Here is my description of the Axel jump ... this is the only jump in skating that takes off from a forward outside edge. It takes a bucket of courage to "hit" your pick and fly face first into space, rotate one and half revolutions and land on two-tenths of a centimetre of steel, all the while looking like six trillion bucks! Yes, this is the "king of jumps".
The Norwegian Axel Paulsen invented the jump while doing exhibitions in Europe during the 1880s.This makes the Axel jump the oldest of the major free-skating jumps performed in competition today. Paulsen skated in speed skates and was known as the fastest human on blades. He used to "wow", the crowds with a barrel jumping stunt and it was while flying face first into space over the barrels, that he invented his signature jump.
The Axel became the mainstay of competitive skating for men but women did not attempt it until the late 1920s. Dick Button was the first to do the double Axel in 1951 and Vern Taylor was the first to perform the triple Axel in the 1978 World Championships. Midori Ito and Tonya Harding lead the charge for the women doing the triple and if you are watching any skating on television today you know the rest of the story, boy those little girls are brave and fast!
Most of us have been "enticed" by this crazy jump. It still delights and frustrates many a skater. I recommend everyone one use all the tricks of the trade when doing this jump ... off ice jumping, walk-throughs, visualization, extra padding, harness lessons, do everything to conquer this puppy:}
We are releasing three videos this month on the Axel jump, I hope they are helpful.
Remember ... Stay Strong, Stay Inspired and Stick to your Passions! SWING! Linda
