I slip off of my toe pick going into my half toe walley and my ballet jump. I have ballet training so I always remember to point my toes. I always land my lutz, flip, and toe loop. But, I still need to land half toe walley and ballet jump to pass my test. Does anyone have any suggestions that will help me to stop slipping off of my toe pick?

I do that when I don't bend my knees enough....usually when I kick up the speed going into the jumps (it's dumb and I know I do it-I'm trying to reprogram myself).

Do you think you are doing that?

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

It's also possible that you are turning your foot out too much or too little when picking on those particular jumps. And, although I haven't done the toe walley or ballet jump for a few years, I seem to remember having to pick a little to the side on those (like with the mazurka), rather than straight back.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

What kind of blades are you using? If you are close to ordering new blades, K picks really help. Found that when I switched to K picks, I slipped a lot less on takeoffs.

K-picks aren't necessary when one has good technique, especially not for skaters on what sounds like a basic skills or ISI greek-level test.

Sorry, still love my k picks!!! .....Recommend them highly. Beginners don't want to slip either....But now that you mention it, not sure if lower level blades come in K picks? But if they do, check them out!!

Toe pick jumps are difficult to learn and take time. However, I must admit I picked up the loop jump immediately and still is my best jump and getting better all the time. I am starting to pull in now and get more height and speed on my jumps. I slip on my toe pick on the flip jump more often due to poor positioning. I am working on refining that. I find if I keep my foot low to the ice and dig in when I reach back, I get the most height and easy rotation than if I lift my leg higher (similar to Zhang). I am working on correcting that.

I pick to the side on the Ballet jump and I pick to the front on the Toe Walley.

I can land a few single jumps. The only single jumps I can do right now are toe jumps (lutz, flip, toe loop).

Although I can do more advanced jumps than Ballet jump and Toe Walley jumps, I need them to get to the next level.

You pick to the front on the Toe Walley?

Correct angle of picking for toeloop and toe walley (assuming you are gliding backwards and facing 12:00 on an imaginary clock face):
Toeloop: 6:00, toe faces straight down & stays backwards.
Toe Walley: 5:00, but toe still faces straight down & stays backward.

The toe walley is the same jump as the toeloop except that you are on a right back inside edge when you reach back to pick instead of a right back outside edge. The reason you pick slightly more behind you on toeloop and slightly to the left on the toe walley is because you always need to pick right on the circle you are traveling on.

Try a toeloop on a circle on the ice, traveling backward counter-clockwise on your right foot (assuming you do your jumps in the more common direction). Look at the pick mark on the ice afterwards. It should be right on the circle, which means you had to reach back and pick directly behind the skating foot. The pick for the ballet jump is the same.

Now travel clockwise on the circle, backward on your right back inside edge. Reach back to pick with your toe pointed straight down, but pick just a little to the left (5:00 instead of 6:00). Now look at your pick mark. It should be right on the circle. If not, pick slightly more to the inside or outside until you are picking right on the circle.

Meanwhile, pay attention to what your picking side shoulder is doing on all of these jumps that take off from the left toepick. It could be that you are unconsciously letting your left (picking side) shoulder open out so that you turn forward as you pick on the ballet jump and the toe walley. That can make you turn forward on your toe and slip onto the ball of the blade. You need to keep pointing your left arm and hand in the direction you're coming from, even as you pick. Also, make sure you are still looking in the direction you're coming from as your pick goes into the ice. If you are gliding backwards and you see the north end of the rink as you reach back to pick, but then you see the west side of the rink when you feel your toe go into the ice, that means you are turning your upper body as you pick.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Toe Loop takes off from the left toe and lands on the right toe. Toe walley takes off from the left toe and lands on the left toe. I pick my toe pick to the side on my ballet jump because I am competing ISI and that is how the ISI rulebook says to do it. But I will check to see if I am pre-rotating Toe walley and Ballet jump.

ISI FS2 has the ballet jump and half toe-walley - you land forwards, left pick then step to right blade. Full toe-walley lands RBO edge like (nearly) everything else.

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It's all about the dress!

You can also set up the ballet jump so you glide backwards then just before you pick in you rotate your torso to face sideways. Doing it this way helps "line up" the jump to where you want it and it's pretty much like a normal jump-you can approach it faster.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Ah, OK, based on Liz on Ice's reply, it looks like you are just doing a half toe walley, so you are taking off and landing on the same toe, just like you do on the ballet jump. Of course the takeoff would still the same as the full toe walley.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics