International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues a series of videos focusing on development ideas for single, double, and triple axel. In Part 1 he focused on the single axel and some exercises and details to build a double axel. In Part 2 he worked with two skaters on double axel, using the pole harness to allow for safe attempts as well as axis correction and air time assistance. In this video Chris discusses the triple axel and he works with a skater on it using both video and the overhead track harness.
He begins by having the skater explain how she is trying to “climb a lot more with the (free) knee and hip to get up” which creates a steeper take-off trajectory. Chris continues, “You’re trying to use your hips underneath a lot. Get your hips forward to get up and through.” He talks a little about the idea of turning the free leg inward keeping the knees close as a strategy to get into rotation faster, and he says, “There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not the way I usually approach it. I approach it from the pressure and the hip position coming up and through and the free leg position away from you is dependent on that. It’s going to its ‘way point’ so you want the jump to close on the first turn on the way up.” He then discusses and demonstrates free leg movements comparing double and triple axel, showing that the leg movement is similar but due to hip movement and body position it appears a closer.
For the triple axel attempts, Chris is using the overhead track harness. The pattern used by the skater is classic for single, double, or triple axel development using such a harness. On the initial attempts you can see the jump swings around and doesn’t climb up. The third attempt is better and Chris shows the skater video of that attempt, noting the lack of air time. Chris has the skater lean on him to feel how to “get behind” the jump and push the hips under and through. Chris says, “It’s a bad trade, trading lift for rotation. It’s going to take (reduce) too much of the lift and too much of the axis too.” He wants the skater to “let it go where you’re looking and let it keep going until it pulls itself in.”
The final attempt is probably the best of the lesson, and Chris discusses a number of details while watching the video playback. He notes the skater is off the hip and is trying to create edge pressure to the side (lean) rather than properly pressing the skating foot forward to create the necessary edge pressure. Chris says, “This is a common thing you’ll see on double axels too. The kid’s trying so hard to get deep (deep take-off edge) and get torque on the edge. If it’s out this far (to the side) it has no where to go but around. It’s got to come around. It’s way too deep. You want to have that level of knee bend and pressure but you want it (take-off foot) in front of the right (non-axis) shoulder.”
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