"un"pointed toes
- Thread starter zilam98
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I think it might be easier to mention the ones that do point their toes.
Let me tell you it is hard to point your toes in figure skating boots they are just too stiff, believe me I try
Let me tell you it is hard to point your toes in figure skating boots they are just too stiff, believe me I try
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
Linda Fratianne used to point her Heels when she jumped. It was a kind of odd look.
dpp
dpp
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
A good example of bad toe pointing (or a bad example of pointing the toes) is Yoshie Onda during her layback spins. There are other parts of her layback spins that need attention (such as turnout of the free leg), but it is a very easy place to spot her almost-flexed foot.
guinevere
guinevere
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
All those mentiioned so far, Linda F., Irina and Yoshie have a problem with pointing the toes. In the layback, Linda, if I remember correctly and Yoshie do not turn out at the knee. Irina did improve her knee turnout. But there are many other ladies (and men) whose unpointed toes are quite obvious.
I think Dance skaters and most Pairs skaters have the best knee turnouts and pointed toes.
Joe
I think Dance skaters and most Pairs skaters have the best knee turnouts and pointed toes.
Joe
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2003
Did you know.....
On the subject of pointed toes.......
Did you all know that pointing toes during jumps is not done for the visual pleasantry, but rather to combat back injury from landing on the flat????
I learned that the other day from my daughter's coach. She is working on her double sal and double toe and her coach hollered at her about pointing the toes. She explained to me that not only is it prettier, but more importantly, landing on those toes will save on future back problems.
Canuck
On the subject of pointed toes.......
Did you all know that pointing toes during jumps is not done for the visual pleasantry, but rather to combat back injury from landing on the flat????
I learned that the other day from my daughter's coach. She is working on her double sal and double toe and her coach hollered at her about pointing the toes. She explained to me that not only is it prettier, but more importantly, landing on those toes will save on future back problems.
Canuck
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2003
Well that's kind of funny considering Sasha (who is known for pointing her toes on jumps) missed a whole season due to a back injury. Go figure.
N
nthuz
Guest
It is impossible to point one's toes in figure skating boots in the way that a dancer points toes. The foot that is laced into a boot cannot arch due to the stiff sole. The "illusion" of pointed toes [in skaters] comes from the bending the ankle.
The extent to which the ankle can bend depends on the boot (and of course the skater's determination). Usova and other dancers have better "point" becuase the top of a dance boot is cut much lower-especially in the back, allowing for greater flexibility of the ankle. Freestyle boots need to be higher and stiffer for the skater doing jumps.
Some brands of boots help with the illusion of pointed toes.
As to pointing toes during a jump: Landing on the flat will definately give you some pain, but most likely it will be in your behind, because that's what you'll fall on. "Pointing" the toes causes the pick to hit the ice first and grab before riding the edge out of the jump. The key to preventing pain in the back from landing is bending the KNEES! The knees are the body's shock absorbers.
I always wondered about Butyrskya's (sp?) back--seemed like her knees never bent when she landed.
The extent to which the ankle can bend depends on the boot (and of course the skater's determination). Usova and other dancers have better "point" becuase the top of a dance boot is cut much lower-especially in the back, allowing for greater flexibility of the ankle. Freestyle boots need to be higher and stiffer for the skater doing jumps.
Some brands of boots help with the illusion of pointed toes.
As to pointing toes during a jump: Landing on the flat will definately give you some pain, but most likely it will be in your behind, because that's what you'll fall on. "Pointing" the toes causes the pick to hit the ice first and grab before riding the edge out of the jump. The key to preventing pain in the back from landing is bending the KNEES! The knees are the body's shock absorbers.
I always wondered about Butyrskya's (sp?) back--seemed like her knees never bent when she landed.
All those female skaters are deceptively muscular. I was watching a piece on Michelle Kwan and it showed her walking on the beach and I couldn't get over how big and muscular her legs were. They definitely don't look so imposing when she's in her skating costume. Sasha's mother said that she was told that Sasha had the perfect body for gymnastics and that it was a shame that she didn't continue with the sport. Galina said that she pulled Sasha out of the sport b/c Sasha never paid attention on the beam and she was afraid Sasha would hurt herself. It's funny how those attention lapses continue today. I think that was either from Blades on Ice or IFS magazine (they both have pieces on Sasha).
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
That is interesting information about toes and boots, Nthuz.nthuz said:
OT about Maria Butyrskaya, I read in Spotlight on Skating magazine that Maria has just landed an endorsement contract in Japan for Fuji Film for a fee "in the middle 6 figures."
Mathman
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2003
I heard that Sasha left the gym because she tried skating with a friend from the gym. She wanted both but her mom told her to pick one. She chose skating. Her mom was happy because Galina didnt like the idea of her 7 y/o daughter doing backflips on the beam because if she made an error, she wouldnt just fall and slide like in skating, she would fall to the ground from the height of the beam....
Right on, Nthuz, re boots, ankle range of motion, bending the knees, etc. in your post. Slightly OT, but all this reminds me of one of the main reasons behind the design of the figure skating hinged boot, which was developed by sports medicine/figure skating specialists of the American College of Sports Medicine. BTW, iif you look up "hinged figure skating boot" or any variation thereof on Google, all you'll get is the "clap boot" for speed skaters, which is totally different. I got my info from a TV news report prior tot he '02 Olympics on the FS hinged boot. Anyway, the FS hinged boot has a metal hinge at the ankle so that the skater still has stability but can also both plantar extend (point) and plantar flex (pull the toe up) the ankle more than in current skate boots. According to computerized biomechanical analysis, this allows for the shock absorption from jump landings to be more evenly spread out among the ankle, knee, hip, and lower back. With current skate boots, most of the landing force from a jump is absorbed by the hip. Don't know why there hasn't been more interest in the FS hinged boot other than to invoke the following quotation:
"The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it." -- P. B. Medawar.
Sasha had a stress fracture in one of the vertebra in her lower back when she withdrew from Nationals in '01. Lots of possible reasons for a vertebral stress fracture.
Oksana Baiul had beautiful toe point, especially from '94 through '97. Just saw her live recently with SOI. She looked very fit and "together" as a performer, though a bit shaky on a few things. Landed all her jumps, but tended to rake the toe of the free leg--an old habit of hers. Toes pointed but not as much as back in the day. But when Oksana hits a good 2Axel, it's still one of the best in the biz, I must say. I hope she continues skating as I'd be interested to see how she looks after another year of training and performing.
An interesting lack of toe point belongs to Elena Berezhnaya. I have no idea why in Lena's case, but I do know that some people have a bony extension on the calcaneus (heel bone) that prevents them from having a full "toe point" ie, ankle extension (plantar extension). Some dancers have surgery to file down that part of the calcaneus so they can point their toes, but unless it's really bad, I can't see the need for a figure skater to do it.
Rgirl
"The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it." -- P. B. Medawar.
Sasha had a stress fracture in one of the vertebra in her lower back when she withdrew from Nationals in '01. Lots of possible reasons for a vertebral stress fracture.
Oksana Baiul had beautiful toe point, especially from '94 through '97. Just saw her live recently with SOI. She looked very fit and "together" as a performer, though a bit shaky on a few things. Landed all her jumps, but tended to rake the toe of the free leg--an old habit of hers. Toes pointed but not as much as back in the day. But when Oksana hits a good 2Axel, it's still one of the best in the biz, I must say. I hope she continues skating as I'd be interested to see how she looks after another year of training and performing.
An interesting lack of toe point belongs to Elena Berezhnaya. I have no idea why in Lena's case, but I do know that some people have a bony extension on the calcaneus (heel bone) that prevents them from having a full "toe point" ie, ankle extension (plantar extension). Some dancers have surgery to file down that part of the calcaneus so they can point their toes, but unless it's really bad, I can't see the need for a figure skater to do it.
Rgirl
