Rachel has a mule kick....absolutely and it's not very flattering...... Caroline Z's mule kick reminds me of the old 20 mule kick soap commercial! Both need to fix it....lol
Rachel has a mule kick....absolutely and it's not very flattering...... Caroline Z's mule kick reminds me of the old 20 mule kick soap commercial! Both need to fix it....lol
I always thought she had a bit of a high kick, but it seemed more obvious at worlds. Perhaps when she lands it and does the triple toe I just ignored it. I think it is interesting that noone ever mentioned it before. I guess Carolines was much more obvious and easier to criticize since she did it on the lutz too.
There is of course one difference between Caroline's mule-kick and Rachael's. Caroline's has landed her on the podium at an ISU championship.
That's partially true. The World Junior Figure Skating Championships are also considered an ISU Championships event; Caroline won it on 2007 and Rachael in 2008, so both have landed on the podium at an ISU Championship.Originally Posted by PolymerBob
There is of course one difference between Caroline's mule-kick and Rachael's. Caroline's has landed her on the podium at an ISU championship.
However, if you're talking about senior level, then yes, those mule kicks landed Caroline on the podium at 4CC this year.
She does a little bit, but not extreme as 'the queen of mule-kick, Calroline! I noticed Marai doesn't raise the leg too high when she is picking the toe into her toe jump. Maybe that's causing her with underrotattion?? Not giving her enough muscle power to rotate?
for me rachel has always had the mule kick too- but at worlds it was worse.
i noticed that caroline zhang is halfway (in other words when she bends down-it goes up past her behind)for her first jum sorry--rachels goes up to it--. rachel did it all year -just at worlds and the olympics it got worse.
sasha had mule kick at nationals went-past hip or higher than knee ,
mao used to have it higher than knee - even yu na had it but both mao and yu-na got rid of it by olympics and worlds went down to normal around ankle to no higher than knee
but most of women cleaned up skating technique so it got rid of them.
mirai started to have mule kick -but frank got rid of it.
This is an interesting topic. Rachael's and Caroline's mule kick have always bothered me, but I never really thought much about it. (I didn't notice mule kick from Mirai or Yuna, though. Could you direct me which competition I should watch, maybe?) So I went to youtube and watched some of the jumps in real time and in slow mo.
It seems to me that mule kick is not only about how high the leg goes up, but also related to the (absence of) proper toe pick technique. I think some of the mule kickers tend to 'push against' the ice instead of actually 'hitting' it with their toe. And in Caroline and Rachael's case it looks worse because they swing the entire right leg around the hip to get more power for pushing. Mao doesn't have this swing, but she doesn't really hit the ice hard with the toe either and has this a little awkward swerve of skating blade right before take off like these two. As far as I could tell, Yuna seems to be attacking the ice the hardest as her right blade is almost perpendicular to the ice at toe pick, which would explain why she gets more height and distance in her toe jumps. Joannie also has good technique in toe jumps IMO.
This was an observation from a casual fan, and I'm not sure if it makes sense since I'm no expert in techniques. I would be glad to be enlightened by someone with more knowledge!
Who is the reining Queen of the Mule kick? Tara Lipinski
Tara had the worst mule kick that I have ever seen...on her lip and flutz.
Tara's 3Flip didn't have a mule kick. On her 3(f)lutz, sure.
What about Sasha?
Unlike the others, Sasha made every position and move look good.
If you don't believe me - just ask Dick and Peggy. Or any other credible skating expert in the world.
Picking on Sasha's moves or positions
Sheer madness
Last edited by Mathman; 03-31-2010 at 04:46 PM. Reason: Restore original -- sorry about that!
I agree about Sasha; I didn't care too much about ladies' skating until she came along. There's not too many like her! She set the standard on spirals; no one else comes close. Well now that I think about it, Alissa is pretty close.
Last edited by Kitt; 03-31-2010 at 04:35 PM. Reason: thought of another
Sasha at 15 - according to Dick and Peggy - "exquisite," "beautiful," dainty," "perfect positions."
She set the standard for beauty in Ladies skating and most of today's skater's still can't match her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-loMk4Zrko
If she only could have stayed upright in her LP's she would have owned the ice. Michelle, Irina and Shiz never would have had a chance.
Sasha miay have made it look good, but not even Wikipedia can deny that she used the flawed "mule kick" or "hammertoe" technique --which is possibly why she often had trouble controling the landings.Unlike the others, Sasha made every position and move look good.
If you don't believe me - just ask Dick and Peggy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_jump
One notable technique flaw that appears in many skaters' flips (and Lutz jumps) is "hammer toe," which occurs when the free leg rises unusually high, typically near (in some cases above) hip height, before descending to strike the ice. This can make the jump easier to rotate but sacrifices height and some control. Examples of skaters with "hammer toe" on their flip jumps include Caroline Zhang and Sasha Cohen.
Sorry, I agree with Dick and Peggy
Sasha was unique - and today we see it is her positions, spirals and spins the other girls strive to emulate. Not your favorite - but Sasha.
That is her legacy, no?
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