Figure Skating Jumps – Lutz Jump for Young Skaters (Michelle Leigh)

Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues her lesson with two young skaters. The first part of the lesson focused on a series of warm-up drills prior to jump training. In the second video, Michelle had the skaters do waltz jumps and single salchows. In the third part of the lesson, the skaters worked on the loop jump. In this video, Michelle has the skaters do lutz jumps.

Because it is often difficult for young skaters to do backward power pulls or any movement that creates an active back outside edge (as discussed by Nick Perna), most teaching approaches rely on a less pronounced passive edge. Michelle’s approach in this video is to focus on the passive edge and the ankles just prior to the jump. By choosing a tight circle, the skater becomes more comfortable with a deeper outside edge.

Notice the focus on the ankles and how close the feet should be together. Also, Michelle wants to keep the reach low. By using the blue line, she is able to force a specific timing which is often helpful with young skaters who “wait” too long for lutz until after the edge changes. This exercise on the line is great for speeding this up, helping the skater stay on a back outside edge throughout the take-off movement.