Adults - double jumps

[severina]

I skated for years until I was about 16..  I had all of my doubles and a triple salchow.  I just came back a year ago at 33.  I got my axel back after about 2 months, but my position in the air isn't as tight as it used to be - i seem to have trouble pulling into a tight back scratch position on my axel, double toe and double salchow.  I am able to do the jumps now after a year of being back, they just look and feel "meh" and open.  I do manage to cross my leg but its not tight... Surprisingly enough I can do a double loop and pull easily into a tight position, but anything that requires a weight shift feels wrong.

Anyone have any tips on how to get that feeling back?  i think it might be that when I used to do them I was smaller and lighter (probably <100 lbs) and now I'm 125lbs and my center of gravity has changed...

Here's my axel from september last year.  It has gotten higher and tighter since, but it still doesn't feel right:

[JSM]

I quit skating when I was 17, skated here and there over the years, and returned to skating last year at 29.

My consistent jumps were through the double toe loop.  I had landed double loops, flips, and lutzes, but never consistent, never at the same time, and never in competition. 

I have somewhat regained some jump skills, though I've seen some regression as of late, and can usually land double salchow and toe loop.  The other doubles are infinitely harder for me.  I also have major air position problems!  I'm never tight in the air, and my free leg is always loose- that hip is very open.  I get enough height but without a good air position more jumps will never come.  I also have a vastly different body than I did at 17- I weigh 15 pounds less than I did, but my lower body is a very different shape (I have hips now!) and my center if gravity has really changed. 

At times, as I watch other adult skaters, I think skating before has put me at a disadvantage when it comes to jumps.  I subconsciously try to revert to old technique, which does NOT work with this body, and a few of the adults I skate with have great technique and look prettier on the ice.

Talent has a lot to do with it too, of course.  Perhaps, just like my first go around, I've simply reached the limits of what my body can do?

I think, no matter when you started, double jumps are hard!

[passion]

JSM, don't ever think you've reached your limit.  I think adults have much more potential than they think.  If you think like that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. :bash  I have no jump talent - poor coordination, orientation in space, but I'm going to keep chipping away at my doubles until I end up in a nursing home.

[sarahspins]

At times, as I watch other adult skaters, I think skating before has put me at a disadvantage when it comes to jumps.  I subconsciously try to revert to old technique, which does NOT work with this body, and a few of the adults I skate with have great technique and look prettier on the ice.

I agree with you on the first part. I remember how some jumps are supposed to "feel" but I lack the muscle memory after having 3 kids to make those jumps happen. I think sometimes that makes listening to feedback from my coach and applying that to what I am doing that much harder... Usually because it seems she pushes me way outside my comfort zone - I've learned that it is better to trust what she says and try it her way than to argue

I disagree with the last part though.. I think everyone has the capacity to improve and rework their jump technique. It's not all about talent, it's about being able to translate what your coach says into what you need to do.

I realize as an adult that the technique I had as a teenager was often very sketchy, and not just for jumps. I'm becoming a stronger and more technically proficient skater because I listen much better as an adult.

[techskater]

I realize as an adult that the technique I had as a teenager was often very sketchy, and not just for jumps. I'm becoming a stronger and more technically proficient skater because I listen much better as an adult.

  Hey, I mostly resemble this remark as well.  One of the things I am finding to be helpful is the ability to analyze (but after the session/lesson) what I feel/what the coach says AND off ice in a gym that I didn't do as a teenager. 

[Rachelsk8s]

I realize as an adult that the technique I had as a teenager was often very sketchy, and not just for jumps. I'm becoming a stronger and more technically proficient skater because I listen much better as an adult.

I completely agree with you!!  As a kid I feel as though I really didn't take the time to really understand the technique for jumps, spins and even moves.  As an adult, I feel as though I try to really understand and also listen more to what my coach says and instructs.  I feel as though I too am a much better skater as an adult than I ever was as a child.

[JSM]

I agree with you on the first part. I remember how some jumps are supposed to "feel" but I lack the muscle memory after having 3 kids to make those jumps happen. I think sometimes that makes listening to feedback from my coach and applying that to what I am doing that much harder... Usually because it seems she pushes me way outside my comfort zone - I've learned that it is better to trust what she says and try it her way than to argue

I disagree with the last part though.. I think everyone has the capacity to improve and rework their jump technique. It's not all about talent, it's about being able to translate what your coach says into what you need to do.

I realize as an adult that the technique I had as a teenager was often very sketchy, and not just for jumps. I'm becoming a stronger and more technically proficient skater because I listen much better as an adult.

I agree as well.  As an adult I find my body awareness is miles ahead of what it was as a teenager.  Unfortunately this also helps me to realize how far away I am from where I want to be (position wise, and skating wise).  I've been having some tough practices lately, but I won't give up.  Thanks for the sage advice.

[severina]

So it seems some of you are experiencing the same issues!  I am completely convinced that it is a combination of the center of gravity that's changed and yeah, I've got hips too now after having a kid... I didn't have hips before so maybe thats what made it easier to pull in after a change of weight jump.   My double loops feel effortless but when it comes time for a 2sal or 2toe I get so scared because I will end up on the ice about 75% of the time.

[Doubletoe]

I took my first figure skating lesson at age 27, did group lessons for 5 years, quit for 5 years, then came back and started taking private lessons at 37.  I landed my first axel when I was 38 and my first double salchow a few months later.  For me, learning them first on the floor and then on the harness was crucial.  It took me a year from the time I first landed an axel on the floor until I finally landed it on the ice without the harness.