Hep on my loop and flip jump? (figure skating)?

Question

i am really good at my loop and flip jumps. my friend thought that if on your opening that you do 3 turn and make your leg farther out. and also when i try to land my blade always gets caught in the ice. i tried getting my blades sharpened and it didnt work at all so please dont suggest that. my skates fit well and i am always stretched out. i always go wobbly or i fall. i tried it on freshly zambonied ice and ice that is barely scratched up and ice that is really scratched out. please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

You have to be more clear regarding which are the individual problems you have with the two jumps because the jump mechanics of the Flip and Loop are totaly different.

About the markings on the ice, it's possible you are just standing too heavily on the toe pick portion of your blade. The correct way to position yourself on the Loop is to have your weight shifted between the rocker and the heel of the blade; the less you press on the toe pick, the more speed because you're not slowing yourself down by stopping and the less worn out the ice will be.

A tip that helped me get rid of that habit was to do a step exercise that in Mexico we call "Paso de Loop" (or Loop Step in english). Basically it's the mixture of the body position of a Loop, but instead of jumping you do a backwards to forwards 3-turn and then you do an inside edge mohawk to go backwards again to do another Loop Step. It's done in a circle and you do it both left-handed and right-handed. The more towards the heel you are, the more flow the step has and this will eventually translate into a better execution of your Loop.

However, when it comes to doing jumps beyond singles, it's perfectly normal for the ice to become dirty fast because you pump so much power into the jump, there's still a lot of force left by the time you land.

If you are wobbly when you land a jump (especially the Flip where I feel like the jump is really aggressive with the ankle), you should tie your laces better because for some reason your boot must be getting loose. Either you tie your laces wrong or the laces are worn out and you need to buy new ones. Quality cotton skate laces are so cheap, it's a smart investment anyways. It could also be an early sign that the boots are broken in. That happened to me with my old Riedells which couldn't put up with my obsession with doing Double Salchows. You can tell a boot is broken in whether the sides flop down or there are huge creases in the middle that deform the boot a bit.

If you are falling a lot on Single Flips, either you have very bad landing technique, bad edge control (despite well sharpened blades) or your muscles are very weak. Either way, working a lot on the high level steps like rockers and counters will improve your edge control so that you'll fall less often. If you are falling a lot on all your jumps, you need to fix this problem fast. If you have a bad habit that you don't notice is there and you leave it there, it will haunt you forever when you try doubles or triples. I knew a girl who was poorly taught how to land jumps and she would constantly fall on all of her doubles (and she hd a very good body for skating and otherwise was a perfectly competent skater). She went with a better coach to fix the habit but the guy could only help her to fall less often. Last thing I knew she passed the Novice test, competed as one in the Mexican Nats and got second to last place out of over 20 skaters and I haven't seen her since.

Answer 2

Help on the Loop Jump   :-)   Don't sweat it and try this.  

Take a couple of back crossovers and then on the 3rd one, when you reach out, just sit there on the RBO edge jump   Don't move...  

Check your right shoulder and arm well back and keep the left arm in front of you or a little to the right hand side.  

Now, bend the right knee and bring the Right Arm  "to the left arm"  so both arms are now in front of you. Allow the right leg to cross under as you bend to take off.  Jump up and down on the same foot keeping the arms slightly to the right side of the body.... You'll land the Loop Jump effortlessly.   (This is for a skater that jumps CounterClockwise.  Reverse it if you jump the other way.)  

A retired skating Coach.  :)

Answer 3

I just got over that same problem. You must must MUST keep your back up thats why your falling. You are most likely wobbling because the leg your landing on isnt strong enough. Keep practicing and work on strengthening your thigh muscle. You could also be wobbling when you land because your skates are too loose. Try tightening the skate you land on a little more (not too much otherwise you wont be used to it and it will make the problem worse). Thats what helped me and i finally got it.

Answer 4

maybe u should try being lighter on ur feet

ive never done figure skating before but i have taken ballet for 11 years and being light on ur feet always helps

so i hope that helps

Answer 5

As a skater, I would think that you are leaning too forward or you could try stretching out faster or harder to keep you moving after you jump..   kind of like you are pushing out of a back scratch.  Hope this helps!   Good luck!!  :o)

Answer 6

well i would try to get a lesson  if u dont just practice, practice, practice!! try calming yourself down and bending your knees more for balance!

good luck, hope i helped

PS: THE JONAS BROTHERS ARE THEBEST GUYS EVER!!!!