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?
Woo hoo, look at the height of that single! I like that idea of leveraging the entire foot–it really does make sense.
Author
Ballet lessons have also helped me learn how to use the entire foot in jumps. Hopefully this is a new habit I can stick to!