International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen offers more insights about jump air position as used by elite skaters. In two previous videos Jeremy talked about jumping with arms above the head and core positioning and head anchoring. In this video, he begins by talking about leg position in the air. Jeremy is a strong supporter of flexing the axis foot (landing foot) in the air, as this is usually the fastest way to lock the axis knee. As he says, “If you watch 10 of the top skaters in the world, every one is going to do that.”
As for the desired placement of the non-axis leg and foot, Jeremy says it depends a great deal on how a skater takes off during a jump. He demonstrates what he means, giving an example of a powerful quad lutz take-off. He also notes that since a skater is only in the air about a half a second to 0.75 seconds at most, it’s difficult to make changes to a skater’s air position in that time.
Jeremy uses the off-ice harness to work with skaters to find a good jump air position for their individual bodies. He says, “I actually let the skaters find their rotating position. So whatever works best for them is actually a personal preference.” He still has a important rules or guidelines, like flexing the axis foot, getting a strong calf to shin connection, getting the toes close, and getting the ankles “nice and tight.” He notes that some skaters naturally have more open hips while others have more closed hips.
Jeremy also recommends “keeping everything in front of you.” In particular, keeping the arms and elbows in front of the body, and not pulling them back behind the plane of the body. He also cautions against too much core twist in either direction and he notes that most skaters tend to rotate comfortably and efficiently with the hands in the middle of the chest.
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