Figure skating coaching has a lot of discussion about the jump technique. Some coaches prefer to throw one side of the body; others ask to hold the rotational move. Unfortunately, we will not know who is correct or not. That's not the first question a coach should ask. And it's not only for figure skating but all sports where movement precision is needed.
We are All Unique
In biology class, we learned that each human being is unique. From a DNA point of view, obviously. We move differently. I want to remind you of one essential thing. Nobody taught you how to walk when you were a baby. Your parents or family asked you to stand up, help, and encourage you during this process. How often did you hear that Baby Kate started to walk in an up position when she was nine months old or that Brandon took his time and did it around 19 months?
It's how the skater moves that is important to take into consideration. The coach can give the best instructions to the athlete. If this one is not able to proceed, it will not work.
By being unable to process, I mean his motor skills must be in tune with the requested task. As a biomechanics expert, it takes time to understand how a skater's body works. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses is essential in the development process. The motor skill preference assessment could be better—lots of controversy.
Motor skill preferences
From my experience as a video analysis coach, I can see and define two big categories: Skaters who use their upper body to start the jump and Skaters who use their upper body. It seems simple, but it's not.
Take, for example, Adam Siao Him Fa, the French National Champion and ISU World ranking 3 ( Last updated 28/12/2023). He uses a lot of his upper body to move. Of course, to jump and succeed in different quad jumps, his legs are powerful. The only detail to consider is that a figure skating jump results from vertical and horizontal velocities.
The trajectory in the air is parabolic ( with different possible shapes). A body in the air uses the same features as bullet ballistics. Having powerful legs that only work vertically can be the source of struggle due to a lack of bodyweight transfer.
And for Adam, it was the case during the first part of the season. I wish his coaching team worked on and fixed this detail.