Figure Skating Jump Drill – The Cheat Exercise (Page Lipe)

Coach Page Lipe shares an important figure skating tip for jumps. Page calls this the “Cheat Exercise” and notes that it’s very helpful for skaters who are afraid to rotate multi-rotation jumps. It can be especially helpful as a drill during double axel development.

The idea behind the drill is very simple. Skaters take off but land forward and then pull the landing foot around to backwards. In jumping, the idea of landing forward and turning to backward on the ice is typically referred to as “cheating” a jump. This is obviously undesirable but in this case, Page is using a “cheated” landing as a tool to develop confidence with the proper air position. The drill is worthless unless executed correctly with the skater fully aligned over their landing side. Page explains and demonstrates exactly what she wants.

Notice the discussion of internally rotating the landing leg. This is such a common topic among elite coaches and there are already many videos on iCoachSkating.com discussing the same concept. But Page keeps this video very simple and to the point and offers a “simple” drill that really works. It works because when done correctly, the alignment is correct and this ultimately builds confidence and strength in the air position just prior to landing. After working on this drill, many skaters will begin fully rotating their jumps because they are learning to put their body into the correct position that allows for a safe landing.

Obviously Page is not encouraging cheated jumps. When used correctly, this drill does not encourage cheating. In fact, the drill is particularly valuable for skaters that are under-rotating a jump and need to improve their air position. Great drill. Use it.