Sending a "Telegraph" for your jumps

[silverpond]

Have you noticed how some skaters habitually "send a telegraph" while preparing their takeoffs into their jumps?

Specifically, when gliding/preparing to launch a triple lutz, some skaters use most of the length of the ice to place themselves into position. There's not much choreography or musical interpretation while he/she skates backwards from one end of the rink to the next. One skater who comes to mind is Gregorz Filipolski, who won the bronze medal at the 1989 Worlds in Paris. With all due respect to Gregorz, who obviously was a very talented skater, he really, really telegraphed his lutzes, and took up seconds of precious program time in doing so.

Sorry if this sounds nitpicky, folks.

 

[Mathman]

Actually, for the ladies, I don't mind that long, straight entry to a triple Lutz. Victoria Volchkova comes to mind as a skater with a great Lutz on a well-established pure outside edge. Flutzers don't telegraph so much, probably because they are trying to get the jump out of the way quickly and hope no-one notices.

It was like Volchkova was saying, "Hey, y'all, check out this edge. I'll give you a good long look at it, because you won't see another one in this competition."

For men, I agree. That pop into the air out of nowhere is really cool. IIRC Johnny Weir did a nice triple Lutz directly out of a forward catch-foot spiral. I think Matt Savoie could do one out of a cantilever.

 

[brightphoton]

When I was new to watching figure skating, I liked the telegraphed jump because then I could prepare myself to look for what type of jump they were going to do. Then the commentator would say, "ooo what a good triple flip" or something and then I would be like, oh that's what a flip is.

I guess it's not a big of a peeve of mine.

 

[Mathman]

^ Me, neither. But telegraphing ("long preparation") is regarded as an official "error" in the IJS, punishable by -1 to -2 GOE on the element.

 

[kwanatic]

I typically think an entry should follow "1-2-jump" or "1-2-3-jump" count. There are skaters who telegraph by using a "1-2-3-4-5-jump" count, and that's too long IMO. Irina Slutskaya used to have an unbearably long telegraph for some of her jumps. In this example, the commentator (Peter C.?) pointed out how she tends to telegraph her entries and jumps...

 

[lcd]

Definitely the Slutskaya loop telegraph was like a signature. My favorite of all time though was Holly Cook - the little hand set-up thing she did before a triple toe was like a gymnast heading into a vault. Priceless.

 

[gkelly]

Definitely the Slutskaya loop telegraph was like a signature.

Do you mean the traveling threes she usually did into the triple loop as her short program jump out of steps, and often in the long program? I wouldn't consider that a telegraph because it was added difficulty, not just gliding.

It was like a signature for her, and many skaters have copied that entrance since.

She didn't do it in the long program that kwanatic linked because she was trying two triple loops as the second jumps in combinations, never as a solo or first jump in that program.

The approaches to the lutzes and flip there are good examples of telegraphing.

My favorite of all time though was Holly Cook - the little hand set-up thing she did before a triple toe was like a gymnast heading into a vault. Priceless.

Yup, I remember that.

 

[kwanatic]

I notice Carolina Kostner also telegraphs her jumps as well...

 

[Dee4707]

Sandu would telegraph his jumps and going way back....Candeloro would too.

 

[demarinis5]

I notice Carolina Kostner also telegraphs her jumps as well...

Since -Goe for telegraphing jumps was implemented I noticed that Caro has reigned in her telegraphing quite a bit.
A few years ago I would say she was the queen of telegraphing jumps.

 

[Olympia]

This is a really interesting question. I'll have to go back and look at everyone who's been mentioned.

Wasn't it Tatiana Malinina who used to skate all the way across the rink for a jump? I didn't remember Volchkova doing that particularly—I'll go back and check her out. I do remember the elevation she got. She had such spring. I'm sorry she didn't have the consistency for a great international career, because her jumps were splendid to watch.

For people just popping up out of nowhere into a jump, I'd like to add Browning to the list. I don't think the guy was subject to the law of gravity, except during the Olympics, alas. John Curry wrote about training with Gustav Lussi to use almost no preparation for jumps. Of course in his day the jumps were less demanding, but still, his had a special excitement, as did Toller Cranston's.

 

[backhand45]

How about Elena Liashenko.....Her Flip set up could be seen from space. In fact, most of her set ups were interesting but, she was FAST as can be and I think she got robbed more than once because she telegraphed.

Backhand

 

[Pikachuusb]

LOL seen from space. She was the 1st person I thought of with telegraphing. You could make them a bathroom & fridge break and still get back intime for the jump. Kostner was notorious for them as well, among others.

as a genereal rule, Ive never been a fan of telegraphing. Ive always found it distracting in the program. I prefer when the jump elements are seamlessly blended into the program. Drawn out entrances for axels are distracting to me as well. Of course its a matter of personal preference, just like anything subjective in skating, gymnastics, dance...etc, etc, etc

 

[Mafke]

There are different kinds of telegraphing, I remember once watching Julia Sebestyen and I could tell she was doing that she was working up to do a loop (and that it wasn't going to work ... and it didn't). Still the loop (popped or fall I forget which) didn't have a long set up once she actually got on the back outside takeoff edge.

The long set up is most obvious for the lutz and often the flip (long set up for the three turn). You can tell the other jumps are coming from the kinds of footwork the skaters are doing but there's usually not a lot of set up once the skater is on the take off edge.

 

[gkelly]

At lower levels, there's often a loooong setup holding a back outside edge before stepping forward for a double axel especially when skaters are first adding that jump to their repertoire.

And then again, with junior or new senior men first adding the triple axel, long setup is also common.

 

[Olympia]

How about Elena Liashenko.....Her Flip set up could be seen from space. In fact, most of her set ups were interesting but, she was FAST as can be and I think she got robbed more than once because she telegraphed.

Backhand

Yes, it was Liashenko I was thinking of, not Malinina.

 

[evangeline]

How about Elena Liashenko.....Her Flip set up could be seen from space. In fact, most of her set ups were interesting but, she was FAST as can be and I think she got robbed more than once because she telegraphed.

Liashenko's Lutz was THE most legendary for its telegraphing...

 

[silverpond]

This isn't a "telegraph" as such -- Katarina Witt typically stretched her arms in front of her prior to taking off for a number of her jumps. This wasn't exactly giving the audience a clue as to what she was about to execute, other than the fact that she was preparing to launch into a jump.

I watched as video of Dick Button preparing to deliver the first-ever triple jump in Olympic competition - a triple loop. There was a considerable amount of preparatory steps and turns, and then - BAM - history was made! You go, Dick! :yay:

 

[merrywidow]

The worst at telegraphing jumps IMO was Surya Bonaly. She improved somewhat toward the last few years of her amateur career but those early years as an international competitor were mind blowing. To me, telegraphing is a sign of poor technique just as traveling across the ice is to a spin.

 

[Tinymavy15]

I kind of like a long entry edge into the lutz the way michelle used to do it when she was young, but don't like a long entry into anything else. I love the way Jeremy Abbott is able to just hop up into his jumps, like the triple axel he does from the rocker/three turn entry and the turning exit. That is just so awesome.