Recognizing Freestyle Elements

This short guide will help you to recognize the spins and jumps of freestyle. Jumps

Axel

An Axel jump has an extra 1/2 rotation in the air due to its forward take-off. For a jump with counterclockwise rotation, it has a takeoff from the left forward outside edge and a landing on the right back outside edge; In a triple axel, the most difficult jump in figure skating the skater takes off on a forward outside edge, turn in the air three and a half times, and land on the opposite foot.

Loop

The skater jumps off from and lands on the same foot. This is an edge jump; that is, the skater does not use a toepick to assist in the takeoff, the skater uses the outside edge to lift into the jump. The skater will take off from and land in a backwards-moving position.

Salchow

takes off from a LeftBackInside edge, turns a full revolution, and lands on the RightBackOutside edge. It is most commonly entered from backwards crossovers with a step-forward onto a LeftForwardOutside edge. The skater then does an LeftForwardOutside 3-turn so that he is skating on a LeftBackInside edge. At this point, the skater usually executes a strong “check” for stability, with the right arm extended behind and the left arm extended forward. The free leg (right leg) is held in the air, behind and to the right of the skater. The skater swings the free leg and arm forward, initiating a spinning action, and leaps into the air. The jump is sometimes entered from an RightForwardInside-mohawk (which places the skater directly onto an LBI edge).



Toe Loop

In this jump, the skater will use the toe pick on one foot to lift into the jump, landing on the opposite foot. Most skaters perform the triple toe loop by picking in with the left foot, rotating in a counter-clockwise direction for three revolutions, and landing on the right foot. However,the vast majority of figure skaters rotate in a counter-clockwise direction for jumps and spins.

Flip

Another toe-assisted jump. The skater will use his/her toe pick to push into the three turn to start the jump entrance. The three turn that is performed is called an outside three turn because the three turn starts on the outside edge going forwards and ends on the inside edge going backwards. The jump then leaves off an inside edge.

Lutz

The lutz is similar to the flip jump, with one exception: the skater's foot leaves the ice off an outside edge. You can recognize a lutz by the common entrance: the skater glides backwards for a relatively long time, and then the skating foot leans to an outside edge immediately before the opposite foot picks into the ice to launch the jump. The lutz is a difficult toe-assisted jump because of this outside edge requirement. If you hear the commentator say the jump was a flutz, that means the skater leaned to an inside edge at takeoff, like the flip.



pins

All spins rotate in one direction, most skaters rotate counter-clockwise; for these skaters, forward spins are performed on the left foot while backspins are performed on their right.

Scratch

This is the common upright spin in which the skater wraps one leg around the other, gaining terrific speed. A very fast scratch spin--where you can nearly see the front and back of the skater's head at the same time--is called a blur spin. Dorothy Hamill is famous for these.

Sit

Skater is in a sitting position. The most impressive sit spin is when the skater is in a very low position with the free leg parallel to the ice. This is called a shoot the duck position. When the skater drops his/her head to touch the knee in this position, it is called a cannonball. Other variations of the sit spin include placing the free leg ontop of the knee of the skating leg and the half si? where the skater has a very bent knee but is not in the traditional low position of a sit spin. In the half sit the arms are typically held outstretched to each side instead of together and down in the regular sit.

Camel

In this spin, the skater's body resembles the capital letter T. The body and free leg are held parallel to the ice. The flying camel is when the skater jumps into a backwards camel spin.


Layback

The layback is when the skater has a graceful arch of the back and free leg bent and lifted nearly parallel to the ice.


Beilman

Named after Denise Beilman, the first woman to perform this spin. It requires great flexibility. A skater will typically transition into this spin from a modified camel position, grabbing the free foot with one hand to raise it behind the head. Then the skater grabs onto the skate with both hands and lifts the foot so it is above the head. The back is extremely arched during this spin.

Death Drop

A flying spin in which the skater jumps into a back sitspin. Other Elements


Spiral

Move in which the free leg is held behind the skater. The free leg is typically held very high in the spiral. This move requires tremendous strength and control as the skater transfers the spiral from traveling on an inside edge to an outside edge.

Charlotte

Skater glides backwards on one foot and lifts the free foot to a split position, bowing the head down to nearly touch the knee.

Spread Eagle

Skater glides in a straight line on two feet, toes pointed out in opposite directions. The skater can lean back for an outside spread eagle or forward for an inside one.


Ina Bauer

Similar to a spread eagle, but one leg is usually deeply bent in the front of the skater while the back leg is stretched out into a modified lunge. Almost exclusively performed by women, an arched back is key to a graceful Ina Bauer.