The mule kick
- Thread starter Ginask8s
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2009
No. Rachael doesn't raise her leg too much and it's nothing like a mule kick!
But I have to say, she has a terrible way of entering that jump. It's so distracting.
It does NOT bother me at all. Each skater has a different technique to get a right timing to enter jumps. Everyone is somehow slightly different. Rachale has her own technique and it works for her very well. It is not even close to what you call mule-kick.
I just love her. Thank you Rachael for the great season. I enjoyed it so much!!
Each skater might have his or her own technique, but some are more correct than others. Caroline's technique, for example, might work for her, but it's hardly orthodox. It might not bother you, but it doesn't mean it's right 
I wouldn't call it a mule kick, but she does raise her leg pretty high. It's not pretty. Her technique for both the lutz and flip is odd.
I wouldn't call it a mule kick, but she does raise her leg pretty high. It's not pretty. Her technique for both the lutz and flip is odd.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
I am not sure if it is a mule kick, but like Caroline she seems to swing back and forth on her edge, a trait that has gotten worse in the last year. This causes a "e" call on her lutz at worlds when actually when she took off she was on the outside edge as seen in slo-mo replay. But she changed edge so much it did not look clean.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
I believe that high kicking is an unintentional attempt by the body to store kenetic energy to achieve a rotation. To jump without the kick requires more strength. I have read that Caroline is attempting to increase her strength. She actually looked somewhat muscular in that People Magazine ad.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
Caroline is muscular, but she doesn't have much upper body strength which I think helps with rotation. Compared to someone like Mirai or Yuna, she has very narrow shoulders even though they are all about the same height and weight. Looking at them, Rachael and Caroline likely have lower centers of gravity than a lot of the other girls because they have small shoulders and bigger hips and that's goign to prevent them from getting as much height on their jumps than someone with a higher center of gravity, but on the other hand, because they don't jump as high they are less likely to fall.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
Actually, if you compare videos and pictures from the last 2 seasons, Caroline's shoulders seem to have gotten broader.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
Yes, but not compared to her legs and hips. She used to be very short and straight up and down, but now she doesn't have a little kid body anymore. She does not appear to be as thin as skaters like Mao, Yuna, Akiko, it looks like she is a bit more solid and where she has such bad technique she can't use her strength to power through her jumps.
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2008
I ve seen both Caroline and Flatt live and Flatt's kick was more annoying to me. It is the way she takes off also. That or I just liked Caroline's everything else much more so i didnt mind. Now I ve seen almost all top Usa ladies live, Flatt was the one I couldnt really appreciate at all.
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2010
I think Rachael has some sort of "mule kick" but it definitely cannot rival Caroline's.
I really hope Caroline can get hers fixed by next season though. That kick is just getting worse and worse every season.
I really hope Caroline can get hers fixed by next season though. That kick is just getting worse and worse every season.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
To me it looks like a mule swing. Well, I guess mules don't exactly swing - maybe an elephant trunk's swing.
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.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
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. 
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2010
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.
However, if you're talking about senior level, then yes, those mule kicks landed Caroline on the podium at 4CC this year.
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2008
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?
