Too deep knee bend before jumps?

[tidesong]

I'm just wondering if its different techniques and how you'd figure each works but some skaters appear to have much more knee bend before their jumps, whereas others seem to go into them with a much straighter knee.

Does this include "double bouncing" if anyone knows what I mean aka, bending the knee after the three turn/step into the jump.

I am a little confused because now I have tried jumping off both ways and wondering if anyone has any theories on this issue at all or if its something iffy and really only suited to individual skater/coach preference?

[ibreakhearts66]

i think it is partly different techniques, but also different habits the skater gets into. i know, personally, i was in the habit of jumping off a reeeaaally stiff knee. now i do concentrate on bending my knee, and let me say, it does make for a much bigger jump! but i also think the fact that i was so used to jumping off a stiff knee meant that adding the bend just made me fly.

as for the double bounce...i'm wondering if we think of the term the same way. you described it as bending after the step/turn. that is natural movement. every jump has a down-up-down motion. the step is an "up" motion (think of how you rise on a 3-turn), then it goes "down" then "up" into the air. i'm wondering if you meant what i think of. some people really do "bounce" before they jump. i see it especially on loops/double loops. they'll set on the RBO edge with a bent knee, rise in the knee a bit, bend again, and then sometimes even rise and bend one more time right before they jump, like a pumping motion. that is a bad habit. it really kills the momentum (and doesn't look very pretty). but yeah, not even sure if that was what you were referring to.

but basically, it is very important to jump off of a bent knee. i have never heard a coach suggest that a skater jump off of a stiff knee. that being said, you don't want a ridiculous amount of knee bend. i guess it's all about experimenting and finding out what consistently produces the best jumps

[vesperholly]

Everyone's body is different. Some people can handle jumping from very bent knees, others can't. One person is not going to be able to do a jump exactly the same as the next person, so technique gets adapted back and forth a little bit for everyone. You should ideally jump with as much knee bend as you can handle. Stiff jumps just don't look as nice. That's the rub in figure skating, isn't it - you can't just do an element, you must make it look pretty, too. ;)

[Sessy]

Yeah but that's the fun about figure skating. It's psychological, it's physical, it's artistical all in one.

[tidesong]

ibreakhearts66 you got that thing about the double bouncing thing the way I was thinking of it and its especially so for my loop/double loop exactly, and yes it totally kills the momentum. Maybe that's the only issue here, still the less knee bend comment is the first time I've heard it so it comes at a shock lol.

[doubletoe]

I think it's more about ankle bend than knee bend. I notice that when I focus on ankle bend instead of knee bend, I get good spring on the takeoff but I don't risk losing that nice alignment over my hips. I don't have to worry about it on single jumps, but on the double sal takeoff I really have to focus on it.

[tidesong]

Yeah thats the other new thing this one mentioned on working the ankle. I realize I have rarely thought about using my ankle and due to lack of usage it feels really wierd trying to use it. Thanks for reminding me, I have to write this down too now lol.