axel SOS

[peanutskates]

Hey everyone! I've finally started learning the axel!! ;) I can soooometimes land it off ice (although I usually fall on the landing). On ice, I only get a waltz jump when I try.

I've tried thinking of doing just 1 revolution - still, I land it after doing 1/2 a rev. After a week, I realised that my feet weren't crossing in the air. So:

1) How do I get my feet more crossed in the air?
2) How can I stop landing it after 1/2 rev???
3) Do you have any general tips for landing the axel?

Thanks guys! :)

P.S I have a good waltz/loop combination (coach's opinion), and a reasonable waltz/backspin

[doubletoe]

I had to have it very consistent on the floor before I started landing it on the ice, due to the fear factor. The important thing is to get backwards over your landing hip, NOT to cross your legs. Imagine you are actually crossing your free leg in front of your landing leg. That requires that you bring your free leg around in the opposite direction from your rotation. That doesn't help your rotation. Instead, think of jumping up, then turning your landing hip in while keeping your free hip closed. If you turn your hip in to face the other leg and then you do a backspin in the air, the free leg automatically ends up crossed in front of the landing leg. Do lots of backspins to get the feeling for this transition.

For the axel takeoff--either on the floor or on the ice--push off onto your takeoff foot, arching your back and getting your weight onto your takeoff knee and the ball of your foot. Do not try to curve your edge or turn your skating foot. Keep the edge straight and keep your landing side shoulder back. Now roll up onto the toe so that you take off straight up off the toe (not leaping forward to cover distance like a waltz jump). Once you are up, turn your hip in so that you are backward. Now pull your arms and free leg in (just think "arms" and your leg will automatically pull in, too). It helped me to think, "Arch, straight up, backspin, land!" Or if I was rushing the pull-in part, I would think, "Arch, straight up, hip, arms, land!"

[coskater64]

The axel takes a while to learn, the person helping you should be your coach, after a week I would say keep working on it. I have seen kids get it in a week and some take months. As an adult expect it to take a long time, I learned mine on the line and done slowly. As a kid it took about 3 months, as an adult to relearn it about 6, and 3 more months to get it consistent. You have to get past all the fear and just do the jump...

Good luck, and make sure you get some good crash pads.:twisted:

[doubletoe]

Oh yeah, that's true! It took me awhile to start landing them on the floor (that didn't happen until I finally got a decent backspin, so practice your backspin!), and then it took another year after that to land my first clean axel on the ice! I learned it for the first time as an adult.

[Kim to the Max]

It has taken me forever....I was landing them around 1994-ish before coach #1 moved to Hawaii....couldn't land one to save my life with coach #2....would fool around them them about once every six months during college/grad school/first two years as a professional....now, I have probably been back skating for a little over 6 months, and just started seriously working on them again around January...I am landing flat footed, but getting closer to doing them right...consistent (and then not losing it) will be another story....

Take your time...work with your coach on the various pieces of the jump...and just keep trying...

As coskater64 said, you need to get past the fear because there is so much hype around the axel and it is also a VERY different single jump (take off, mechanics, etc.) than the others.... Do it at your own pace and it will come...