I can do good axels off-ice but I need some tips on doing them on ice....?

Question

I don't know how to ice skate. But during the winter I am going to try to improve my ice skating alot.

Anyways, I can do pretty good axels off-ice but how do I take them to the ice?

Answer 1

I agree with Jessica.

Answer 2

If you don't know how to ice skate then it's gonna probably take you a year to learn the basics. Then another one on jumps and spins. An axel takes about a years practice to land cleanly. It would be best to be patient and take it step by step.

Don't even try to do one without proper instruction. I learned the hard way and injured myself. Ask your instructor to help you.

Answer 3

When you start skating, I know you'll want to start your axel right away, but please don't.  Skating's not just about jumping and rotating in the air.  Before you can jump, you need to master basic edges (for instance, a counter-clockwise rotated axel takes off from a left forward outside edge and lands on a right back outside edge).  You need to be able to successfully skate on one foot (and learn a waltz jump!) before attempting an axel.

Another important thing you'll need to learn is how to do a really solid back spin.  Since all rotational jumps are essentially back spins in the air, learning this is crucial to learning rotational jumps.

Keep practicing on the floor, but realize that it's a whole new ballgame out on the ice.  Since you have it on the floor, it's likely that your axel on the ice will come easier, but it is still different and you definitely shouldn't ignore the basics.  You could injure yourself if you try to skip to something too advanced before learning basic skating skills (or you could be like me and learn the basic skating skills and still manage to crack a rib when learning the axel, but I don't recommend it. :P)

Answer 4

Jessica and Matokah are right on!  

Axel is the last of the single jumps you learn in skating.  The jumps are learned in sequence - in order of difficulty.  Each jump is related to the next . . . so you really should learn all the other single jumps first.  Not only will you have an easier time and better understanding of axel on the ice, you will have a better axel (and strength to do them) period!  

It's great you can do them off ice, but have a knowlegable skater look at it to make sure the technique is correct.  Muscle memory from an incorrect off ice technique will not help with good axel technique on the ice.  You've got a head start doing them - so do yourself a favor to make sure all your off ice efforts are correct til you can truly take it to the ice!    

If you want to improve your skating, as already mentioned, do start from the basics . . . a good foundation will take you a long (and safer) way.  Your axel will be that much more impressive in the end!