Bad Falls & Lost Axel

[melanieuk]

[color=green:3f8312cfbb] Bad falls or sore falls are relative to the "fallee", I suppose.
Have you had horrible falls that affected your confidence?
I know it's age related too - I am 33.

The only sore falls I've had are on the (single) axel.

The first time I tried it on the ice (I could axels off-ice) I splatted on to my knees several times. :?

Usually I have enough adrenalin, whilst doing axels, to ignore the pain. But even these falls, I felt.

So, I promptly invested in crash pads for the old knees.

Since then, I've landed the axel, loads of times [b:3f8312cfbb]on and off[/b:3f8312cfbb] since October last year. They are most a quarter short. Most are from standstill, but one or two have been from backwards.
The best I had it was a month ago.

Then over the course of 4 or 5 days, I gradually lost it.
One day I jumped it, and landed on my bum (after first landing on my left foot - CW jumper).
I must've jumped inside the circle or dropped my shoulder or something when I landed.
Again and again I began falling on it - always landing it first, then falling straight down on my bum.

So I moved the pads to the bum, since sometimes I was falling on my back, and that was unaccepable to me! :roll:
On the 5th day, I landed, got about 1.25 round, landed on 2 feet (tut tut), on my toepicks, then had nowhere else to go but down, sort of forwards on to my knees. :oops:
Did my knees not slide wildly? Yes they did!
Did I not lose my balance and slip, landing on my [b:3f8312cfbb]chin[/b:3f8312cfbb]? :!: YIP!
This all happened in a blink of an eye. :wink:
I had a lump and a bruise on my chin.
I also must've jarred my shoulder because I could hardly dress myself later.
The worst implication of this fall, even though I have healed, is the mental damage. 8O
It will soon be 4 weeks since this happened. My coach had me doing axels on Wednesday (3 weeks to the day that I fell) and they were completely gone. All my confidence went with that fall.
My coach knows this and was taking it easy with me, but she knows I can do it, and she knows I want to do it, but we both know the fear factor is preventing me.

What makes it worse is that all the kids have seen my axel before, and they ask how it's going. They don't believe me if I say it's completely gone, and say "Don't worry, it'll come back!"
But how can it, when I'm scared to do it?

Anyone have words of a spell that'll make my fear go?? :D

[/color:3f8312cfbb]

[SandraD]

Schmeck, I think melanieuk is a candidate for our Headbanger/Klutz club. :D What do you think? Do we need a new secretary? :wink:

Sandra

[SandraD]

melanieuk, I enjoyed viewing your page. :) ..........especially the "good and bad" pictures. What a hoot! :oops:

Sandra

[melanieuk]

[color=red:47365533b9] Thank you Sandra! :)
Obviously it's not a State of the Art website, but it does me fine!
Oh, but you didn't sign my guestbook!!

I did notice that one of the links wasn't working - that of the Senior British Ice Dancers (Silver medallists in 2000, and Bronze in 2001, hopefully gold in 2002).
I've sinced fixed that, and it's worth a look.

I especially love the Good, Bad & Ugly - just a pity it's not bigger?

A Secretary? MOI?
Strange - I've been secretary of 2 committees, got a A in Secretarial Studies O Grade at school, yet I'm a nurse!

I've seen the HeadBangers Club (Rinksiders ?) and would feel so much better if my chin injury were not in vain. :roll: [/color:47365533b9]

[Schmeck]

melanie -ouch! :(

Sandra, I was just thinking that same thought as I read her post - you always beat me to it, oh excellent VP! I'm starting to feel like GW Bush, and you're Dick Cheney :wink:

melanie, we'd love to have you as secretary - don't know what happened to the old HB/KC, as I haven't posted at Rinkside for a long time! LisaT used to have a list of all the members at a site that I can't find anymore . Sandra, can you find anything about it?

My first fall ended up in a concussion (mild) but killed my confidence for at least a year about skating backwards. Three or so weeks ago I had a major wipeout doing a [i:c6e664ccb0]bunny hop[/i:c6e664ccb0] :oops: Bruised both knees, left hip, right elbow, and pulled all kinds of muscles everywhere else! So now I'm petrified of jumping, and we have 5 jumps planned in our show program, in three weeks 8O So I can relate and sympathize melanie!

Schmeck

[melanieuk]

I still post at Rinkside.
I did have the link to the Headbangers, but deleted it from my favourites, since it wasn't being updated (and I have too many 1000s of favourites!!)

Lisa T is rather busy, from what I'm told - and there's simply not enough time in the day for her probably.

[Figureskates]

Melanie....I know exactly what you mean about the fear factor. Three years ago I fell doing forward crossovers. Ther was a big divot in the ice which I did not see and I put the toepick right into it and fell on my right elbow and dislocated my shoulder...I managed to snap it back in (which my coach found totally gross because of the noise it made). It took about 7 months to heal and I was deathly afraid of falling and repeating that again. I found that my confidence came back as the pain slowly went away. I was 53 at the time and I guess I was lucky I didn't break anything.

I have hit my head, twice when I first started out, and got a good scalp cut the second time I did it since I am bald on top....

[icetiff]

Lets see bad falls hmm. I can't name them all but recently a week ago i was doing throw triple loop and My ankle slipped, I did this 3 times in a row in 3 diff. days. I strained my achillas tendent . It took me so many tries to actually do a double off of it. A couple of years ago double axel, I fell on many of times and I was so scared of pulling into it so I used to pop it all the time, now i have gotten my confidence back slowly.

[melanieuk]

Icetiff, I am so glad (perversely) that young elite skaters get scared/lose confidence too.
Although I bet if I watched you practise, there would be little sign of fear.
With me, my legs sometimes shake, and I am most tense - which is not a good thing if you fall on tensed muscles.

You also do your jumps from very fast, no doubt, whereas my puny axel was from standstill. Moving falls look more spectacular, but I've been told, that in general, the faster you are moving when you fall, the less likely you will be injured. (I personally have my doubts about that, and I wouldn't like to try it out!)

I've tried to convince myself that the axel's not important (but that is such a denial of the truth) and that there are other things I need to work on to pass my tests.
Testing is my incentive - I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, but I [i:b63d109fac]have[/i:b63d109fac] to do it!
In my lesson tomorrow, I might have to do them again.
I really want the axel, but I want it without pain.
And we all know that[b:b63d109fac] No pain = No gain.[/b:b63d109fac]

[melanieuk]

[color=darkred:59bfe434ae]
I had another shot at the axel last week, but my heart wasn't in it. :cry:

Today I tried again, and I really wanted to do it, and was nicely padded up, but no joy. :cry:

The take off edge is all wrong - at least if feels wrong 50% of the time, so I abort the jump.[/color:59bfe434ae]

I'm all off axis in the air, the rotation is short and it's 2 footed. :oops:

4 or 5 weeks ago, they were one footed and only 0.25 short.
And I can't remember how I did it. :?:

[essence_of_soy]

I'm fascinated, melanieuk.

Do you warm up with other jumps first before you try your axel? I would be inclined to try the waltz, then gradually go through the list of single rotation jumps first which you can already do to rebuild your confidence.

Mental blocks can be so frustrating sometimes.

ps. What approach do you use for the axel: curved or straight line?

Regards

Nick

[melanieuk]

[quote:b30aeead74="essence_of_soy"]I'm fascinated, melanieuk.
Do you warm up with other jumps first before you try your axel? I would be inclined to try the waltz, then gradually go through the list of single rotation jumps first which you can already do to rebuild your confidence.
Mental blocks can be so frustrating sometimes.
ps. What approach do you use for the axel: curved or straight line?
Regards
Nick[/quote:b30aeead74]
:o
I warm up off ice first, jogging and stretching.
On ice I stroke around the rink, then go on to field moves.
Then I work all the single jumps first.
Then ALL the single jumps with loops.
Then I do all the spins I can do, including backspins which are 50/50.

THEN from standstill I do waltz loop.
Then I do axel - still from standstill.
I stand in the T position.
I take a RFO edge, JUST as I do with the waltz.

I've tried it from backwards and have managed one or two fully rotated ones, but I only did this when I was on a roll....like when the axel was at its most "consistent". :wink:
I have a stumbling block about knowing where to jump from backwards.

I wrote my last axel post in April....I have tried again once since, but it was lungeing forwards and I couldn't get it out of my head that I was going to land head first - I have fallen on the axel and ended up on my chin and it is THIS which as caused the mental block. 8O
I always now attempt axels in front of my coach - I don't possess the confidence to do it on my own anymore - since that's when I fell on my chin.
Since October last year, I have been successful with "almost" axels on several occasions, each time it disappears.
The longest I've had it is 4 weeks.
And the shortest is 1 day. :oops:

I've still not attempted any axels this month.
My confidence has been so affected that I've even had problems with the lutz, which has been consistent since August last year!!

Any explanation would be welcome!!

[Chico]

I've been working on my axel for about a year now, and I've had it and lost it many times. In this year I've experienced some horrible falls that practically sent me back to "nowhere" land. Just in the last month I've consistently rotated and landed on one foot on this jump. I found the big turning point for me was to get past my "head fear". How this happened I don't know, but one day my fear was just gone. Of course, my coach has his opinion, but truly I think this jump is just a slow progression of progress and set backs. All in the journey of getting this jump. Throwing yourself across the ice, rotating, and landing on one foot ain't easy. Makes you wonder about our heads huh?! =-)

Chico

You have lots and lots of company on this jump. My skating pals call this the EVIL jump. =-) Everyone has killer falls. Everyone has it come and go. Really!

[anital]

I always wondered what made the axel hard! I got mine before the lutz, don't psych yourself up, instead pretend it is no big deal, because it really isn't, you KNOW you can do it. RELAX. :)
That said, I once had the triple axel and even then I couldn't do a good triple lutz, since I know the axel is supposed to be hard and I didn't find it that way, I decided the lutz would be hard. I psyched myself up beforehand making it a big deal and *splat* down I go. :roll:
I am however back in "nowhere" land, with a foot fractured in four places! I did however make it to the rink yesterday and went around once holding the barrier. Mmmm, it would have been amusing if I didn't feel so stupid!
Mel, if fear is a factor, ask yourself why you are more scared of the axel than you are of the other jumps? Theoretically, you still go up in the air, spin around once and land on one foot.....
*good happy axel thoughts are heading your way*

[melanieuk]

Thanks Chico and Anital for your words of encouragement. :D

Knowing that other people lose the axel helps a bit, but it helps more if it's an adult in the same circumstance as me.
Otherwise I can't believe I am ever going to get over the fear of it. :cry:

I have no role model at my rink.
I am the ONLY adult (over 30) at my rink who has had and lost an axel.
There's another adult also in her 30s who had 2 doubles consistent when she was a child, so I don't count her, as she's been skating for years.

I know I'm impatient - I've only been back skating for 15/16 months with a break of 20 years. As I said I'd only JUST got an axel from standstill at age 12, before I left.
I didn't retain the muscle memory for the axel.

All the other jumps took about 6 months to learn from speed, but I had loads of memory for them and knew instinctively HOW to do them. :o
I'm not scared of other single jumps.
I learned a lutz as an adult 8 months ago, and when it works, it is my best jump!

I know why I'm scared of it anital - it's because it's the only jump I have landed on my chin with! :oops:
I was NEVER scared as a child.
Fear must be secretly injected into adults somewhere along the line.
In 1995 I did a bungee jump (200 ft) and hand-glided every day for 2 weeks. That was only 7 years ago.
I gave birth twice.
Then I got the fear after that I guess. :wink:

[essence_of_soy]

Hi, melanieuk.

Again, I am really in no position to help as I primarily learned how to jump by teaching myself off the ice.

However, the lady with the best axel technique in the world in Dorothy Hamill. (What's more, it's delayed and she's 45 years old to boot!). If you can obtain a tape of her skating and hit the slo-mo button, I'm sure a breakdown in the jump's mechanics should help. I know watching her helped me.

Best of luck and take care.

Nick

[LoopLoop]

I have axel issues too! I can almost always land on one foot, but short of rotation by about a quarter turn (sometimes closer to a half turn). When I'm in the harness, though (my coach uses the fishing pole type) I can get the full rotation because I jump higher and actually pull in all the way, so I'm sure it's a subconscious-fear thing. (I did fall on my cheekbone and shoulder once, landed forward on my toepick and just kept going.)
To try and solve it I just ordered some crash pads.

I warm it up with waltz-loop and waltz-backspin, then try the axel from a standstill. After about 5-8 tries from a standstill I try it on the hockey circle, but going V-E-R-Y slowly. I have occasionally landed it clean from a standstill, but never on the circle.

Marna

[Chico]

Just for the record I'm an adult. (official old fart) I've been skating three years for a few days each week. (3-4) I'm the "youngest" skater, skate years not age, who is doing an axel at my rink. Most folks have been skating a looong time or skated as a child and never really stopped. This is something to be proud of NOT something that holds you back. So what if your the only adult at your rink doing axels? Pat yourself on the back and work harder. Be the only adult doing doubles soon! Kids can be very supportive of adult skaters, especially when they see your really going for "it". Ask them for tips! Make little skating buddies. =-) I was the only adult skater skating the early sessions last summer. At first, this was uncomfortable. By the end of the summer I was just part of the group. I agree with the comment that axel fear is head fear. I hate my lutz jump because it feels yucky to me. Just because my head doesn't like it, doesn't make my fear any less real. What jumps are hard is an indivdual thing for you.

Keep trying and you WILL get it.

Chico

[melanieuk]

Thanks Chico.
I've made a bunch of young skating pals, but I skate in the mornings and don't get to see them often, except school hols of course. They all skate with me when they're there though. A few Email and text me regularly! :lol:

I've seen Hamill's delayed axel but not in slo-mo.

I need a role model. I need to see another adult doing axels and keeping them.
I just wish I could remember how I did it before. :roll:

[Chico]

Welcome. =-) Watch the kids do axels. Honestly, I learned from watching the kids. I do hear what your saying....... You WANT peers with your skills and your age. Maybe visit another rink to seek this out? I'm lucky that I have adult skaters to skate with, but I'm alone in my newbie-adult skill level. I try to think this as a positive and strive to obtain the skills my "better" adult skaters have. I improved the most though skating with the children. Instead of being one of the better adults, I was one of the weaker skaters with the kids. Since I hated this position, I worked even harder than usual. I learned to hussle that backside or get run over! Enjoy your little skating buddies.

Chico

When you do get the axel you'll understand that it's really a feel thing.

[anital]

Mel,
I know what you mean about getting something and losing it, I thought you meant by losing it that you had it as an adult and lost it. I'm with Chico, I think that you should go to other rinks and seek out (not stalk!) other adults with axels and learn from them.
You don't REALLY need a role model, you ARE a role model! You are just better than the other adults!
I know that one bad fall can scare you from a jump, but the only way you are going to get it back is by overcoming that fear and that comes off ice. You already know that you can do it, just don't think about it. Psyching yourself up and making a big deal of it (like with anything) makes you doubly remember your fall...and really in the scheme of things, your fall wasn't THAT bad, you are still alive and in one piece and doing fabulous lutzes.... :D
Find some other adults to brag with about the fact that you are a great adult skater who is working on getting the axel back...and then get the axel back. 8)
Good luck!
-----
Anita

[melanieuk]

Thanks Anita,
I HAVE had the axel as an adult - if you can call 2 fully rotated axels from backwards "having it". The rest were 0.25 short either from standstill or backwards.
I need to think about it in another way...like you say, I need to play it down. :lol:

[melanieuk]

It's been five months since I posted about the axel..
I haven't done one since.
Coach says next week she is setting aside a lesson every week for field moves and
that I am going to work on the axel again and get it back. Humph! 8O :evil: :roll: :lol:

[Chico]

Mel,

Try having your coach help you with the 2 sal. My coach felt this really helped my axel this summer. For some reason I like the feel of the 2 sal better than the axel. As my coach has reminded me, they are sorta the same jump. In my head they feel different. Might help you. Kinda like sneaking back into your axel. I also had a really nasty fall doing the axel, and it took me months to get over it. The fear thing. On a good day I land an axel now. You will too! Keep trying. =-)

Chico

[kayskate]

I was landing axels short for a while w/ a very low (less than 50%) success rate, if you consider an under-rotated jump a "success". However, I was also falling hard and landing flat, which hurt my shins. Personally, I had to put it into perspective. I had better luck w/ the 2sal and decided to work on that instead. I never went back to the axel. Not to say I never will, but I had to arrange my priorities.

Kay