Olympic coach Kori Ade continues her discussion of what she calls the “second up,” particularly as it relates to axel or double axel. In the first part, she explained the basic concept and why it’s important and began some exercises to improve the second up on an axel. In the second part, she offered exercises to improve the axel take-off further. In this part, Kori shows how she uses these concepts with a skater as she helps develop the jump.
To lead off this part of the lesson, Kori has the skater do a single axel from a standstill, then 3 consecutive axels while moving slowly, while trying to maximize the “second up” on each. Then after a double axel attempt, Kori says, “So in my opinion, had she found a better second up, she would have identified how to get her feet together at the right time and she would have at least had a better chance of standing up.” Kori uses drawings to help the skater understand what she’s doing and what Kori wants. The flight path of any skating jump is a parabola, but Kori thinks it can be helpful to think of it like a triangle or pyramid. For skaters that cannot seem to collect the jump (proper air position) early enough in the flight time, Kori recommends slowing the entry speed down. She adds another drawing to illustrate the concept between power and speed.
Editor’s note: There is no scientific data available to specify exactly what Kori means by a second up. Although she draws a parabola to represent the flight path, the ideal moment where the jump pulls in is not necessarily at the peak as Kori implies. Some of the best triple and quad jumps have the skater getting into an efficient rotational position well before they reach the top of the jump. The concept of the “second up” at the peak of the jump is primarily helpful for skaters who do not have proper take-off mechanics and tend to rotate the take-off too much rather than jump high. Although the theory of the second up is perhaps not rigorous, the concepts in this video may help many skaters.
Sorry, this content is for members only.Click here to get access.
Already a member? Login below… |
Add to "My Favorites" (Beta testing)
