Off-ice Jumps

[Iron Skater]

Hello, Eli here, I have been doing off-ice jumps for 3 years now, and I have a question, how many should one be doing? I have been doing double axels Over a hundred times per day for the past month. Also, how often do people get the ability to do Jumps off ice as well as on ice?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hello, Eli here, I have been doing off-ice jumps for 3 years now, and I have a question, how many should one be doing? I have been doing double axels Over a hundred times per day for the past month. Also, how often do people get the ability to do Jumps off ice as well as on ice?

Hi, welcome. First of all, do you actually skate on ice? If so what is your skating level? Do you have a coach?
And a hundred times a day is way more than you should be doing.

 

[Iron Skater]

Hi, welcome. First of all, do you actually skate on ice? If so what is your skating level? Do you have a coach?
And a hundred times a day is way more than you should be doing.

Yes, I Ice Skate, I am not at any level in the US figure skating, since I have been solely developing my skills. I don't have a coach. Why?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Yes, I Ice Skate, I am not at any level in the US figure skating, since I have been solely developing my skills. I don't have a coach. Why?

You need to have a coach, don't try to do these things on your own.

 

[thisismynewsport]

Jumps and spins off ice do not feel the same on ice at all. Off ice training helps with body position and muscle memory but just because you can land a double axel off ice doesn’t mean you can land it on ice. Not only is it dangerous to yourself and others not having a coach but nobody can help correct your technique and give you live feedback (on and off ice).

 

[jersey1302]

If you don’t have a coach you need one. You need to be sure you have correct technique. if you are doing correct technique and doing those jumps off ice it should be quite easy for you to get it on ice as you have momentum on ice going into jumps. But remember I can’t stress how important technique is.

 

[Iron Skater]

You need to have a coach, don't try to do these things on your own.

I hear you are a former elite skater, tell me, were you triple or quad jumper? Also, how does the process of getting to nationals work, once your at senior freestyle. Don't worry, I got a coach.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I hear you are a former elite skater, tell me, were you triple or quad jumper? Also, how does the process of getting to nationals work, once your at senior freestyle. Don't worry, I got a coach.

I'm female. Triple-Triples. But I competed in two disciplines: Singles and Ice Dance.

Sorry, I apologize but I don't quite have the time right now with my schedule to explain the qualification and other processes. so I'll let @gkelly explain that part to you.



And I'm glad you have a coach, but I question why they would let you jump so many times in a day as you mentioned upthread.

 

[gkelly]

how does the process of getting to nationals work, once your at senior freestyle. Don't worry, I got a coach.

To compete at Senior level, first you need to pass all 8 Skating Skills (formerly Moves in the Field) and all 8 Singles (free skating) tests. The Skating Skills are prerequisites for the Singles tests.

Note that none of these tests require double axels or triples, but the middle to higher level SS tests do require mastery of all the difficult turns and good quality to the actual skating. It takes most people years to achieve that skill level. Starting as a teenager or young adult is usually not an advantage.

See https://www.usfigureskating.org/skate/compete/qualifying-competitions for an overview of how the qualifying process works.

As noted on that page, there are more detailed explanations on the Members Only portion of the USFS website, which you can access if you are a member.

As you pass the various Singles tests, you can enter National Qualifying Series (NQS) competitions in the summer, which are how skaters qualify for Sectionals now. If you're over 14 (male) or 13 (female), you would not be able to compete in a Juvenile-level qualifying competition. If you're over 18, you would not be able to compete at Intermediate level.

Novice, Junior, and Senior competitions do not have age limits within the US.

The successful competitors at these levels do have triple jumps, as well as very strong skating skills.

It is possible to "skate up" during the NQS and nonqualifying events to compete one level higher than the highest test you've passed, but for Sectionals and Nationals you do need to have passed the test for that level. It is also possible to pass Singles/Freeskating tests by scoring high enough scores in a nonqualifying competition where you were skating up, assuming you had already passed that level of Skating Skills test.

Top scorers in the NQS at each level qualify for Sectional championships (Eastern, Midwestern, and Pacific Coast). The odds of making it that far are much better for males than for females.

Then the very top scorers from Sectionals qualify to compete at Nationals at Senior or Junior level. At Senior level, many top skaters will already have byes, so there are only a few spaces available for new skaters to qualify through Sectionals.