Russian jump technique?

[jesslily]

I know Sarah took from Jeff D. before she switched to Robin W. But Jeff is considered very strict technique coach who teaches right jumping skills.

[gkelly]

If anything, it's the American ladies (at least the class of 95-2000) who pre-rotate their upper bodies going into the jumps.

I don't see the Russian ladies do that.

Do you remember Julia Soldatova's salchow?

[Joesitz]

Re the tara and sasha comments - i'd say - aren't all the elite skaters air spinners since the point of a jump is to achieve the backspin air position and rotate as quickly as you would in a backspin to get the rotations?

Ant

Ant - It's called figureskating. Loops are the tracings for spins on the ice. In the air, if we continue the definitiion of figure skating, the jumps should be in the form of loops when rotating; not trwizzles.

Your 'point of a jump' is more technique to attain a goal than a definition. Others can rotate in the air differently as in the case of Sabovik(sp). Check out the different approaches to air rotations from different skaters. Hughes jumps first then turns, v.d.Perren jumps and then spots his turns. I've seen Plush jump, turn one slowly and 2 quickly.

Tara in particular, began spinning the jump on the ice and then lifted off and continued spinning. While this method may be legal, it just is not pleasing for me.

Joe

[backspin]

You are not turning in loops in the air--you're rotating around an axis that runs directly through your body (top of the head through to the feet). So the air rotation is more of a mid-air spin. If you aren't straight it will throw you off the axis & kill the jump (especially anything multi-rotational). Not possible to do "loops" in the air.

[Joesitz]

Your more than correct. Sorry about that, my point should have been the variety of air turns only.

BTW, When I see competitions live, I have noticed that some skaters while in the air are slanted to the ice. They are not verticle yet they manage to land fine. I presume that's ok.

Joe

[soogar]

There are varying degree of prerotation depending on the kind of jump a skater is attempting. If you skate or are serious about watching skating technique, then you would know that salchows and loops require some prerotation on the ice before going up in the air because that is how the jump is done. That's the reason those jumps are of a lesser value than the toe jumps and the axel: because they aren't *true* 3 rotation jumps. It's also why those jumps are the first jumps that a skater (usually) gets a triple of because they aren't true 3 rotation jumps.

Lutz is the hardest of the 3 jumps (not counting the axel b/c its extra half rotation) because it is the truest 3 rotation jump because of the takeoff (no cheat on a proper lutz). It's also the hardest triple for the average skater to get (even the hardest double for some).