Nick Perna gives a lesson to help a skater (Annalise) straighten out a “swingy” axel. This is the first part of a three part series. Axels that tend to “go around” rather than going through tend to spin too much through the take-off and are often referred to as “swingy” or “spinny.” This is a very common problem with axels.
Notice that Nick would not necessarily introduce and axel this way, but because this is such a common problem, he’s developed methods to solve it. At the beginning of the lesson, Nick focuses on body position and the skater’s ability to control the forward step position while traveling in a straight line.
Nick makes an important point regarding the hip movement in a good axel. This is often overlooked in both walk-throughs and axel attempts. Nick demonstrates an exaggerated version of what he wants to avoid. He then does a drill to help the skater get used to the proper hip motion.
As Nick notes, axels at the elite level typically fly through the air a distance that is roughly twice the skater’s height. This distance comes from speed of entry and jump height, and also proper technique.
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