I've landed my axel (ice skating) before but then i lost it, and now i'm too afraid to jump it. What do i do?

Question

I'm in Isi and USFSA and i compete as no test, but this year all my friends are moving up to preliminary, where one of the requirements is an axel, so i'm about to be left behind. So i've landed my axel before, and i cant now, i can land it perfectly on a jump harness though. So if you have any suggestions please, help. =]

Answer 1

i had the same problem when i broke my arm training, i was terrified to jump - i could spin fine, but totally froze when doing even waltz jumps. i started out in the harness did it til i was comfortable, then undid the straps but kept the actual harness bit on (so it wasnt attatched to anything anymore), then jumped like that. i just kept telling myself it was like the other times id jumped it in the harness.

for some reason that worked for me... but otherwise just try your other jumps, and slowly work up to it. jump it off ice too, then try jumping it in low heels (for some reason this is how i practice, it feels similar to my boots)

good luck!

Answer 2

If you've landed it before, you can land it again. It's all in your head. There's nothing to be afraid of!! What's the worst that can happen? You'll fall! If you're really worried about that, then get some knee, hip, and/or butt pads. I'd suggest doing it on the harness, but having the person supporting you not pull on the ropes at all. Once you've got that, you'll know it's all you doing the jump and you can do it off the harness. Finally, don't be so worried about moving up to the next level; everyone moves at their own pace. Good luck! :)

Answer 3

I had the same issue with some of my double jumps.  I landed them, then became scared to do them, but was still able to land them on the harness.  I think it's because the harness offers a sense of security.  You know that even if you really mess the jump up, you still won't fall and hurt yourself.  I've found that the best way to approach this problem you have is to go slowly, don't rush yourself into jumping.  Instead, work on doing waltz jumps, click waltz jumps (where you hit your boots together in the air), waltz jump back scratchs, and once around axels.  Another thing that helped me whenever I was dealing with this was going to YouTube and watching videos of people doing whatever jump I was struggling with.  Off ice jumping also helped me, so you might want to try that.  You don't want to put off doing the actual jump for too long though, cause then it will probably be harder to get back.  Once you feel ready, tell yourself that you've landed your axel before and you can do it.  Don't think too much, I usually just go out and jump, but if you have to think, just think about kicking straight through; everything else should fall into place if you take off correctly.  It may also help if you go into your axel with only a little speed and gradually increase the speed once you feel more comfortable.  But most of all, just remember that you can do it.  Don't get discouraged or frustrated.  If you do, take a lap around the rink or go work on something else for a little while.  Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Ok I am a firgure skater also and I skate everything single. Right now I am working on triples I had the same problem with even singles what I did was I would practice with bare feet on a slipery floor and do everything the same as on the ice but it was a little more ruggud anyways I did that right before I was going to skate then I would go out on the ice and just do like waltz jumps and stuff that you learn really early like single toe loops and stuff then I got courage up to jump high then I just went into the jump without even thinking a second thought and i did it!

Answer 5

does it really hurt that bad when you fall? just think about it, whats the worst that can happen on a single jump? you fall, you get back up, and occasionally have to rub your butt. on the harness your more daring but you can do the same without the harness.

bribe yourself.

there is usually some trigger in your mind that remembers the jump.

just a little bribe, something plausible like "if i land this i get a piece of candy" something simple will work.