World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby finishes his discussion and demonstration of off-ice lutz training exercises. In Part 1 he noted the importance of mastering the “left” outside edge (lutz and axel take-offs) and shared 2 foundational off-ice jump exercises. In this video Robert offers another exercise, this time a lutz-specific drill. The exercise is done entirely on one foot (the “edge” foot or the non-axis foot for the jump) which will be the left foot for most skaters. The idea is to simulate the balance and “outside edge pressure” from the initial entry through the reach, and then into the air (without a picking motion). Robert calls this exercise the “jump the line” exercise. Arms can be in “Buddha position” (frame position). The concept of jumping over a line helps the skater remain focused on the outside edge throughout the exercise.
Robert notes that there are a wide variety of entrances typically used for lutz. Many help with getting to an outside edge and some are mostly valuable for giving the jump tempo and rhythm. But Robert notes that sometimes keeping it simple makes the most sense, as fancy entry steps often do NOT improve the quality of the outside edge. Moving on, Robert discusses the h-tap exercise for lutz which is essentially a standing off-ice jump attempt with an h-position at take-off and then an ankle tap (desired air position). Note that it’s nearly impossible to get much rotational energy for this exercise on a lutz jump so rotating doubles and triples should not be the goal. The goal is simply to repeat the quality movements necessary for the jump.
At the end of the video, Robert shares a number of on-ice videos of jump attempts as well as important on-ice exercises. These offer additional insights and tips for mastering the outside edge for the lutz jump.
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