Jump Development Exercises Pt 4 – Single Snizzle (Chris Conte)

Chris Conte continues with Part 4 of a multi-part series on jump development exercises. In this series, Chris provides a set of warm-up exercises with a variety of drills embedded in them to develop important jumping skills associated with axis, air position, head control, and strong powerful landings. The drills are general and apply to all multi-rotation jumps and are not focused on specific-jump take-off methods or technique. In Part 1, Chris introduced the “snizzle” which is a combination of “snap drill” and “twizzle.” In Part 2, he shows some basic warm-up drills including the backward jump snizzle. In Part 3, he covered a warm-up drill and a landing drill.

In this video, Chris returns to the snizzle. Here we get to see the snizzle demonstrated by the skater with commentary from Chris. Chris references his earlier video on Three Turn Magic and Michelle Leigh’s concept of head control using the plexiglass. The skater demonstrates a single snizzle with a “still landing.” Chris highlights the free leg motion on the landing. This is a concept that is generally misunderstood as many coaches teach a “straight back” free leg motion when it really goes slightly around (in the motion of a swizzle). By closing into a “d position” the skater does a double snizzle. The drill should be quiet. Next, the skater does a double snizzle with a “hop out” which is more advanced. Notice the focus on core twist and control throughout these drills.

After a skater has mastered these drills going slowly on a circle near the wall, Chris them do a full circle of single snizzles on the center circle by adding it to the overall warm-up after the 6-count drill covered in the last video. Notice the timing and rhythm Chris wants for this exercise. He talks more about the “target” that he wants his skater to visualize to optimize air position. He uses a section of his pole harness as a simulated target/axis and says, “She comes right at it and her body becomes that straight line. So she has this idea in her head that that’s where the jump is going…out and in front of her a little bit.”