What's the difference between ice skating jumps? Here's what you need to know for the Olympics (2024)
The jumps are household names, at least in figure skating households: salchow, axel, lutz, loop, flip and toe loop.
In order of difficulty, from the easiest to the hardest, they are: toe loop, salchow, loop, flip, lutz, axel. Three of those are jumps in which the skater’s toe pick initiates the lift off the ice: toe loop, flip and lutz. The other three are known as “edge” jumps, in which the skater lifts off the ice on the edge of their skate blade: salchow, loop and axel.
These can be done as single-revolution jumps, doubles, triples or quads. On all of the jumps but one, the skater takes off while skating backward. On the axel, the skater takes off moving forward.
Let’s look at the lutz vs. the salchow. The lutz is a toe-pick assisted jump with an entrance from a back outside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. The lutz sometimes comes at the end of a relatively long glide, especially in women’s skating.
The salchow is an edge jump, accomplished with a takeoff from the back inside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot.
Edge jumps like the salchow require having a feel for the ice with the pressure of the blade to spring up. Toe jumps like the lutz are explosive, in which the timing is critical because both feet work in concert to propel the skater.
Most skaters have jumps they like to do more than others. Skaters who favor toe jumps tend to like to “muscle” their jumps into the air, while those who are better edge jumpers tend to have more of a feel for the blade pressure and the exact spot to press off the ice.
There are two types of jumps, namely the edge and toe jump, which are differentiated by the way the skater launches into the jump. There are three edge jumps and three toe jumps, which all are differentiated by which foot is used to launch and which foot used to land.
The six most common jumps can be divided into two groups: toe jumps (the toe loop, the flip, and the Lutz) and edge jumps (the Salchow, the loop, and the Axel). The Euler jump, which was known as a half-loop before 2018, is an edge jump. Jumps are also classified by the number of revolutions.
This is the usual order beginner figure skaters learn their jumps in figure skating! Salchow and toe-loop are usually the first jump you learn as they are considered to be the “easiest” in skating.Flip and lutz are usually taught next to last and then it's axel time!
A double or triple Axel is required in both the short program and the free skating segment for junior and senior single skaters in all events sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU).
The jumps are household names, at least in figure skating households: salchow, axel, lutz, loop, flip and toe loop. In order of difficulty, from the easiest to the hardest, they are: toe loop, salchow, loop, flip, lutz, axel.
AXEL (A): Named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen, this is the only jump that takes off moving. forward with no assisted turn. A single Axel is one-and-a-half revolutions in the air. This edge jump starts from a backward outside one-foot edge.
A quadruple jump or quad is a figure skating jump with at least four (but fewer than five) revolutions. All quadruple jumps have four revolutions, except for the quadruple Axel, which has four and a half revolutions. The quadruple toe loop and quadruple Salchow are the two most commonly performed quads.
It was named after its inventor, Ulrich Salchow, in 1909. The Salchow is accomplished with a takeoff from the back inside edge of one foot and a landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. It is "usually the first jump that skaters learn to double, and the first or second to triple".
Level 5: Backward outside edges on a circle (left and right) Backward inside edges on a circle (left and right) Backward continuous chasses around a circle (clockwise and counter-clockwise) Forward crossovers (clockwise and anti-clockwise)
Axel: A forward-facing jump invented by Norwegian Axel Paulson in 1882. The Axel is the only jump in which skaters take off from a forward outside edge.
The simple "figure eight" shape was executed by connecting two circles "about three times the height of the skater with one circle skated on each foot". The figure eight has four variations: inside edges, outside edges, backward, and forward.
The flip and the Lutz are easy to confuse because they take off in a very similar fashion on the same foot and both are toe-assisted jumps. The difference lies in which edge they take off from.
An Axel takes off from a forward outside edge and lands on a backward outside edge. The Salchow takes off from a backward inside edge, landing on the backward outside edge. A toe loop takes off from the backward outside edge with a tap toe and lands on the backward outside edge.
Switch Stance – Switch stance is one of the most unique aspects about skateboarding. Essentially, a skater is skating switch when they are skating the opposite stance of their natural stance. That is, when a goofy skater is performing a trick regular footed and a regular skater is performing a trick goofy footed.
A quadruple jump or quad is a figure skating jump with at least four (but fewer than five) revolutions. All quadruple jumps have four revolutions, except for the quadruple Axel, which has four and a half revolutions. The quadruple toe loop and quadruple Salchow are the two most commonly performed quads.
Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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