World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek shares insights about the “backspin double loop” jump exercise. This exercise and it’s variations are known by many names, including “backspin jump out,” “backspin jump,” “backspin hop,” and “backspin jump landing.” Although this exercise is a common one for double and triple jump development, very few coaches consider it in as much detail and precision as Tom. He explains, “It’s really important not only in assisting skaters when they are young in learning how to do a double loop or even a double loop combo, but I think it teaches their landing ‘gear.'”
Tom describes the impact moment of a jump as the “landing position.” Other coaches have referred to this position as the “brace position” or the “claw/eagle position” since it vaguely resembles the eagle yoga pose. Since Tom calls this impact moment position the landing position, he refers to the final gliding landing position as the “landing stretch.” He says skaters need to know instinctively what to do “as soon as their toe pick finishes that rotation” and this is simulated by the backspin double loop exercise.
Tom explains, “The first thing that happens on impact is their body keeps pushing up through their thoracic spine.” He explains the need to “conquer physics and resist gravity” by keeping the head up and the shoulders back with a strong back position. He continues by showing how the axis elbow pushes back as the non-axis foot pushes back (on the axis side of the axis leg, i.e. legs crossed) and he calls this position “the four.”
Next Tom describes the backspin double loop in detail. While spinning he has the skater keep the arms open and twisted to the axis side before bringing “everything close in” and then “simply pushing up and folding in.” Tom cautions against “throwing the body” and doing a big take-off that opens to the non-axis side. This causes falls to the non-axis side, sometimes very hard. To do the backspin double loop, Tom has the skater do 3 revolutions in the starting position, and then bend and jump with rhythm. For the rhythm he uses the words “one two three and (bend) up in out.” He cautions against hanging out in a backspin for too long and then trying to jump a double loop. Notice that Tom repeatedly describes the jump as using the toe pick and ankles and calf muscle.
To end the video Tom shares an advanced version of this exercise which consists of a forward sit spin (3 revolutions), hop to the back sit spin and stand up for backspin double loop, hop on the toe three times, and check out. He wants the skater to stay in tight during the toe hops at the end before the final check out. The purpose of this exercise is to create lower core activation on the sit spin, nuanced jumping between the sit spins (precise use of toe pick, ankles, and calves), stillness while standing from the back sit, and keeping a tight “locked in” position during the balanced and rotating toe hops.
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