Turning body slightly before I jump

[scotlandsk8r]

any tips much appreciated, i seem to be turning my body slightly before i jump.. only in flip and lutz. Please dont say check before you jump. No idea what that means!8O

oh and its a recent thing, i never used to do it.

[Isk8NYC]

If you really don't know what it means to "check a jump," you shouldn't be trying a flip or lutz.
Get a good book on figure skating or ask your coach for instruction.

To "check a jump," the skater has to keep their shoulders/arms aligned over the landing side. You can see it in Michael Weiss' demonstrations on monkeysee.com http://www.monkeysee.com/play/2327-ice-skating-how-to-perform-the-six-basic-jumps

Keep your arms/shoulders over the landing side before takeoff, during the jump and upon landing.

Many skaters "open up" their free side shoulders to start rotating before they have actually left the ice. That's bad technique that often results in cheated jumps.

One really good technique is to keep your head facing forward over your chest until you're in the air, then turn to the direction of rotation.

[scotlandsk8r]

thanks for your info... as it turns out i do check my jumps then. I was just never sure what that ment. its not like i a complete beginner.. i have worked on doubles for a few months now. Our coaches tend not to fluff your brain with jargon and sometimes this means im not sure of the terms. opening up the free side sounds like what im doing...

[doubletoe]

If your single flips and lutzes are fine, then the problem with the doubles is probably just that you're unconsciously pre-rotating your shoulders in anticipation of the extra rotation you'll need in the air. Try going back to the single flip-loop and single lutz-loop, focusing on keeping your picking side shoulder back and skating side arm in front of you until you actually feel your toepick in the ice.