Off ice axel practice

[Hannahclear]

So, I'm resolving to practice my axel technique most consistently off ice. Trouble is, I can't yet do a axel off ice either! They seem to wind up a lot like most of my on ice attempts. Two footed, just over once around.

Tips? I found some spongy ground out back, so I won't hit my head on any celings. :P

[doubletoe]

Spongy ground may not be good unless it's very flat. I'd recommend shallow carpet (with a pad underneath, ideally) or the rubber matting at your rink (as long as it isn't wet and doesn't grab the bottoms of your shoes, keeping your foot from turning). I'd suggest wearing basketball shoes--boys' are cheaper than women's--and make sure they have good heel and ankle support as well as some anti-pronation support.

Here are the exercises I used to land my axel on the floor:

- Stand about 1-2 feet in front of a bench that is mounted firmly to a wall or floor (or any other firmly mounted surface that is about 2 feet high).
- Facing the bench, take off like a waltz jump, but with your right knee bent so that you are jumping up instead of out.
- Do 1/2 turn in the air, landing on the bench on your right foot,with your left foot in front. By the time you land on the bench, you should be done with your half turn so that you aren't doing any rotation on the bench. You'll be facing the direction you came from and your left foot will be in front of your right calf, just like a loop air position (the left leg is open, with the knee bent, not touching the right leg). Your arms will be open and rounded, like a nice waltz jump position.
- Once you get that exercise down, try doing the same thing on the open floor, but after you've done that first 1/2 turn and you're in the open loop position, just pull in. That will give you 1 more rotation in the air. I tell myself, "Jump up to the 2nd floor and do a reverse spin there."
- When doing axels on the floor, make sure you don't cross your legs at the ankle. That will make it hard to check out when you start doing them on the ice. Instead, have your left knee a little bent so that you feel your right knee against the upper part of your left calf when you bend your right knee. If you pay attention to your reverse spin, you'll notice that that's also the position your free leg is in there, too.
- Do LOTS of backspins on the ice! I wasn't able to get the axel air position and rotation until I got a decent backspin, so my coach was right!

[Hannahclear]

Hmmm I have no access to benches.....but thanks for the tip. I do have a very good backspin, so maybe my coach is right when she says I really am getting there.

Thanks!

[doubletoe]

No raised surface at your rink that you can jump up onto? Anything knee height, or even slightly below, should work. If you keep your eyes open, you may find something you can use at your rink or around your house. :)

[flo]

How about into a pool? We use to do throws into a pool, and it was lots of fun, and no crashes to the floor.

[dalsvet]

What works for me on the floor is taking off with my shoulders square (facing forward) and thinking of jumping up and only turning my shoulders to pull around once I'm in the air. Does that make sense?

Take that with a grain of salt though, as I could only land axels on the floor after having a solid one on the ice! :)

Dals

[doubletoe]

What works for me on the floor is taking off with my shoulders square (facing forward) and thinking of jumping up and only turning my shoulders to pull around once I'm in the air. Does that make sense?

Take that with a grain of salt though, as I could only land axels on the floor after having a solid one on the ice! :)

Dals


It may work for you to think of turning your shoulders, but if you're getting all the way around and landing the axel, you are probably actually turning your hips, not your shoulders. For most of us, it is very dangerous to think of turning the shoulders because rotating the shoulders instead of the hips keeps you over your takeoff side and doesn't get you backward over your landing hip. I have fallen on my face numerous times doing that. :roll: Instead, I think of turning my right hip in with a quick snap once I've left the ice, then pulling into backspin position. The rest of the body follows the hips, and ideally, the shoulders actually stay counter-rotated just a little to the right (assuming you rotate CCW land on your right foot).

[beachbabe]

if you cant do it off the ice, it seems to me maybe you are not actually ready to start the axel.

I had mine off ice long before i even began learning it on ice and it still took some time.


Are you pulling in enough? Are yur waltz-loops strong? How about waltz-backspins? How is your backspin?


But come to think of it, you probably dont really need to be able to do it off ice- I can do up to double loop and sometimes dlip, but i don't think i've ever tried any jumps off-ice since my axel. off-ice jumping seems to me like a perfect opportunity to sprain your ankle, especilaly if its more than one revolution.

off ice the only jumping i do is on a trampoline and that is only to practice pulling in and good positioning.

[skating_life]

I know this might sound wierd... but my coach said that if you can do an axel perfectly off ice you cant do it on ice.
and it is like that for me! I cannot do an axel off ice, but yet I always am doing them on ice.? I think that is a little wierd

[TimDavidSkate]

I know this might sound wierd... but my coach said that if you can do an axel perfectly off ice you cant do it on ice.
and it is like that for me! I cannot do an axel off ice, but yet I always am doing them on ice.? I think that is a little wierd

my friend was like that, it was so weird how she kept on falling on a single axel off ice. but on ice she constantly warms up with axels.

[lovepairs]

Hi Hannaclear,

How are your off-ice axel's coming along? My coach has forbid me from doing them off-ice, because he wants me to take it on ice now. I was bad today, I couldn't help it, but I snuck a few off-ice axels in! Are you anywhere near Philly? I'd love to be able to see what you are doing, and do some with you. I think off-ice work is really beautiful and worth pursuing.

[luna_skater]

I know this might sound wierd... but my coach said that if you can do an axel perfectly off ice you cant do it on ice.
and it is like that for me! I cannot do an axel off ice, but yet I always am doing them on ice.? I think that is a little wierd

I don't think that's weird at all. I am certain I will get my axel on ice before I ever get it off ice. You simply don't have the glide of the blade off the ice. Yes, off-ice a person can still jump in the air and rotate 1.5 times. But it requires a different technique to jump off the ground with shoes on than it does to jump off the ice with skates on. Most skating moves don't translate properly to the ground b/c you just don't have the same equipment (blades and ice).

[doubletoe]

I don't think that's weird at all. I am certain I will get my axel on ice before I ever get it off ice. You simply don't have the glide of the blade off the ice. Yes, off-ice a person can still jump in the air and rotate 1.5 times. But it requires a different technique to jump off the ground with shoes on than it does to jump off the ice with skates on. Most skating moves don't translate properly to the ground b/c you just don't have the same equipment (blades and ice).

I'd recommend you keep trying them off-ice, though. I "tried" axels on the ice for several years before I finally started landing fully rotated axels on the floor. Now I'm convinced that if I hadn't mastered it on the floor first, I still wouldn't have one on ice (it took me a year to land it on the ice after landing it on the floor). Unlike lutzes, flips, salchows, etc., momentum can actually hurt you on the axel, since it makes it harder to take off straight up. On the floor, it's easier to master that. It's also much harder to check out on ice because you have to lift and uncross the free foot with the big, heavy boot on it.

[tidesong]

I got my axel off ice before I got the one on the ice. It was really really close I think a day? few days? to a week after I got the one off ice then the one on the ice. The difference is that on land you have the grip to take off so if you cheat a bit on your body posture you can still do it. But on the ice you have to be really on top your take off side and really over the toe and jump up. So I think there is the greatest difference for me, but otherwise its similar so it really did help build a bit of muscle memory for me I think.

[Kelli]

If you're not really comfortable with the technique of the jump, ask your coach for advice and drills. I do Axels off ice if I need to drill a certain part of the jump - usually the take-off - but I never expect the jump to be as high or clean as it is on the ice.