International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen shares insights related to initially teaching skaters a single lutz. It’s common for coaches to simply share a basic entry and get rotation and initially overlook the details of the edge itself, instead focusing on rotation and the entry pattern. But Jeremy notes this may be a mistake. He says, “I think we should really, really focus on the edge starting at the very, very beginning.”
One way to see if a skater is ready to even start working on the lutz is to make sure they are comfortable with the backward outside edge. Jeremy shows a modified power pull exercise on the non-axis foot which is less about the pulls (pressure) and more about the edges (outside versus inside). To maximize the value of this drill, the arms should be placed in an initial lutz entry position or twisted to the axis side. The free foot (axis foot) is placed behind and well across the non-axis foot (Jeremy says “behind and under”). The exercise consists of a number of “pulls” in a relatively straight line followed by a simulated lutz take-off from the outside edge.
Jeremy spends a bit of time talking about the sound that a good lutz makes when it leaves the ice. This sound (Nick Perna calls this the “toe flick”) should also happen on the exercise. And once a skater knows what to listen for and has made the sound in the exercise, Jeremy reminds them simply to listen for the sound and it helps create the proper technique during the jump. As for foot placement, the feet are pigeon-toed and close together in order to be on the outside edge with the toe pick in the ice.
There are generally two ways to perform a lutz. One way Jeremy calls the “split through lutz” which has the skater in a very small split position sideways to the direction of travel as the jump leaves the ice, and then climbs up and the hips turn forward after the skater is already in the air. The other way has the non-axis foot remain more in front and the hips pivot so the skater is facing the take-off direction in an h-position at the moment of take-off. (There are also an infinite variety of options between these two extremes.) So which method is best to teach a skater first learning the lutz? Jeremy says, “What technique you use, I believe, is determined by the skater and what they do naturally.” In other words, it makes the most sense to ensure the proper edge and timing, and the specific technique will be determined automatically through practice.
As a way to determine if a skater is ready to start working on the lutz, Jeremy thinks having good backward power pulls (and back edges in general) is a minimum prerequisite. If a skater feels comfortable on the edges, it becomes mostly a matter of timing to ensure the pick enters the ice immediately after the active outside edge begins. He says, “As the picking foot goes down to the ice, the outside edge happens and the left (non-axis) foot leaves the ice off the outside edge.” Many skaters can benefit from thinking of picking into the ice even before starting the outside edge.
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