I'm coachless for the next couple of weeks because my coach has gone on holiday. Annoyingly i had some of my best axel attempts last night, the shame being that the i kept opening out early and chickening out, something my coach can usually sort for me but he wasn't there!
I'm finally feeling like i have a solid edge to jump off...i thnk up until a couple of weeks ago i was trying to force the take off edge round a bit in the hope of cheating the edge a bit to help me get round. This doesn't appear to work!
Last night i was stepping onto a very shallow FO edge and thinking of leading with my chin, which kept me right over the blade and all the way through the take off, i felt a ditinct hook with the toe pick and flew. 95% of my attempts were really high, twice i felt myself push my shoulders down as i jumped and actually felt like i aimed up instead of out, felt like i was trying to make my body long, complete one full rotation and then opened out through fear on the first one and then broke at the waist on the second one.
I'm starting to feel what the jump should be like but i don't have faith in myself that i can land it. In the past six weeks my floor axels are much much better - they're high and clean with lots of time to check out but i can't for the life of me replicate this on the ice. Does anyone have tips for how to take this from the floor to the ice? The really frustrating thing is that my ice jump is bigger than the floor jump.
The one thing that's stopping me the most is that to land on one foot scares me because most of the time i think i'd be landing forwards which means a nasty forwards fall.
Am thinking of trying to re-jig some stuff at work to try and fit an extra skating session in the week!
Isiafs5@Aol.Com 25 February 2005 18:09:36 [ permanent link ]
Does anyone have tips for how to take this from the floor to the
ice?
Somehow, somewhere, get the use of a belt with a coach. Then you will know your limit exactly.
Otherwise: "Keep working it."
My first full axels came upon recovering from an injury. I had done lots of really slow entries with an emphasis on step ups into a bell jump. When I did my first attempt for an axel with my instructor - bingo - complete air rotation. I was experimenting with other stuff too, so I'm not quite sure of what exactly made the break through.
isiafs5@aol.com wrote:> >>>Does anyone have tips for how to take this from the floor to the> ice?>
Somehow, somewhere, get the use of a belt with a coach. Then you
will> know your limit exactly.>
Otherwise: "Keep working it.">
My first full axels came upon recovering from an injury. I had done> lots of really slow entries with an emphasis on step ups into a bell> jump. When I did my first attempt for an axel with my instructor -> bingo - complete air rotation. I was experimenting with other stuff> too, so I'm not quite sure of what exactly made the break through.>
S
I don't think there is a belt at our rink...may have to enquire about a lesson or two at another rink a couple of hours away because i think they d have them there.
Can you tell me more about your "step ups in to a bell jump", what's a bell jump?
Dear Ant, The axel can be a frustrating jump but I find the key to it is to think of 'up' and 'jump' not round. Thinking about getting the rotation makes the jump rushed, the edge too deep and the shoulder lose centre. I think of stepping up onto a stair and then trying to be cylindrical. Inhaling as you take off helps. I know it sounds silly but it keeps the back straight.I find with axels dble salchows and double toes, I have a lazy right hip which doesn't swing through enough at times. It makes the turn harder and the jump very cramped. You will lose it. Thats normal but when it comes back its for good.Promise.
Thank you! The breathing in sounds like a really good idea - i always breath out wen doing a jump but i can see how breathing in would make me keep my back straighter.
I got some really good floor axels last night and was hoping to get to the rink after work today bu the patch session finishes early and then it shockey all night
I've made a note of everyones advice and am going to work on this when i next get to the rink!
I was doing them from a standstill but i got better results by doing a LFO three turn step to RBO preparatory edge - i wouldn't call it speed but its a tiny bit of momentum and i relax more doing those things before trying the jump.
I will think about not going round and just going up...i know George wrote a similar thing about the first axels he started landing.
Thats great! A little momentum in the right place always helps. Well done. Poor George is still injured and now - to add insult to injury- he's coming down with a cold too. He just doesn't allow himself time away from the rink. Good luck with the axel. Please keep us posted. any chance of a video clip? that may help you identify any problems. Sreena
There are no secrets in this world - are you spying on me Sreena?? Yes, the injury is annoying: not bad enough to keep me off the ice but enough to make me skate really tentatively and painfully at times. Probably best to leave it alone completely, but easier said than done!
Ant, yes, I've landed some 'wrong' Axels, and only one which felt effortless, balanced and right in the air (rotation around the right side etc). I was surprised I got the rotation, it didn't feel forceful at all. Having observed last weekend's session at the rink, it seems that most of the rotation comes from the hips, whereas I was using my upper body too much. So the plan is when I am fit again to try them attempting to keep a really quiet and square upper body.
Something to consider: in the backspin position (CCW), the L hip is pressing fw and to the R, where as the R hip is pressing bw and to the L in opposition. To me it's a sort of squeezing sensation. Before the spring in the Axel, the R hip is bw, and the L hip fw. Watching 3ple Axels, it seems to me that as skaters kick through, they don't reverse the hips, i.e. although the R skate travels fw, the L hip remains in front. That forces the R skate to get tucked behind and the L skate to cross neatly in front. In addition, the jump isn't really fw - your speed across the ice takes care of that. It feels to me that pulling bw with the back muscles is what happens on a good takeoff.
Random speculation at this stage, I hope I am well enough soon to experiment some more. The hip business seems to work on the floor though.
GP
Sreena wrote:> Thats great! A little momentum in the right place always helps. Well> done. Poor George is still injured and now - to add insult to injury-> he's coming down with a cold too. He just doesn't allow himself time> away from the rink.> Good luck with the axel. Please keep us posted. any chance of a video> clip? that may help you identify any problems.> Sreena
I know what you mean about keeping the upper body quiet. On the floor last night i did loads of axels making sure to only think about going up and not swinging round with my upper body and as if my magic the rotation was effortless and i genuinely thought i'd be landing forwards...i'll try and move this to the ice tonight.
Also the keeping my upper body still on take off helped me to actually fully rotate double toes and double flips on the floor! Managed one double sal and got one a half revs on a loop (which amazes me because i've lost my single on the ice of late and never thought i'd be able to do more than one rev on the floor!)and one a half on the lutz too.
I noticed also that double were more succesful with a small hop before the jump, then i remembered watching some of the high level kids at a trainng camp in nottingham who were doing double lutz's on the floor and they were all doing a little hop on the "picking in" foot then jumping up and doing doubles.
Anyway i'll let you know how tonight's axel attempts go.
Ant
GeorgeP wrote:> There are no secrets in this world - are you spying on me Sreena?? Yes,> the injury is annoying: not bad enough to keep me off the ice but> enough to make me skate really tentatively and painfully at times.> Probably best to leave it alone completely, but easier said than done!>
Ant, yes, I've landed some 'wrong' Axels, and only one which felt> effortless, balanced and right in the air (rotation around the right> side etc). I was surprised I got the rotation, it didn't feel
forceful> at all. Having observed last weekend's session at the rink, it seems> that most of the rotation comes from the hips, whereas I was using my> upper body too much. So the plan is when I am fit again to try them> attempting to keep a really quiet and square upper body.>
Something to consider: in the backspin position (CCW), the L hip is> pressing fw and to the R, where as the R hip is pressing bw and to
L in opposition. To me it's a sort of squeezing sensation. Before the> spring in the Axel, the R hip is bw, and the L hip fw. Watching 3ple> Axels, it seems to me that as skaters kick through, they don't
reverse> the hips, i.e. although the R skate travels fw, the L hip remains in> front. That forces the R skate to get tucked behind and the L skate
cross neatly in front. In addition, the jump isn't really fw - your> speed across the ice takes care of that. It feels to me that pulling
with the back muscles is what happens on a good takeoff.>
Random speculation at this stage, I hope I am well enough soon to> experiment some more. The hip business seems to work on the floor> though.>
Sreena wrote:> > Thats great! A little momentum in the right place always helps.
Well> > done. Poor George is still injured and now - to add insult to injury-> > he's coming down with a cold too. He just doesn't allow himself time> > away from the rink.> > Good luck with the axel. Please keep us posted. any chance of a video> > clip? that may help you identify any problems.> > Sreena
I wish i could, i've got a digital camera than can take 30sec video clips but i'm soooooo bad with computers i wouldn't have a clue how to get it posted. I also still have to put coal in the back of my computer at home! I'm getting a new one in April though and a master class froma friend who does know about computers so who know i might yet embarass myself on here!
