Learning styles: When working on a new jump...

[cecealias]

I'm just curious what approaches people take when learning jumps, I see a whole bunch of variations and am wondering what people tend to do when they reach a difficult stage.

[mikawendy]

I marked several items, including "Other." For "Other" sometimes I take a break and don't work on the jump at all for 1 or 2 sessions (sometimes to give it a rest and sometimes because it's too crowded).

[Sonic]

Like Mikawendy I marked several answers. For a while I'll usually keep hacking away at something agressively, and ask other skaters for advice.

If it's still getting no better, I leave it, have a few goes off the ice, then start afresh at the next skating session.

S xxx

[jazzpants]

I'm usually not aggressive about it. I'm more methodical about it. Of course, if I still can't get stuff, it makes no sense to continue to enforce the bad habit and I'd rather go get my coach to work on me.

I also do watch other skaters I know that I think have good loop jumps, but it's usually to watch areas where I might not be doing in hopes that I might get an inspiration or two to try.

[Skate@Delaware]

My coach doesn't really give me exercises per se but if I'm stuck on a particular spot on a jump I'll ask a good jumper for a demo. I might even ask her to watch me jump and critique. We have several girls that are good jumpers who are also good at spotting your problems and are very helpful.

[Raye]

I'm like a dog with a bone and keep knawing at it... throwing myself completely into learning it. I do watch others and sometimes ask my coach, but mostly just keep at it. :frus:

[techskater]

How about this one - get angry to the point of true aggression towards the jump so you land it. I did that the first time I landed a double flip since I realized I just didn't trust the landing.

[doubletoe]

Techskater's method can definitely work, LOL! It's how I first landed my lutz!

[kateskate]

I ticked about 6 options then! Lol! I've had so many problems with axels that I'm sure I've tried all of the above and more including crying in the toilets, practising in the street, obsessively rewatching videoed attempted in slow mo to break it down

:lol:

And the one that worked a charm for my double salchow was to have a friend laugh at my random arm positions - it made me determined to pull in and get that rotation!!!

[TashaKat]

I'm dreadful, I get obsessed and start attacking it as though my life depended on it. This is NOT a good way to learn the jump! What I SHOULD do is to leave it for that session, try it in the next session and if it's still not working leave it and ask my coach :)

[Casey]

For me, everything is easier faster...when I'm first getting a jump the only way I can do it is to really work up a lot of speed and hit it at full bore...then over time I can do it slower more easily...(though I usually don't bother unless I'm showing somebody).

[vesperholly]

Since all my new jumps are doubles: backspins, backspins, and more backspins. We need an emoticon for "dizzy from backspins," maybe one that spins around and then falls over? :lol:

However...I've done ALL of those and many more in re: axels.

[Sonic]

I've noticed a strange new phenomenon.

At the moment, I'm finding it easier to jump on the ice or than off the ice.

I guess there are two reasons for this

a) I am constantly aware of having to be careful with my right foot, when I jump off ice I haven't got the support of my boots and it can twinge a bit.

b) when you land on the ice, the force of the jump is absorbed in the landing (in the B.O. running edge), where as off the ice I tend to over-rotate and lose balance.

Is this just me? Or does anyone else have similar experiences?

S xxx

[cecealias]

Guys, thanks so much for answering my poll! I've done all of these things at one time of another , but these days its mostly back to the take off when things go awry.

It's good to know that i'm not alone.....

[cecealias]

Sonic - yes i would agree i find it much easier to jump on the ice and jump higher on the ice than on land. And yes , i agree with item b) below....you hit the spot on this one.

I've noticed a strange new phenomenon.

At the moment, I'm finding it easier to jump on the ice or than off the ice.

I guess there are two reasons for this

a) I am constantly aware of having to be careful with my right foot, when I jump off ice I haven't got the support of my boots and it can twinge a bit.

b) when you land on the ice, the force of the jump is absorbed in the landing (in the B.O. running edge), where as off the ice I tend to over-rotate and lose balance.

Is this just me? Or does anyone else have similar experiences?

S xxx

[tidesong]

For my earlier jumps (half jumps and singles) I just plummetted headlong into them and threw my self crazily all over the ice

Now when going for double jumps I tend to do the walk throughs like loop-backspin etc and get very concious about the take off because those tend to have best results for me.

Funny about the agression thing... one day I was really really mad because the other skaters kept blocking my jump attempts during lesson, so I kicked this jump and checked out so violently that I landed it (and i was falling over before) of course after that I was too shocked to stay mad and promptly stopped landing the jump :giveup: