Remembering newbie jumps

[Hannah]

So my coach has started to branch my jumps out from the waltz jump. So far, all I'm doing is half jumps (at least I think I'm not trying to get all the way around...), but I'm having a SUPER hard time remembering which is which. And so I'm mixing up parts of some jumps with parts of other jumps, and today I think I made up a new jump shortly before wiping out. :giveup:

When you were (are) learning all the newbie jumps, how did you keep them straight?

[Skittl1321]

I have the hardest time remembering which jump is which too!

I especially confuse half flip with toe loop, because I learned both from a 3 turn! The only way for me to remember the difference is to look at my notes and repeat multiple times which foot picks for which jump. (I'm not going to say, because I jump CW, which might be opposite of you, and I don't want to be wrong!)

I also have to repeat which edge a half-lutz comes from before I can go do them!

Right now my jumps are a waltz jump, a toe-loop, a salchow, a half-flip, a half-lutz, and a half of a loop (but not a half loop, haven't learned that yet!). I learned a loop, but without the harness I just can't do it.

It's just so much to keep straight- at the very beginning, I even had problems remembering which was a edge jump and which used the toe pick! Practice is probably the only way to get it all straight! Keep a notebook of the things you learn, so you can review before you get on ice.

Good luck! This post was probably entirely unhelpful, but I guess the point is- you aren't alone, this stuff is confusing.

(Although my salchow is probably one of my better jumps now, at the beginning I even had a hard time remembering when to jump, I'd just spin! None of my jumps are very good, but my coach says you can actually tell I'm jumping now, instead of just turning and setting the other foot down)

[sue123]

Write it down. I find that writing things down helps to keep them straight. Also, what I used to do was wear 2 different color gloves to keep everything straight. I used to have the hardest time remembering which arm is supposed to be in front with everything (3-turns, checks, anything really) so with the 2 different colored gloves, I found it easier to remember the color I was supposed to see instead of right or left. When I turn or spin or do anything involving something where I end up facing a different direction from where I started, I can never keep track of right and left. But keeping track of blue and green was very easy.

[3skatekiddos]

Also, what I used to do was wear 2 different color gloves to keep everything straight. I used to have the hardest time remembering which arm is supposed to be in front with everything (3-turns, checks, anything really) so with the 2 different colored gloves, I found it easier to remember the color I was supposed to see instead of right or left. When I turn or spin or do anything involving something where I end up facing a different direction from where I started, I can never keep track of right and left. But keeping track of blue and green was very easy.

Holy cow is that ever an excellent idea. I am actually thinking of my DD who is 4 and does not know her left from her right. I wonder if it would help her if I put a colored cover on one of her skates as well ? !
Great idea !

[sue123]

Holy cow is that ever an excellent idea. I am actually thinking of my DD who is 4 and does not know her left from her right. I wonder if it would help her if I put a colored cover on one of her skates as well ? !
Great idea !

I'm 21, and now I'm a little embarrased that a 4 year old is going to do the same thing as me. But hey, it worked. After a while, it just became a habit that when I come out of a check, I knew the green glove was going to be in front, so you do if often enough, you dont need multi colored gloves to help you. Or a colored cover on a boot should also work, but then it might build the habit of looking at her feet.

[Hannah]

Awesome. :bow: I have a bunch of different glove colors, and I'll try the notebook thing too. Thanks. :)

[3skatekiddos]

I'm 21, and now I'm a little embarrased that a 4 year old is going to do the same thing as me. But hey, it worked. After a while, it just became a habit that when I come out of a check, I knew the green glove was going to be in front, so you do if often enough, you dont need multi colored gloves to help you. Or a colored cover on a boot should also work, but then it might build the habit of looking at her feet.

Don't be. It's a great idea if you are 4, 21 or 51 :)
Although I see your point about the boot cover. I guess she's on her own for that one.

[Team Arthritis]

Does it matter?:twisted:
Lyle

[doubletoe]

Yes, I've found that writing down everything I learned in my lesson before it falls out of my head has been the most invaluable tool ever! :lol:

[Skate@Delaware]

I write it down; I've actually had notes written on the backs of my hands!!! But I've grown up on the past 2 years of jumping and actually use 3X5 cards (actually 5X8-I have to be able to SEE them).

I get the 3-turns mixed up all the time...........still...............:giveup:

[Sessy]

I don't know, somehow I didn't have the problem. I'm counterclockwise, so assuming you're counterclockwise too you could try to remember them like I did:

flip: takeoff from backward left foot inside edge, pick with right foot
toeloop: takeoff from backward right foot outside edge, pick with left foot
loop: takeoff from backward right foot outside edge, no pick
salchow: takeoff from backward left foot inside edge, no pick, kind of like doing a scratch spin
waltz: only one you jump from the front (well, not counting the axel, but by the time you're up to the axel you'll have no problem remember it).
lutz: takeoff from backward left foot OUTSIDE edge, pick with right foot, done from a long backward glide from backwards clockwise crossovers.


The advantage of this system is that I could do them from mohawks as well as from 3-turns (and in the case of the loop, from ccw crossovers as well) without getting confused. Because only the last edge counts, and the combination of whether you pick or not in combination with which foot you take off from and what edge this foot has, is unique to the jump.
Approaches can differ, but the takeoff edge and picking foot don't.
And you always land on a right back outside edge, except for the half-loop and things like falling leafs and stuff.

But 1 piece of advise, if you wanna work on your jumps and be able to determine what you're doing wrong in the jump, your 3turns (and mohawks if you're jumping from those) need to be clean as crystal. Any mistake you make on the 3-turns or mohawks will mess up your jump and if you don't know you're making that mistake, you won't know what's messing with your jump.

[tidesong]

I did a huge amount of research online before I learnt my jumps so I had a good idea of what all of them were... If you can identify jumps done by elite skaters easily, chances are you will be able to figure what jump you are doing and what you have to do.
p.s. as sessy says, only the last edge and whether you pick or not counts. That is the identifying feature of jumps.

You can practise the entry to jumps on land... if you keep walking through them it could probably help the memory.

(I have a bigger problem trying to identify and do counters and rockers from each other and brackets ... and have to think very hard to get them straight... )

[russiet]

Write it down. I find that writing things down helps to keep them straight. Also, what I used to do was wear 2 different color gloves to keep everything straight. I used to have the hardest time remembering which arm is supposed to be in front with everything (3-turns, checks, anything really) so with the 2 different colored gloves, I found it easier to remember the color I was supposed to see instead of right or left. When I turn or spin or do anything involving something where I end up facing a different direction from where I started, I can never keep track of right and left. But keeping track of blue and green was very easy.

The colored gloves remind me so much of when I raced small sail boats.

The sailing gloves I used had a red (left, or port) and green (right, or starboard) color patch on them. I even took a sharpie and spelled it out on them.

Although over time I no longer needed the prompt, I always labeled future gloves. It also helped to figure out in advance which glove went on which hand....maybe I should have labeled my hands, too.

[SkatingOnClouds]

[QUOTE=russiet;316318]The colored gloves remind me so much of when I raced small sail boats.

The sailing gloves I used had a red (left, or port) and green (right, or starboard) color patch on them. /QUOTE]

Tee hee, I once knew a first mate of a cargo ship who wore red and green socks so he could remember port and starboard. His problem then became to remember whether he was facing the "sharp end" or the "blunt end" . Obviously if you are facing the other way the colours are reversed.

[newskaker5]

Ok - this may sound stupid but I have the hardest time in the "spur of the moment" figuring out right from left - I know it, but when someone yells directions at me or I am doing something at speed I get confused8O :lol:

Anyway, for the flip and toe loop when I was just learning them I would get confused and do my 3 turn on the wrong leg and then have to do the opposite jump. The different glove idea is awesome!

I also used to do this in any sport for an element I needed to start on the L or R foot - I would slightly pinch the leg that should be used (not real hard but just enough so I could feel it). Then when I was skating into the jump, the leg that was feeling the pinch would be in front. I know this sounds so stupid written out :frus: , but I swear it works. And in a routine if you are worried nerves will get the best of you and you will take off of the wrong foot, you can ever so slightly work an undetectable pinch into your choreography hahah:lol:

[Hannah]

I also used to do this in any sport for an element I needed to start on the L or R foot - I would slightly pinch the leg that should be used (not real hard but just enough so I could feel it). Then when I was skating into the jump, the leg that was feeling the pinch would be in front. I know this sounds so stupid written out :frus: , but I swear it works. And in a routine if you are worried nerves will get the best of you and you will take off of the wrong foot, you can ever so slightly work an undetectable pinch into your choreography hahah:lol:

That's brilliant. Doesn't sound stupid at all. When I used to contradance I'd get my right and left mixed up on the fly, so I'd imagine my left hand glowing (made sense at the time). When that didn't work, I'd write L and R on my hands.

[Isk8NYC]

I was choreographing a program tonight with a student who skates CW (I skate CCW.) I put in some running FI3-toepush connecting steps leading into a toe loop. Looked good when I did it in my direction.

She skates the opposite way, so she followed using the other foot. I watched as she changed feet after the threes and did a RFO3 followed by a full rev jump. It took a few seconds to figure out that she done a full flip - and a good one - by mistake! Between her not really knowing left and right, and my looking at it in a mirror, we were both unsure as to what that jump was since she hadn't landed a clean flip this season.

The running threes had corrected her entry check on the flip and now she can do that jump! Yay!

[Skittl1321]

The running threes had corrected her entry check on the flip and now she can do that jump! Yay!

That's a convienent mistake! Here's hoping it happens for me, as I have a CCW coach and skate CW :)