off ice jumping

[froggy]

when doing off ice jumps (just singles) to land safely what is generally recommended?

"hopping" a one foot landing
or..
landing on 2 feet

or ...
just land like you would on ice with 1 foot (of course on a bent knee to cushion the landing)

thanks!

[techskater]

You need to hop on the landing on the ground. Think of it from a physics standpoint and the force of the landing (and the stopping of the rotation of the jump) on the ice is dissapated by the run out of the edge where as on the ground, if you landed like you do on the ice, you are forcing your landing leg to take the entire force of the landing and the moment of the rotation on your knee which could end up being costly to your physical well being.

Hope that helps

[lovepairs]

When working off-ice, land on one foot if you can, just as you would on the ice. If you are landing on two feet work your way up to the goal of landing on one foot.

With off-ice pairs when we begin learning a new element I land it double-footed at first, and it is a huge accomplishment when I am able to land a lift or throw one-footed. The first time you do it you won't believe how easy it is!

I really love off-ice! :P

[TimDavidSkate]

and if youre going to attempt double or triple jumps just make sure youre on carpet ;)

[doubletoe]

Like techskater said, you definitely need to hop backwards on one foot on the landing so that your knee and ankle don't twist if you aren't done rotating when you land. Also, make sure the surface you're jumping on has some cushion (like shallow carpet or non-stick rubber matting at the rink) and that it doesn't "grab" the bottoms of your sneakers and keep your feet from turning freely on the floor. Wear shoes with some ankle and heel support. Boys' high top basketball shoes (I love Jordan Team brand) are sturdy, give great support and are cheaper than women's basketball shoes.

Hops on the floor are the equivalent of edges on the ice. For example, to go into a alchow on the floor, you would do 2 or 3 left forward hops, then 2 or 3 left backward hops to simulate the 3-turn, then take off and land backwards on the right foot, doing 2 or 3 right back outside hops as soon as you land.

[lovepairs]

Yes, the hops and entrances into a lot of off-ice moves are really pretty and interesting looking. I really love off-ice, I think it's really beautiful.

I have a solid single loop off-ice and I'm trying to do a double loop off-ice, but I only get around 1 1/4 rotations at the very most. I don't understand what I need to do to get, at least to 1 1/2. Any suggestions?

[Terri C]

Anybody got any ideas on how to work the salchow off ice??

[beachbabe]

Yes, the hops and entrances into a lot of off-ice moves are really pretty and interesting looking. I really love off-ice, I think it's really beautiful.

I have a solid single loop off-ice and I'm trying to do a double loop off-ice, but I only get around 1 1/4 rotations at the very most. I don't understand what I need to do to get, at least to 1 1/2. Any suggestions?


you could try off-ice jumping on a trampoline. i love it. When i learn a new jump, I always head down to the gymnastics facility and do the jump over and over on a trampoline. The best part is it helps a great deal with fear about doing multiple revolutions.

When i started doing my double loop the trampoline is really what did it for me b/c for some reason doing a 2 revolution loop just scared me to death and I am more scared of the rotation in the air than falling on the landing. On the trampoline i could do double, triple, and even quad loops so it helped a lot with fear and getting a feel for the rotation. It was the extra push i needed before really attempting it on the ice without the harness. It also helped a lot on my other doubles b/c it got me way more confident in the revolution so I could just focus on the landing.

I looooooove trampolineeees. :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

[lovepairs]

Thanks Beach! This is a great idea. I used to love trampoline when I was a kid in summer camp. Okay, I'm going to be in Lake Placid for the Adult Week this August, and I know they have a trampoline up there somewhere. Does anyone know where it is?

Pairsman2--we're goin trampolinning for our doubles this summer! :D

[oroetlaboro]

This is from "Protect Your Knees, Please!" by Dan McGovern, PT, SCS, ATC, CSCS, and Stephanie Van Ness, CSCS, published in the December 2004 issue of Skating magazine:

"It is easy to injure your knee when practicing off-ice jumps if your foot sticks to the floor while your upper body continues to rotate. To avoid injury, never stick a landing. Do a small hop as soon as your toes touch the floor or land on two feet."

[doubletoe]

Anybody got any ideas on how to work the salchow off ice??

I posted this above, but here it is again:

To go into a salchow on the floor, you would do 2 or 3 left forward hops, then 2 or 3 left backward hops to simulate the 3-turn, then scoop the free leg up and take off. Land backwards on the right foot, doing 2 or 3 right back outside hops as soon as you land.