World and Olympic coach Kori Ade gives a skater a lesson at a camp. Although this lesson starts with discussion of triple toe loop, this is really an opportunity for Kori to address basic jumping issues with axels and double toe loops. After watch a double axel attempt and a double toe attempt, Kori explains that this skater isn’t taking the time on take-off to press up fully into the first up. She describes it here as a jump having a peak. She says, “I want you to think of every jump as having a peak (a top, a point). And at that point you need to be at your tallest, at your most checked, because from that point on you have no control except for the check out (landing).”
By focusing initially on single axel from a standstill, Kori is able to work towards a jump that lifts more fully and gets to a reasonably accurate air position. By using a standstill start, Kori is minimizing other rotational and control issues as she works to get the skater to bring the free leg through a bit more, jump more powerfully, and get a stronger and tighter air position.
After improving the single axel, Kori has the skater do a double toe loop from just one forward swizzle. The skater is used to doing a back outside double three turn on the axis foot prior to double toe attempts, so Kori allows her to continues this. The entry is a forward swizzle followed by a push into a forward outside three turn on the non-axis foot and then a step down to a back outside double three on the axis foot before a push back with the non-axis foot into the double toe. On the first attempt, Kori notices the jump is “a little too twitchy” and she wants the skater to slow down. Kori uses the trick of counting in a foreign language to generate a consistent slow rhythm for the jump, but this has limited effect with this skater.
Kori then has the skater try toe loops from a back inside edge. To set up for this exercise, she has the skater do three backward crossovers on a hockey circle and on the final cross under she has the skater simply hold the back inside edge on the non-axis skate. This is the starting point for the step down and push back into the toe loop. After a couple single toe loops, the skater attempts a double toe with this entry and Kori immediately removes two of the crossovers to reduce speed. She also explains to the skater how to load the take-off properly and how to create the correct timing. For this skater, Kori especially wants more time on the back outside edge of the axis skate before the pick goes into the ice.
Kori describes the proper timing as similar to a choctaw. She says, “My toe is going to go in when my right (axis) foot is already passing by. So it feels much like a choctaw.” She also says, “Turn your hips enough (in the direction of rotation) that you’re ready to toe in as your foot passes through.” These changes result in significantly better double toe loops for this skater.
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