How to get rid of axel mind block??

Question

Hey, I'm a figure skater and I just wanted to ask if anyone else has had this problem and if they know how to fix it??

I had my axel a while ago but now I've completely lost it, I haven't been able to do it for about 8months now. I can do all my doubles, including a double lutz so I have no problem with jumps or anything but I have a huge problem with axels! I can do them occasionally, but a while ago when I first lost them I had some really bad falls on them so I think I have lost my confidence. How can I fix this? Me and my coach have tried many ways but I wanted to know if any skaters out there have some other way of getting over th problem!! =[

Thanks heaps

Answer 1

I had that problem too, but mine lasted through years and a lot of time off from skating.  What helped?  A new coach.  I still skate with my long-time coach, but a new secondary coach with a new point of view and new ideas helped me recreate my axel.  I know it sounds like a lot of change, but it really did help....like within a few weeks.  I had my axel when I was younger, but lost it after falling from one and hurting my knee pretty badly.  Since then I would just never do them or would chicken out on them...I do a great half-axel!!  :)  When I came back to skating and my goal was to get a huge consistent axel, I wasn't getting anywhere with my coach of 12 years.  Love her to death, but I needed a clean slate and to just "start over."  I was tired of being able to do all sorts of things, but being held back by that one stupid jump.  My new coach helped me start over and the two coaches work great together with me and many other skaters.

I started by trying to forget what I learned in order to drop some bad habits.  I went back down to just doing them from a stand-still position.  I did a lot of walk-throughs, starting from right leg behind on the ice and arms/shoulders/hips square, jumping into a back scratch, or just into the jump itself.  I found that for many many years, I was taking off twisted instead of square.  She had me think that there were two sheets of ice....you take off from one, step up to the other and rotate there.  I really try to focus on getting my knee through on the take off....like going up steps, two at a time or exaggerating by thinking of getting my knee to my chest.  I can tell I'm doing it right because after a few axels, my hamstrings hurt!  :)  Getting the knee through all the way really makes the snap easier.  Plus, following through with the take off made the jump easier.  I watched plenty of girls who could land axels, but you could tell they were forcing their way through it, "muscle-ing" through the jump rather than taking advantage of the momentum created by the take off.  Before I often dropped my right shoulder when landing, but now I would shrug my shoulders up to keep my upper body up and tight.  I developed an attitude that now that this was a "new" jump to me because it felt totally different than the ones I had done for many years, now I was going to kick this jump's butt.  My fear of the jump got smaller and smaller the more of them I landed. :)

Good luck!!!!  Kick that jump's butt!!!  :)