Off Ice Jumps

Hi there~ Can anyone teach me how to do off ice jumps? Basically, I cannot get more than one rotation.
What do you actually think of when you do the jumps? Do you focus on the rotations or the heights?
When I jump up and start to rotate my body, I fall to the side like it's jump "out" instead of a spin.
And as I saw in the Youtube videos, when people do the salchow jump, they have their legs crossed.
I am a ClockWise skater, so when I swing my right leg after a left outside 3-turn, do I cross my right leg in front?
Thanks A Lot...

Lora, I hope someone will answer soon. This is the correct forum for a question like this, rather than in The Edge. Welcome!

Lora Black said:

Hi there~ Can anyone teach me how to do off ice jumps? Basically, I cannot get more than one rotation.
What do you actually think of when you do the jumps? Do you focus on the rotations or the heights?
When I jump up and start to rotate my body, I fall to the side like it's jump "out" instead of a spin.
And as I saw in the Youtube videos, when people do the salchow jump, they have their legs crossed.
I am a ClockWise skater, so when I swing my right leg after a left outside 3-turn, do I cross my right leg in front?
Thanks A Lot...

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by left outside 3-turn, as that would be a salchow entrance for a skater who jumps counter-clockwise (like Kim) and not clockwise (like Kostner).

As far as doing off-ice jumps, you should focus on springing off your foot for height. If you get the height, then the rotation will follow and a) you won't need to rely on fast rotation to get your jumps around, b) you can progress to harder jumps when you've got height on your lower level jumps, c) you'll get less under-rotations. Practice waltz jumps, single salchows and single loops to develop strength in your legs. Do repetitions of where you stand on your landing foot, and then have your other foot (free leg) crossed in front and then swing out (like how you land a jump), and then cross it in front again, and swing it out, and repeat. This will get you used to "checking" your free leg when you land.

My suggestion is practice your singles but keep your upper body as strong as possible. Do not drop your shoulders. The way you get doubles is by getting strong single jumps.

As for landings, trying to do a single jump and hold the landing for 3 seconds. This is really important for developing stable landings and reducing the chance of "bailing" on the landing by stepping out or falling. As with your on ice jumps, also make sure to use your arms. Your single jumps should feel "big", and like you're jumping and not just stepping.

One more thing, if you have a smooth floor, put on socks and practice backspins to get used to the air position in your jumps (practice jumps on the floor without socks as you'll be able to get more traction with bare feet and avoid slipping). If you find you can't backspin, that means you're not controlling your upper body and "keeping it strong" as much as you need to.

dorispulaski said:

Lora, I hope someone will answer soon. This is the correct forum for a question like this, rather than in The Edge. Welcome!

Click to expand...

Thank you...I am new to the forum

Thank you so much I will practise the landing~
And that was a typo, I am a counter-clockwise skater.
Should my free leg be crossed in front or at the back after I swing it up?
And I heard that the hips should be used instead of the shoulders for rotations, is that true?