sk8ermom2
08-03-2003, 02:00 PM
Layman's discussion on the USFSA Discussion Board about jump technique back in March was timely then and now for us. Even though Layman took criticism for being a "layman", the discussion about Jenny Kirk's flip and lutz jumps back in March make so much sense to me, especially given the experience we've had with our daughter this year thus far. Essentially, Layman's discussion was prompted by a note that Jenny was having hip problems again, which Layman related to her lutz and flip jumps. Layman observed that Jenny "slams her pick-leg down into the ice (after she has started to rotate)." Layman concluded that "[r]otating right off the ice without lift leads to injuries."
My daughter had a nice db flip and db lutz in January and February and then she had a major growth spurt (about 2 1/2 inches in six months, including another 1/2 inch in the span of 2 weeks recently and is still growing) and began to have trouble with these two jumps in particular. Similar to Jenny Kirk, she has right hip pain and occasional right knee pain, principally while doing the db lutz and db flip. Although her problem may have been prompted by the growth spurt, it is believed she can correct it with proper jump technique.
She has had 3 coaches look at these db jumps, all of whom agree that she is pre-rotating the jumps before the lift. As explained to us by the coaches, our daughter gets good height off the ice in her singles and they all believe that this height combined with her excellent physical condition should enable her to do nice doubles or triples, once she corrects her technique. The main problem on the doubles is that she is "pre-rotating" the jump before she lifts off the ice. One coach had my daughter doing single jumps again and "bell" jumps. This coach explained that she wants my daughter to remember how correct singles "feel" on the take-off and landing because the technique should be the same for doubles and triples. The rotation, which does not begin until after the lift, is determined by how tight the skater pulls in.
My daughter is also working on her db axel and seems so close to landing it. She gets excellent height and rotation on this jump. However, her problem here seems two-fold: 1) She is "scraping" the ice with a skip pattern before the take-off; and 2) is opening up her hip before the landing.
I'd love to hear from any other coaches and parents who have gone through "re-learning" jump techique with their students/child after a period of doing doubles with the "wrong" technique (particularly those who even experienced success at competitions despite "incorrect" technique). I'd also love to hear from anyone who has had similar problems with the db axel and managed through the corrections.
My daughter had a nice db flip and db lutz in January and February and then she had a major growth spurt (about 2 1/2 inches in six months, including another 1/2 inch in the span of 2 weeks recently and is still growing) and began to have trouble with these two jumps in particular. Similar to Jenny Kirk, she has right hip pain and occasional right knee pain, principally while doing the db lutz and db flip. Although her problem may have been prompted by the growth spurt, it is believed she can correct it with proper jump technique.
She has had 3 coaches look at these db jumps, all of whom agree that she is pre-rotating the jumps before the lift. As explained to us by the coaches, our daughter gets good height off the ice in her singles and they all believe that this height combined with her excellent physical condition should enable her to do nice doubles or triples, once she corrects her technique. The main problem on the doubles is that she is "pre-rotating" the jump before she lifts off the ice. One coach had my daughter doing single jumps again and "bell" jumps. This coach explained that she wants my daughter to remember how correct singles "feel" on the take-off and landing because the technique should be the same for doubles and triples. The rotation, which does not begin until after the lift, is determined by how tight the skater pulls in.
My daughter is also working on her db axel and seems so close to landing it. She gets excellent height and rotation on this jump. However, her problem here seems two-fold: 1) She is "scraping" the ice with a skip pattern before the take-off; and 2) is opening up her hip before the landing.
I'd love to hear from any other coaches and parents who have gone through "re-learning" jump techique with their students/child after a period of doing doubles with the "wrong" technique (particularly those who even experienced success at competitions despite "incorrect" technique). I'd also love to hear from anyone who has had similar problems with the db axel and managed through the corrections.