I remember that the whole concept of the salchow jump just seemed wrong when it was being explained to me. The discussion with the coach went something like this...
"Let me see if I have this right, I make some turns and end up skating backwards, then you want me to jump back toward where I just came from?"
"Basically, yes"
"I just stepped through it without jumping, and I can't see how it's possible. Are you playing a mean trick on me, coach?"
"Nope, just trust me, and do it!"
<shrug> "OK, here goes!"
It ended up being one of the easier jumps to learn and the only one that I ever doubled. It still seems like Newtonian physics can't possibly explain this jump though. Even today, the forces I feel when doing this jump are different from the others.