Wintersports
Ice Skating
Figure skating jumps 101: all you need to know about aerials on the ice
Figure skaters link movements that are equal parts athletic and artistic, but the highlight of the show is obviously the jumps. Use our guide to help you learn you differentiate a lutz from an axel.
If you want to get a full appreciation of the athletic and artistic talents of figure skaters like American teenage sensation Isabeau Levito, the new star of the artistic skating world, then you really need to understand what you're seeing during a performance, especially when it comes to the aerial moves, which are the most technical demanding, risky and spectacular of all.
In addition to the lunges, arabesques and other moves that spice up athletes' performances when they're on the ice, when they take off above it, they can be seen twisting and spinning with speed and grace. If you're not quite up to the level of the world's best judges, to give you a flying start on figure skating jumps, we've broken down each of the aerials you're likely to see during a competition.
Isabeau Levito is America's new skating star. She has her jumps dialled
© Koury Angelo/Red Bull Content Pool
01
The two types of figure skating jump
First of all, there are two distinct types of jump in figure skating that are important to categorise:
Edge jumps: This signifies an aerial made by starting the leap from the edge (the side) of the skates' blade.
Piqué jumps: This signifies an aerial made by starting the leap from the front tip of skates' blade.
02
The type of edge jumps
Loop
For anyone who dips their toes into learning how to figure skate, the loop jump is the first aerial they'll learn. Basically, it's a 180° half spin and to execute it, you need to know that you take-off and land on the same edge, after taking-off on a back outside edge.
Salchow
With 10 consecutive world championship titles from 1901 to 1911, Ulrich Salchow left his mark on figure skating. But more than his domination, it was the Swede's creativity that made his name a legend.
The aerial move that bears his name means landing on the opposite foot to the one that gave that made the leap, by performing one or more rotations – known as a single, double, triple or quadruple. The take-off is always done with a backward inside edge.
All aerial moves require good speed on the ice and setup is vital
© Koury Angelo/Red Bull Content Pool
Axel
Probably the best-known element of figure skating, the axel is also the only one performed while the skater is moving forward. As with the Salchow, the landing is made with the opposite foot and before this, the athlete performs several rotations (often three for men). In 2023, Ilia Malinin landed a quadruple axel to push the move to the next level.
The move was originally created by Axel Paulsen, a Norwegian born in 1855 who practiced both speed skating and figure skating, and it was first performed at the World Championships in 1882. You take off on the outside edge again.
03
The type of edge jumps
Flip
With a backward inside edge take-off, the flip is landed on the same foot a skater take-offs off on. It's performed in double, triple or quadruple variations.
Lutz
Often confused with a flip, the lutz is instead launched on the outside back edge of the skate blade. In both a flip and the lutz, you start on the toe and land on the same leg, but because the lutz ends on the same edge, it is a more complex jump to perform.
This element was invented by Alois Lutz in 1913, while in competition Alexandra Trusova was the first woman to land a quadruple lutz.
