It is noteworthy that the quadruple jump obeyed the American Brandon Mroz only a century later after the appearance of the element in competitive practice.
The technique of performing the element is to roll on the left foot with the focus of the toe of the free foot in ice. Turnover occurs simultaneously with touching the front of the ridge due to a sharp movement of the arms and body. Carrying out several rotations in the counterclockwise direction, the athlete rests on his right leg with going back and forth.
Eventually
Jumping is the most exciting element of figure skating. It is rotation in flight that makes up the bulk of the modern competition program. Dizzying jumping tricks not only make the audience cry out from fear, but also feel the joy of a surge of adrenaline.
Having understood the technique of performing basic jumping elements, an athlete discovers a completely different facet of sports discipline, changes his vision of existing programs and his own view of the judging system.