International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna begins a seminar class on building axels, and in this video he starts with waltz jumps. He begins by explaining, “We need to have a good foundation on a waltz jump in order to have a good foundation for an axel, double axel, etc.” Jump height necessary for an axel is one of the fundamental skills a skater can work on with the waltz jump.
Nick shares a short list of things he likes to see in a good waltz jump. One important characteristic of a good waltz jump is doing the entire setup and step without scratching on the toe pick. Another is the body position immediately after the step with the non-axis shoulder leading, the axis side shoulder and hip back, the chest up, the head up, the arms back, and the free leg back but strongly bent (“kicking your butt”). Nick explains how to anchor the head properly for the waltz jump. He wants the jump to lift so the trajectory has a nice arc (“up and out”). He also talks about jump flow, especially on landing, as well as a good landing position. Nick likes a landing held strongly for “three bananas” or roughly 3 seconds.
When watching and analyzing waltz jumps from the skaters in class, Nick explains the concept of pushing outside the comfort zone which is the only way positive change can happen.
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