Hi!
I'm batikats daughter! I'm having problems with my axel, and it's not that i can't land one, it's just that it doesn't stay for long! Anyone else got the same problem? Or can you give me any pointers?
My one big problem is that I keep landing on my right foot, but then letting my left foot down. My skating coach always gets annoyed with me and then i feel sheepish.
All for now!

Skatings fun for everyone (Except when you fall over!)

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'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

Lots of off-ice axels. Holding the landing.
On the ice make sure your weight is over your landing knee/hip and check your left shoulder the minute you land. Don't let it swing back or else your left leg has no choice but to go down to stop you.
It's an eville jump.

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MEL
Absolute Skating

Hi, "batikat's daughter" As your mum will doubtless tell you, I couldn't land an axel if I trained for a zillion years - although I expect she will one day, don't you? But my teacher has lots of skaters who either can, or nearly can land Axels, and I've heard him say of some of his pupils: "She will land that jump when she believes she can!" In other words, there's technically no reason for the skater not to land her axel, but she is convinced she'll fall over or two-foot it, and so she does. When you reckon doing an axel is as easy for you as doing a 3-jump is, then you'll land it all the time, and be working on doubles before you know where you are!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Do a loop after the axel. This has helped me tons. I find that I actually can do this more often than just sticking a one foot landing on the axel. I'm working on my doubles this way too, and again it seems to be helping more often than not. I still have not days however.

Chico

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"I truly believe, when God created skating, he patted himself on the back."

I don't have any great advice, b/c I have the same problem! Some days, I can land 80% of axel attempts, and other days, it's 20%. I've been working on the darn jump since 1996. A previous coach (when I lived in VA) kept saying over and over again, "Cross your legs." She had run out of ways to get me to do the jump. My current coach tells me to think of it as a big waltz-loop jump. I'm still too chicken to jump high and cross my legs in the air.

It's the "fear factor" that is preventing me from landing the jump. I can do it off-ice, and this morning, I did a near perfect one in the harness. Crossing the legs is definitely a frightening proposition. I'm also terrified to fall. As my singles coach said a few weeks ago: "Hmm, I've never really seen you fall. You NEED to fall." Umm, yeah, but my back is in stark opposition to that.

Sorry, loops. We'll always have side-by-side flips.

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

I've had the same struggle with this jump for years, but it seems to be better now. I just hope that it stays with me this time.

What seems to help me not put my foot down is to keep my head up, with my eyes level. When I look down, I touch my left foot down. When my head is straight, the rest of my body will align under it and then I seem to be able to land it easily on one foot.

Be patient, it will get better!

PattyP

I hardly post here, primarily because I'm only interested in pairs & most of y'all seem to be interested in singles or dance (a few "faux pairs," whatever the hell THAT is!?).
Anyway, the key to my landing my axel (and throw axel) is always in the body position in the air. I screw it up everytime because I bend at the waist and fail to maintain a strong back upon landing (same with throw 2-loop).
If this helps anyone, I'm glad for that. Just knowing it hasn't helped me at all.....ughhhhh!

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"The first rule of pair skating is that the two shall skate as one."

-Dick Button

Wow, throw double loop ... so can we expect to see you competing in masters pairs soon?

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

The throw 2-loop left with the Russian partner whose visa expired. Currently just testing and seeking a new partner.....oh well....

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"The first rule of pair skating is that the two shall skate as one."

-Dick Button