International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues his important and overlooked discussion that good figure skating jumps are actually vaults. In Part 1 he introduced the basic concept of vaulting and explained how a good loop jump vaults up into the air. In this video, Nick begins by describing how a good salchow vaults up into the air. All good double and triple salchow have at least some vaulting, with the non-axis take-off leg going strongly behind the skater as part of the jumping movements (allow the take-off leg to become a “rotating” vaulting pole). As Nick notes, this is particularly apparent on great triple and quad salchows, and especially those using the “modern” two foot take-off method.
To help his students feel this, he tells his students to “not think of jumping, and don’t think of bending.” He continues, “You will bend and you will jump, but it’s going to feel more like you’re being thrown into the air off the edge.” He continues, “The edge will come around and they will simply be riding it up into the air. Once they feel it, it’s a very light take-off.” Once a skater learns this kind of take-off, they realize they don’t have to work so hard and they can focus on less effort and more flow up and through the take-off.
Nick demonstrates how this vaulting also applies to the toe assisted jumps – toe loop, flip, and lutz. The vaulting action of these jumps helps explains the value of having a long reach. Nick then explains the concept of take-off “power angle” where the body is angled backward at the moment of take-off. This happens automatically when the vault is done properly and the skater is naturally driving the hips up and over the “pole” (take-off leg). Nick compares this position to the movements of an actual track and field pole vaulter. He then demonstrates how the body leans back at the moment of take-off (on all the jumps, except axel). He says, “That power angle is important. It starts from being forward here [upper body forward on jump preparation and loading].”
Nick continues, “For the axel jump it’s a little bit different because it’s the only one where the pole is out ahead of us, literally like a pole vaulter… the pole (take-off leg) is out in front of you, you’re behind it and as that edge hooks that’s where you’re going to be riding it up into the air for the take-off.” At the beginning of a good axel take-off the hips are pressed forward to help drive up into the air, and because a good axel takes off sideways the “power angle” is observed as the free hip up compared to the skating hip (rather than the backward body lean of the other jumps). This kind of vaulting axel take-off is light and has flow, and does not suffer from so many of the typical axel problems such as swinging or spinning take-off. Nick mentions his wall kick drill and the cut drill/bread drill (as well as his hockey lunge drill) as ways to learn to press the skating foot forward on the axel.
Some other vaulting videos on iCoachSkating:
Good Jumps Are Actually Vaults – Part 1 (Nick Perna)
Loop Jump Tips – Creating Edge Pressure Properly (Michelle Leigh)
Does Loop Jump Use Pole Vaulting Technique? (Trevor Laak)
Axel Edge Pressure – Part 1 (Nick Perna)
Axel Theory – Pole Vault and Edge Pressure Concepts (Trevor Laak)
Jump Theory: How Elite Skaters Create Lift (Chris Conte)
Salchow Theory – Creating Rotational Energy and Height (Michelle Leigh)
Sorry, this content is for members only.Click here to get access.
Already a member? Login below… |
Add to "My Favorites" (Beta testing)
