Hey
I'm currently working on my doubles. I always repeat the SAME mistake! I let my right side drop (i jumpp counterclockwise) and i fold at the waist. This prevents me from landing clean crisp jumps. Any tips? ALL TIPS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

thank you all SOOO much!

Katie

Hi, Katie!

Which double jumps are you working on, BTW. (It'll help us figure out what's wrong better!)

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

I do this too, and I'm working on HALF jumps. When you figure it out, let me know the secret.

I'm MOSTLY working on my...

double sal (which i land usually 2 in every 7 tries maybe?),
my double loop (i don't get enough height),
double flip (i fold at the waist and don't pull up straight),
my double toe (i lean TOO much!)

The problem that occurs with all those jumps is that I let my right side drop and then they all have their individual faults (listed above)

Any input is GREATLY appreciated!!!! thank you SO much!

Katie.

For the 2loop, relax the upper body; let the lower body do all the work of lifting you up in the air. The only thing the upper body will do is to follow the lower body and then bring in the arms in quickly together. When you're about to take off, think about keeping you upper body square with the lower body.

For the 2sal, since you know that you're consistantly dropping the right shoulder, I would go back and concentrate on doing just the 3-turn entrance and make a conscience effort not to drop that shoulder after the 3-trun. Go back to doing single until you feel that the shoulder is under control and then try a double. I would also suggest to going back on doing single loop until you get a feeling that the right shoulder is no longer dropping and then go for a double.

Try thinking about tacking a single loop onto your doubles. Even if you don't. Just thinking about it will help keep your weight over the correct side on the landing.
Chico

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

I'm not doing doubles, but "breaking at the waist" is an all-too-common fault in skating, and one my coach is forever scolding me for. You need to seriously tighten your tummy muscles as you land, to stop flopping - maybe you could do crunchies or other exercises to strengthen them, that would help.

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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!

For the doubles, as well as singles, lift your chin a bit. This will draw everything up and help you think about maintaining your core. It will also help the jump look higher. Remember that the audience follows your eyes. If you are looking down so will any observers.

Gosh, that brings back old memories from ballet! In ballet, for jumps that use the arms overhead, I was taught to land, then open the arms to 2nd position (and while opening the arms, lift the head slightly and slightly raise the hands as they are moving from overhead to 2nd position). I was taught that just after I had learned tour jete, and at the higher levels than that, teachers rarely mention it because it becomes ingrained.

It's the same with pirouettes--I was taught to turn, briefly hesitate with the leg up, then put the foot down, THEN open the arms. (Not that it usually happened in the order , but that was supposed to give the illusion that one is up longer and better centered in the turn.)

Not that one would want to do this in skating--not opening the arms would delay the check essential to the exit edge. But what a blast from the past--I hadn't thought about that in years.

One year for the Nutcracker, a guest artist playing the Prince did this really well. During his tour jete, he seemed to hang in the air with his arms up before he landed. For a while after that season, I was copying his timing and had really good height in that jump--but alas, no longer!! If only I could translate that height to my loop!!!!

Mika,
I'll trade you ballet tips for skating lessons! I've been thinking about having a ballet person come out after I have my program set and work with me!

Mrs. Redboots - I like the description of flopping! My coach calls it a dinosaur landing with the little arms waving in the air.

I used to have these problems to but now I just do a lot of training.. I used to just do a lot of sit ups...like 400 but that didnt work because i was rushing them.. If your going to do sit ups or crunches then do them slower and hold you head up longer. Also i thought it was all about my stomach muscles...and this helped a little bit.. This might get you 3 or 4 out of 7 tries but This summer i started working on all training like running everyday and do arobics or cardio. If you can't get a personal trainer then get amembership at the gym. This helps a lot and it will make you so much stronger. If you are already doing all of that then mentalling focussing on what it should feel like and what you are doing. Even off ice that helps.

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~*Sammi-Sasha*~

The particular child I was thinking of was doing this quite badly on her double salchow yesterday. But the coach said this child always breaks at the waist when she starts working on a new jump - she has only stopped doing it on her axel about a fortnight ago. He said everybody has different faults, but that same fault will reproduce through every single jump you learn - one child always two-foots, even when she has no need to, another swings her shoulders too much, and so on.... You do, of course, get over it eventually, but you go through a phase, every new jump. So even if you stop doing it on your double salchow, say, you're going to do it on your double toe.... and so on.

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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!