Contents
Profile
Loop (Rittberger)
- Sport
- Figure skating
- Type
- Edge jump
- Take-off
- right back outside edge
- Landing
- right back outside edge
- German name after
- Werner Rittberger (Germany)
A jump without the toe pick
For the loop, the skater glides backwards on the outside edge of the right foot, with the left leg crossed in front. From this position they take off without using the toe pick, rotate in the air and land on the right foot again. Take-off and landing foot are therefore identical. This sets the loop apart from all other jumps.
Name: loop or Rittberger?
In German-speaking countries, the jump is named after its inventor Werner Rittberger, a Berlin figure skater who is said to have first performed it around 1910. Rittberger was world silver medallist several times. Internationally, the name loop has become established, because the tracing on the ice forms a loop. ISU protocols use the abbreviation "Lo".
Difficulty
The loop is considered moderately difficult. Because there is no toe pick, the skater has to generate all the power from the edge and the swing of the upper body. The approach is often short, which makes the entry difficult. In base value, the loop sits above the toe loop and Salchow and below the flip and Lutz.
The loop in combinations
Because the loop starts on the right foot, on which all jumps also end, it is ideal as the second jump in a combination. The skater lands the first jump and takes off again immediately without a step. A combination such as triple Lutz–triple loop is considered very demanding, because the second jump has to come out of the landing without help from the toe pick.
The Euler as a link
Closely related is the Euler (formerly half loop), a one-rotation jump that takes off backwards from the right foot and lands on the left. It is used in combinations to connect jumps from the left foot such as the Salchow or flip.
Quad loop
The quad loop is jumped by very few men. Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu was the first skater to land it cleanly in competition, in 2016. It has been considered one of the rarest quad jumps ever since.
Recognising it
Watch whether both feet are on the ice before take-off and whether the skater takes off without picking in with the toe. If the landing is on the same leg as the take-off, it is a loop.
Training
The single loop is usually learned after the Salchow and toe loop.
Frequently asked questions
+Why is the loop called Rittberger in German?
After the Berlin figure skater Werner Rittberger, who is said to have invented it.
+What is special about the loop?
Take-off and landing are on the same foot, without the toe pick.
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
Axel (figure skating jump)
The Axel is the only figure skating jump with a forward take-off. That is why it always has half a rotation more than its name suggests: a triple Axel has three and a half rotations. It is considered the hardest of the six standard jumps.
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.