I need help with my Waltz Jump and spin entry!

[CreativeSkater]

Hello, I began skating four monthes ago. I am having trouble gaining height on my Waltz Jump. Whenever I try to jump really high, I slip up and almost fall backwards...and then when I am more careful, I don't get very much height. Also, I tend to hoist my right leg up to add more power, but a coach told me that this takes away from the power and I should keep my free leg straight throughout the jump (?) And my spin entries are so wobbly...sometimes they are okay, and sometimes they are a complete mess. I have been practicing hours and hours but never seem to improve...I think mostly it is trouble with having a deep enough outside edge and then translating that into the spin...any advice would be greatly appreciated!
p.s. Also, my scratch spins are coming slowwwly....I always get unbalanced just before my knee bends to bring my foot in front of my spinning leg....please help me! Thanks :)

[CoachPA]

Hello, I began skating four monthes ago. I am having trouble gaining height on my Waltz Jump. Whenever I try to jump really high, I slip up and almost fall backwards...and then when I am more careful, I don't get very much height.

Well, a lot of the height will come from taking off the skating leg's toepick. Because you say you're almots falling backwards, I'll bet you're not completely taking off of your toepick.

Enter the waltz jump on a bent skating knee then rock up completely to the toepick. (Your skating leg should be straight at this point.) Remember, too, that all height in jumps--whether on or off the ice--comes from bending then straightening the legs.

There was a pretty popular thread about waltz jumps (http://skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=27780) that was started not too long ago that you may want to look at. There's lots of great tips there.

Also, I tend to hoist my right leg up to add more power, but a coach told me that this takes away from the power and I should keep my free leg straight throughout the jump (?)

She may mean that you want to achieve a more split-like position in-air.

And my spin entries are so wobbly...sometimes they are okay, and sometimes they are a complete mess. I have been practicing hours and hours but never seem to improve...I think mostly it is trouble with having a deep enough outside edge and then translating that into the spin...any advice would be greatly appreciated!
p.s. Also, my scratch spins are coming slowwwly....I always get unbalanced just before my knee bends to bring my foot in front of my spinning leg....please help me! Thanks :)

Perhaps posting a video of your spin would help. It's sometimes hard to diagnose issues without seeing the problem jump, spin, etc.

[w.w.west]

Well, a lot of the height will come from taking off the skating leg's toepick. Because you say you're almots falling backwards, I'll bet you're not completely taking off of your toepick.

Enter the waltz jump on a bent skating knee then rock up completely to the toepick. (Your skating leg should be straight at this point.) Remember, too, that all height in jumps--whether on or off the ice--comes from bending then straightening the legs.

There was a pretty popular thread about waltz jumps (http://skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=27780) that was started not too long ago that you may want to look at. There's lots of great tips there.

Very good advice from CoachPA. Without seeing the spin, the first thing I would ask is are you stepping inside the cirle on the entry and not doing a "traveling 3 turn" effect? Think of stepping back to where you came from and not where your going.



She may mean that you want to achieve a more split-like position in-air.



Perhaps posting a video of your spin would help. It's sometimes hard to diagnose issues without seeing the problem jump, spin, etc.

Very good advice from CoachPA on the waltz jump. Without seeing the spin, the first thing I would ask is are you stepping inside the cirdle on the entry and not doing a "traveling 3 turn" effect? Think of stepping back to where you came from and not where your going.

[CreativeSkater]

Thank you so much Coach PA and W.W. West! What helpful advice...I am skating tomorrow and look forward to using it.

[niupartyangel]

sorry to bring an old topic up but i just want to clarify something on the waltz jump...mine is pretty decent but i really want that "big, delayed" effect which I still don't have even though i have enough speed....after the take off, when I bring my free leg to the front, do I bring up the knee first and kick it out or does the leg kick out straight out right away (kinda like a split jump)? And do I need to have the splits in order to have such a jump, because I don't have them (yet!) 8O

I'm jealous of this guy's waltz jump:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1mwdjrOcuA&feature=fvsr

[renatele]

I'm jealous of this guy's waltz jump:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1mwdjrOcuA&feature=fvsr

Ha! In that case, take a look at Scott Hamilton's waltz jump:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxTnbKpB1GE

[dbny]

I agree with CoachPA that you are not rocking forward to take off from your toepick on the waltz jump. Go back to the bunny hop to work on that. The swing through of the free leg and the rock up to the toe are the same in both jumps.

[londonicechamp]

Hi

I am also working on waltz jump. My coach told me to bend my knees before I basically do the jump, as in that way, I can then gain more height. I followed her advice during the lesson, and it worked. :D Tried practising waltz jump, well not as high as when I had the lesson but still not bad. :D

londonicechamp