Loop Jump Development – Part 2 (Nick Perna)

Figure skating coach Nick Perna continues his discussion about the process and drills he uses to develop the loop jump. In Part 1, he covered a quite a few drills including the Bread Drill, Backward Power Pulls with the free foot in front, and the Ace of Spades drill which are all intended to build control of the take-off edge.

In this video, Nick begins by sharing a loop jump entry that he likes. He does not like a basic outside edge preparation as he feels the skater can’t generate a good “blurb” and cut the edge. He says, “I do like a really straight setup on a loop in most cases.”

Next, he talks about the concept of pivoting to forward on the loop take-off. He wants the energy to continue in the jump direction. Nick uses the idea of jumping forward over the blue line (over the river) to help skaters develop this understanding. For low level skaters, Nick offers a fantastic drill. He has them start on one side of the river at a standstill, facing the river. He then has them jump forward over the river and turn their foot so they land backward. This is a fantastic drill for developing internal rotation of the landing leg/hip. For this drill to be effective, they have to land with their free foot in front and be aligned over their landing side. Nick cautions against letting a skater rock back down to the blade from the toe pick on the take-off of this drill (he calls this “blading” and it should be avoided on flip and lutz).

At the end of the video, Nick offers yet another drill for developing the loop jump take-off edge. This drill is often overlooked. The concept is simple… have the skater essentially do a figure loop. Notice the demonstration where the free foot stays in front and the “loop” is quite round and he eventually steps down onto the free foot. This drill ensures that a skater can stay inside the take-off circle.