International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater to improve a single flip jump. (See previous part of this lesson focusing on loop jump here and Part 1 of the flip portion of the lesson here.) A very common issue for beginner flip jumps is the tendency for skaters to lean to the non-axis side just prior to the picking movement, or as the body begins to rotate as part of the jumping movement. As Chris notes, humans hate to go straight backwards (without looking) so this natural tendency to lean outside the circle is extremely common.
To correct this, Chris explains that we really want the skater’s breastbone to remain in line and “in front” of the toe pick until the jump starts to lift. It can twist and begin rotating, but it should remain in front of the toe pick. The most obvious and common solution is to keep the head anchored, and that’s exactly what Chris recommends here. Head anchoring helps keep the proper alignment throughout the take-off. The skater makes a nice correction with Chris assisting on the entry three turn, and he shows the trace on the ice and explains why it’s good.
One interesting aspect of how Chris thinks about a flip jump is he likes it to go from a circle on the three turn entry to basically a straight or flat on the three turn exit. He explains how this helps with lutz development, but he doesn’t teach flip and lutz in the same lesson to beginner students to avoid confusion. As he tells the skater, “I’d like to see it go straight a little longer before you take off.” He continues, “stretch the reach a little more before you go up.”
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