And if so, how long did it take, and what tips would you give to help it go faster for learning? Thanks, M-gro

I'm not an adult skater, nor am I working on axels, but I heard practicing your waltz can help tons. Some people say they can get over their fear by doing a "delayed axel", that is, starting with a waltz and completing the extra revolutions at the last minute. You can also ask about using the harness with your coach.

I found that learning (not necessarily perfecting) flying camels helped me to get the feeling of jumping forward and around my body in the axel.

I landed the axel the first time I attempted it. I didn't think about it. I just did it and it worked. But then I started to analyze the jump after that and thinking too much on the entrance, and I couldn't land the jump again for another 2-3 weeks until I learned to relax again.

The best advice I can give is to relax and let your body go with the flow. Just think "Up and Rotate" and then just do it.

i've been working on the axel on and off for almost a year. I'm all the way around now but on 2 feet. Not getting enough height. *sigh*. But its getting better so maybe I'll land it in another year

I'm working on them. I usually get about 1 and a bit around and land on two feet. I haven't been working on them long, but am enjoying the process so far.

I'm 26 started 6 years ago. Have been landing axels cleanly for nearly 2 years. It took me about 1 year to learn them. a good waltz jump is important and practise your back spin heaps. If you're ready for axel you're probably ready to start working on 2 sal, 2 loop or similar, as well, you don't necessarily land axel first (although I did). The most important thing is to have a good coach and also don't be scared of the jump!!! Good luck.

I try.... Every once in awhile I land one but usually it's two footed. I find that my success comes in fits. I have a good day and then the next month I don't.

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Friend of mine in her late 50s is working on them.... so it is possible! Not for me, I don't like jumping!

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Mrs Redboots
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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

im not an adult skater either. but make sure you get your backspins really good. as well as your waltz jump-loops.
good luck with ur axel and skating!

I have been working axels since 1989 and have landed ------ ONE. But I keep trying and my coach says I'm getting closer. I don't know how true that is but I like them so I persist. My goal is to get it before I'm dead.

So I'm probably not the best person to answer the question: "How long does it take?"

I'm also not an adult skater...but I'm working on axel...waltz-backspins help a lot because it gives you the feel of going into the backspin position at the right time...also waltz loops are a great way to practice.

Hey there I'm an adult skater 29 years old, been skating start of this year, my coach has had me tweaking my technique for all my jumps, everything except the axle and has me working on Waltz to Loop jumps... I will let you know, hopefully soon, on how I learn the axle :-) I plan on doing it before the end of this year...

My coach has his kids do waltz-loop-loop combos as well as loops out of a backspin, and waltz-loop-backspin. I haven't learned mine yet, but since I just learned the lutz I'd imagine the axel isn't too far away. My problem is getting my loop consistent, and fixing my non-existant backspin - can I please get more than 4 revolutions? Sheesh.

Let us know how it goes!

I'm 29, and have been landing axels consistently (in practice) for about a year. I learned all of my other single jumps within a year of starting skating, so I thought the axel wouldn't be so hard.

Needless to say, I was wrong.

Since I've been skating on and off for about 6 years now, it took me...oh, 4 years before I started really landing them? Prior to that, I'd land one, and then two-foot or fall on the next hundred attempts before landing another one.

The upside is that after I got the axel consistent, I started landing double sals and double loops, and have been playing with double toes and double flips. None of these are consistent, but there are some days when they do all click at once and boy, does that feel good. (What that tells me is that the axel is far more related to doubles than to singles...this is just my own experience talking)

There are different drills to do depending on what your problem is. You definitely should have a very solid waltz, waltz-loop, and backspin. Waltz-backspin-loop jump out helped me quite a bit. Thinking about keeping my arms over my right shoulder instead of pulling them over to the left helped get my body in alignment in the air and I was finally able to feel the "conversion" happen in my legs.

Do a lot of them off-ice. Make sure you have a coach look at what you're doing off-ice so that you're not ingraining something incorrect into your muscle memory. When I fixed my off-ice axel, my on-ice axels suddenly improved, and now, the jumps feel almost exactly the same on and off ice.

Otherwise, my advice is to be patient and don't be afraid to fall, because it will happen. A lot. And keep a positive attitude about it all.

On top of that, my coach has us do waltz-double loop (my coach is one that believes in learning double loop at the same time or before axel will help get to feeling of the rotating position since dbl loop is technically easier).

I started at 19 and I've been working on my axel for about 6 months now, but with major time off in there for injuries and knee surgery. I'm at the two-footing it stage with the occasional one footed landing thrown in.

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I started skating when I was 34 and got all my single jumps rather quickly except the lutz, (which I still stuggle with on occasion) and landed my first cheated axel when I was 36. It took me a couple of years to get rid of the cheat and it is still not consistant. I am now 42.

Absolutely! It's because you don't necessarily need to get the weight completely over your right side to do most single jumps (on the lutz you do), but you must if you are going to do axels and doubles.

To the OP -- good luck on the axel. I learned it as a kid, and got it back about 22 years later, so I, unfortunately, can't remember the learning process -- except for that in the relearning process I fell -- and fell -- and fell -- and fell 200x over before I started landing it regularly. It still goes wonky every once in a while, and I fall.

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"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

I'm 43 (almost 44) and just got a consistent waltz-waltz (don't laugh!) and am working on the loop. I can get 3/4 the way around..... trying to get the waltz-loop but I don't have a backspin (I fall when I try one)... Hey, I've been skating less than 2 years....
You guys are light-years ahead of me; as Garth would say "i am not worthy"

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

For a single axel you actually don't need to get your weight completely over your right side to complete the jump. One reason I was having so much trouble completing the 2axel was that often on my single, my body weight was right in the middle in the air instead of being over the right side. Of course it's better to learn it the right way and shift that body weight over the right side for the rotation, but I've reached a point where I'm just happy to land the darn thing any which way I can

Heh...you must have smaller hips than me, then Until I got my weight completely over the right side, I couldn't keep my stinking left foot off the ice for the life of me. The jump would have plenty of height, plenty of rotation, and then land on two feet. I definitely feel the moment of conversion on an axel--it feels like a shift of weight from one hip to the other. (When that feeling is gone, then I have a week or so of amazingly bad axels.)

But hey, you're probably right--after all, people used to jump with their feet parallel before the Dick Button days.