International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna explains and demonstrates a drill for helping skaters feel where their body is “on axis” when rotating in the air on a jump. He uses a hockey face-off spot on the ice (small circle) and has the skater wind up slightly with the arms and then release into a walking version of a two foot spin with the feet on the edges of the dot. This walking is done on “stiff legs” with slightly pigeon toed feet (slight internal hip rotation). In jumps, skaters should not bend their knees, arch their backs, or lean to one side or the other. The head should be up (“pulled up through the base of the skull”), the arms should be pulled in tight (traditional or seatbelt), and the back should be straight with a slight forward lean.
Nick explains that most elite skaters today (and historically as well) tend to rotate in a neutral or “central” air position “in the middle of the jump.” There may be some shoulder twist with respect to the hips at take-off, and there certainly will be a twist (shoulders toward the axis side) at the moment of landing, but there is usually no discernible twist between the hips and the shoulders for most of the jump. The idea that skaters should rotate the entire jump with the shoulders twisted back against the rotation toward the axis side is outdated, at least in terms of how elite skaters actually rotate. He also notes that there is a slight open hip position where the feet (toes) point towards one another. He says, “The axis is right through the middle of the body. It’s not over the right side or the left side.” Nick notes that the shoulders are not pulled back but instead slightly rounded, making the chest somewhat concave.
After a skater can do the walking two foot spin on inside edges of the rockers, Nick has them walk on their toes. He acknowledges this is more difficult, and he talks about common errors of bending the knees, arching the back, and wiggling around. He says this is a particularly challenging exercise for adult skaters. This is a great drill for seeing what a skater’s tendencies will be in the air on jumps.
Nick finishes this video by talking about a good two foot spin, and why he does not use it for this exercise. He says, “Doing a two foot spin on inside edges is a beginner move but it’s pretty hard (to do accurately) for most skaters. Once they learn that in learn-to-skate they kind of abandon it and they don’t do it anymore.” Thus, non-beginners would need to relearn the skill for the the drill. For this reason Nick prefers using the walking method because it’s easier for beginners and less prone to bad habits by non-beginners.
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