Contents
Profile
Axel (figure skating jump)
- Sport
- Figure skating
- Type
- Edge jump
- Take-off
- forward, left outside edge
- Landing
- backward, right outside edge
- Named after
- Axel Paulsen (Norway)
The jump with the extra half rotation
All other jumps in figure skating take off backwards and land backwards. For the Axel, by contrast, the skater approaches forwards and takes off from the outside edge of the left foot (for skaters who rotate anticlockwise). The landing is backwards on the right foot, as usual. Getting from forwards to backwards takes an extra half rotation. A single Axel therefore has one and a half rotations, a double Axel two and a half and a triple Axel three and a half.
Recognising it
The Axel is the easiest jump for spectators to recognise: it is the only one where you see the skater go forwards into the jump, often with a powerful swing of the free leg. The other five jumps start backwards. How they differ is explained in the overview of jump types.
History
The jump is named after the Norwegian Axel Paulsen, who is said to have first performed it at a competition in Vienna in 1882 – on speed skates at the time. The first double Axel in competition was landed by American Dick Button in 1948. The first triple Axel was achieved by Canadian Vern Taylor in 1978. Among women, Japan's Midori Ito was the first to land a triple Axel in competition, in 1988.
The quad Axel
For a long time, the quad Axel with four and a half rotations was considered almost impossible. In 2022, American Ilia Malinin became the first skater to land it cleanly at a recognised competition. He has performed it several times since. The jump has the highest base value of all single jumps.
Scoring
In the ISU judging system, every jump has a base value that increases with the number of rotations. For the same number of rotations, the Axel is the most valuable jump. Execution is scored with the GOE. If a significant part of the rotation is missing on landing, the jump is marked as under-rotated and scores lower.
Required in the short program
An Axel jump is required in the short program. That shows how important it is: without a reliable Axel, a career at the top level is hardly possible.
Typical mistakes
Common problems are a take-off that is too flat, starting to rotate on the ice too early and a landing where the rotation is incomplete. In training, coaches often use a pole harness or a harness to practise new Axel variants safely.
From children to world class
The single Axel is a major milestone for many young skaters, because it is the first jump with more than one rotation.
Frequently asked questions
+Why does the Axel have an extra half rotation?
Because it takes off forwards and lands backwards.
+Who landed the first quad Axel?
Ilia Malinin of the USA, in 2022 at a recognised competition.
Sources & further links
Editorially researched and checked against association and rulebook information. Found a mistake? Write to us via the Contact page.
Read more in the encyclopedia
Term
Figure skating jumps: Axel, Lutz, flip & co.
Figure skating has six basic jumps: toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip, Lutz and Axel. They differ in the take-off – whether with the help of the toe pick (toe jump) or from the edge (edge jump). The landing is almost always backwards on the right foot (for anticlockwise rotators).
Term
Figure skating judging system (IJS, GOE, PCS)
Since 2004, figure skating has been scored under the ISU Judging System (IJS). The total score is made up of the technical score (base value of the elements plus the GOE execution score) and the program components, minus any deductions, for example for falls.
Sport
Figure skating
Figure skating combines athleticism and expression: skaters perform jumps, spins and step sequences to music, which a judging panel scores under the ISU judging system. Olympic disciplines are singles, pair skating, ice dance and the team event.
Term
GOE (Grade of Execution)
GOE stands for Grade of Execution, the execution score in figure skating. Judges use it to score every element on a scale from −5 to +5. The GOE changes an element's base value up or down by a percentage.
Term
Lutz (figure skating jump)
The Lutz is a toe jump in figure skating that takes off from the back outside edge. Because the approach curves one way and the rotation goes the other, it is considered the hardest standard jump after the Axel. It is named after Alois Lutz from Vienna.
Term
Flip (figure skating jump)
The flip is a toe jump in figure skating. The skater takes off from the back inside edge of the left foot and picks into the ice with the toe pick of the right skate. It resembles the Lutz but is jumped from the other edge.