Figure Skating: Skating tutorial -- The jumps

When you watch figure skating, are you confused about which jump is which? What makes a good jump? What is the commentator talking about when he/she says "flutz," "lip," "darn edge?" Then read this article and all those jumps should become much clearer to you.

The Jumps

Today, triple jumps are the most common jumps. A skater will not usually perform a double jump unless it is second in a combination, or a mistake. Exceptions to this general rule of thumb are two jumps: the double axel, mostly performed by women; and the quadruple toe loop (or other quadruple jumps), most often performed by men. Another mistake is called the "pop" -- when a skater is planning a triple or quadruple jump and completely opens up in the air, doing only a single. This is total reflex because the body suddenly decides that something is in the wrong position and protects itself by popping the jump. Reflex or not, it is a costly error.

There are two categories of jumps. Toe jumps involve the use of the skater's toe pick to jump. Edge jumps involve no use of the toe pick and instead take off purely using an edge. Edge jumps are considered more challenging because the skater loses the advantage of the toe pick to "vault" himself into the air.

The jumps below are described from the perspective of a right-handed skater. A left handed skater will do everything with the opposite foot. They are also listed in order from easiest to most difficult:

Toe Loop: This toe jump takes off from a right back outside edge. The skater is facing backwards, skating on the right foot, leaning to his right. He picks into the ice with his left toe pick, does rotations in the air, and lands on a right back outside edge. This is the most basic jump and is also used in combination after other jumps because after landing, the skater is already in perfect position to pick in with his left foot and take off again.

Salchow: The salchow is an edge jump, and takes off from a left back inside edge. The skater is moving backwards, leaning inside his body's circle on his left foot. His right foot will come down and sweep over the ice across his circle, which will propel him into the air. He lands on a right back outside edge. This jump is illegal if the free foot (the foot not used in the takeoff) is used in any way to assist in the takeoff. If the right foot touches down on the ice, but does not assist in the takeoff, the jump is considered legal. Some examples of skaters who touch down legally with their right foot: Timothy Goebel. For a very clean triple salchow takeoff, watch Oksana Baiul, who sets up the jump very nicely.

Loop: The loop is an edge jump. It takes off from a right back outside edge. This jump is usually easy to identify because the skater takes off with his legs crossed -- left leg over right. Some skaters, like Irina Slutskaya, will perform this jump out of a series of running threes. Running threes are when the skater seemingly sets up the jump, then, instead of jumping, makes a full circle on the ice, sets up again, makes another circle, sets up a third time, and finally jumps. This makes the jump far more challenging because the footwork entering the jump does not allow the free foot to touch down. Loops are illegal if the free foot is used in any way to assist in takeoff. For a nice loop jump, check out Maria Butyrskaya, Irina Slutskaya, and Alexei Yagudin. Michelle Kwan does not have bad technique, but the triple loop is her weakest jump. Alexei Yagudin's favorite jump is the triple loop.

Flip: The flip is an edge jump. It takes off from a left back inside edge. The skater picks in with the right foot, and lands on a right back outside edge. Some skaters make disastrous mistakes on the flip, doing what's called a "lip." In the lip, a skater will change from an inside edge to an outside edge at the last minute before takeoff. This demonstrates poor edge technique because it basically denotes a wobbly, unstable edge. Skaters notorious for this are: Victoria Volchkova and Evgeny Plushenko. Russian skaters in general have a tendency to lip, but that doesn't mean all of them do. Skaters with good flips: Michelle Kwan's is pretty solid.

Lutz: The lutz is usually easily recognizable, characterized by a long, running edge entrance into the jump. It takes off from a left back outside edge, with the skater using the right foot as a pole vault. Many female skaters now flutz. Flutzing occurs when the skater changes from an outside edge to an inside edge at the last minute. (Kind of like the lip in reverse -- don't you wish they could get it straight?) Big flutzers: Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes (ironically the last two Olympic Gold Medallists, but they did have wonderful skates those nights). Sasha Cohen has improved her flutz a bit, although she still doesn't take off from a true outside edge. Michelle Kwan also takes off from a straight edge only, or a very shallow outside edge. In fact, very few ladies nowadays are performing true lutzes. American ladies, in general, have the most flutzes, but this doesn't mean ALL of them flutz -- just the top 4 for now. Strong lutzes: Shizuke Arakawa, Fumie Suguri, Oksana Baiul (watch her lutzes from the 1994 Olympic -- gorgeous!), Ilia Kulik.

Axel: This is the only jump to take off forward, and because of that, it is made more difficult because the skater has to make an extra half rotation in order to land backwards. The axel takes off from a left forward outside edge -- what Dick Button calls "The most treacherous edge in skating, because it can slip out from under you at any time!" -- and lands on a back right outside edge. The skater's takeoff usually looks like they are leaping onto a step (this is usually how they are taught the jump, in fact) off of their left foot. Some skaters fail to step UP, for example, Tara Lipinski. Others, like Michael Weiss or Timothy Goebel, skid off of the takeoff edge, which often looks scary, and prevents the skater from getting the proper height. For a good axel, watch Ilia Kulik (heaven), Alexei Yagudin (explosive power), Shizuke Arakawa, Takeshi Honda.