SOYOUWANNA LEARN ABOUT TOE JUMPS IN FIGURE SKATING?

Toe jumps are when the skater uses the toe pick (the tiptoe of the skate) of one skate to vault up in the air.

A single, double, triple or quadruple jump refers to how many times the skater spins in the air between the takeoff and landing. These jumps can be done in combinations, meaning that two jumps are done right in a row, without any extra steps taken in between.

Here are the three types of toe jumps:

1. Toe Loop: The easiest toe jump is called the Toe Loop. To perform a Toe Loop, the skater glides backward on the outside edge of the right skate, jabs the left toe pick into the ice, and then rotates to the left. Because this jump is so easy (just jab the toe pick into the ice and jump), it is often done as the second half of a combination.

2. Flip: The second-easiest toe jump is called the Flip. The Flip looks a whole lot like the Toe Loop; the only difference is that the skater glides backward on the inside edge of the left skate and toe picks with the right foot to start the leftward rotation. One hint about spotting a Flip is the entrance. Most skaters start by gliding forward in a straight line on the left foot with the arms out and the right leg up in front. The right leg then taps the ice as the skater rotates a turn to the left so that he/she is traveling backward. The right leg is still elevated, which is good because it is needed to hit the ice to start the rotation.

3. Lutz: Being able to identify the entrance to a jump is perhaps most helpful with the Lutz because it is so similar to the Flip. Like the Flip, the Lutz uses the right toe pick to vault the skater off of his left leg. The difference is that the Lutz uses the left outside edge instead of the inside. This slight shift of weight makes this jump much more difficult and in fact, one way to cheat the Lutz is to switch to an inside edge at the last second (this is called a Flutz, since it is really a Flip disguised as a Lutz). The entrance of the Lutz is what makes it easy to identify. Skaters typically do their Lutzes in the corner of the rink after taking a long glide on a curving diagonal to set up the proper edge.

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