Figure Skating Flip Jump Reach And Toe Placement (Trevor Laak)

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Trevor Laak shares some video to demonstrate the reach and toe pick placement on a flip jump.  This video is a follow-up to a flip jump video by Audrey Weisiger and is intended to clarify the important concepts.

Using 8 double and triple flip examples, Trevor clarifies what actually happens on the reach.  The video examples show that most skaters draw the feet together after the reach but BEFORE the toe pick enters the ice.  This makes the front to back distance between the skates at the moment the toe pick enters the ice quite small.

The reach and picking action of a flip is important for creating the energy and timing necessary to do the jump.  This video clarifies these details and strongly supports specific teaching methods for flip development.

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28 responses to “Figure Skating Flip Jump Reach And Toe Placement (Trevor Laak)”

  1. Nancy

    Thanks for the info Trevor! I like seeing slow motion videos. Do you also explain how the weight is distributed on each leg during take-off? I would be curious how you explain it. I explain the toe as being an assistant and the left knee (in a counter-clockwise jump) as being the boss. I could probably use some phrases to use. Coaches? Thanks and I would love to see more!

    Reply
  2. Donna B

    Trevor, I enjoyed this video very much…..keep them coming!

    Reply
  3. JB

    I think this is great! It actually looks to me that the picking foot is turned in more looking more pigeon-toed as its hitting the ice, than I had thought. Great video would love to see more also single jumps too and from different angles would be great also.

    Reply
  4. srswift

    I agree, seeing it in slow-mo is very helpful. Would love to see common beginner issues addressed also. Trouble-shooting and making (and seeing) the right corrections is sometimes difficult for me. Thanks Trevor!

    Reply
  5. HW

    More, more, more. Salchows, toeloops, loops, lutzes, axels, doubles, triples! Bring on the video!! Not everyone has access to these tools at their rink. This is very helpful.

    Reply
  6. Sheila Thelen

    : Trevor! Love this! (As a Dartfish User/Coach – this is really important!) THANKS!

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  7. Nick

    Loved it, of course! We can always use MORE! Thanks!

    Reply
  8. bambus1

    Thank you so much, Trevor, for this! You are doing a very important job.

    Reply
  9. NakedApe

    I agree, slow video analysis is priceless! As a clockwise jumper, though, I have to translate everything I see into its mirror image which adds another level of difficulty to my learning (but I always was a bit of a non-conformist). How about some clockwise jumpers for a change?

    Reply
  10. Trevor

    You’re right NakedApe, next time I’ll include a couple CW jumpers. Sorry for the oversight and thanks for the reminder.

    Reply
  11. Dorothy

    : this really clarified some confusion I had about a flip take off..thank you Trevor for this fantastic information

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  12. Amber Moehling

    This video is extremly helpful for my skaters to see. Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  13. Laura

    I agree 100% … I haven’t been taught the close pick and I struggled for ages to understand why after picking far back I was getting stuck and couldn’t jump. This video should go on a top 5 most devastating mistakes.

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  14. laura

    Wow…makes good sense. I have been taught the “reach back as far as you can then pick and pull” by every single coach I’ve ever had!! (So confusing) Thanks for this great video!

    Reply
  15. Trevor

    Thanks Laura. I made this video for coaches and skaters like you. I too was taught the wrong way. When I first figured this out, I was mad. And when I told other top coaches how I was taught (and how many coaches teach it incorrectly), they looked at me like I had two heads. Funny, but also disturbing. Luckily, video clears it all up!

    Reply
  16. Ellen

    Trevor
    Thank you for repeatedly showing the flip in the slow motion mode! That slow motition repetition really helped me see how we are to reach, start drawing together and then the toe pick hits!! As an adult skater, I don’t have enough time in my life to relearn jumps. The clock is ticking. (not that anyone should waste their time relearning a jump but I believe you know what I mean!) I keep thinking about the mechanics of the reach, pull, then the toe pick hits and NOW it makes sense why I can get height and rotation. Why it catapults me!

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  17. LMK

    Awesome video. Your skating foot really “skates almost up” to the free foot at which point the toe pick goes in the ice. When shown the first toe jump, I got the traditional explanation “plant your toe pick and pull your feet together”, and I had a really hard time understanding it just like you said. So glad I saw your toe loop one, and this video is just as good. So helpful to see it in slow motion. Thank you!

    Reply
  18. DIANE

    For over three years I couldn’t tell one jump from the other. After signing up and watching this videos I can clearly recognize each jump. This is very helpful for me as a skating mom.

    Reply
  19. Jessica

    I find all of these videos good and beneficial to refine my teaching.

    Reply
  20. Karen

    Love the repetition of the videos and slowing it down at those critical points. Thank you.

    Reply
  21. Amanda

    Thank You Trevor! This content really is invaluable – I’m sucking it all up like a sponge. All of these wonderful coaches are with me every time I’m on the ice. As an adult skater, coming back to skating after more than a decade off the ice, I’m much more intellectual about how I approach skills now (as compared to when I was young) – a perfect match for the excellent, in depth, thoughtful teaching I am exposed to here. In a very real way, I feel like a stronger, more capable skater at 35 than I was at 18, because now I am really *thinking* – this material gives me the stuff to think about! Another vote for more CW jumpers!

    Reply
  22. Ice Skating Jumps: Flip Jump Reach And Pick Placement (Audrey Weisiger) | iCoachSkating

    […] Check out Trevor Laak’s follow-up video on this topic.  Trevor uses video examples to illustrate exactly what Audrey is talking about in […]

    Reply
  23. Laura

    Thank you,
    Crystal clear!
    I am a roller figure skating practitioner and It happens exactly that way

    Reply
  24. RenaBugarin

    Thank you! I’m an adult skater (older than 50). I quad-roller skated as a child, but that was basic skating – mostly crossovers for speed and getting told to slow down.
    Currently, I’m working on ISI-FS2 which requires half-flip and half-lutz. I’m struggling with both. I do them, but not well. I was also taught to reach, pick, bring the feet together, then jump. I’m barely getting off the ice, I think I’m not getting any lift off the skating foot. Anyway, I’m hoping this will make a big improvement.

    Reply
  25. Flip Jump Drill and Insights (Robert Tebby) | iCoachSkating

    […] by Robert is much more accurate and produces better results most of the time. Notice how the toe pick goes into the ice almost right under the skater and right next to the gliding foot and the arm timing ensures the jump rotates freely and is not […]

    Reply
  26. SeonJoPark

    Thank you very much for the video! It is going to be very helpful.

    Reply
  27. TamakiSagisaka

    Thanks for another great analysis, Trevor !

    Reply
  28. ElenaMinakova

    Amazing video! Finally explains how to do the technique correctly!! I was previously taught the toe pick back and then pull the other leg in= hard to rotate or get a good feel for the jump if attempting doubles.

    Reply

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