Skating Fridays

Single Jumps post-COVID {Video}

After 3 months of not being on the ice, I strangely felt stronger. I’ve been doing the Stretch with Michelle video series on YouTube and have been doing 2 or 3 of her videos each day. In addition, I’ve been doing off ice with my jump coach. As a result, I have increased my air time (off ice). But how would this translate on ice?

One day, I decided to video my single jumps. I put my phone up on the boards, pressed Record and tried a single salchow, single flip and single toe loop. When I went back to analyze them, I noticed that the increased air time transferred on ice! My jumps increased to almost 0.40 of air time, which is a significant improvement from before. In fact, I got almost a 10% increase.

What I’ve learned is that the off-ice exercises have taught me how to leverage my entire foot (from heel to toe) for a jump. Previously, I probably took off for a jump once I hit the bottom of my big toe. Now, I’ve learned to wait until I hit the very tippy top of my big toe. The results are promising. See for yourself:

How have your elements felt after getting back on the ice (if your rinks are open)? Is there anything you wish you would have done during the 3+ months of being off ice?

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