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Profile
Salchow (figure skating jump)
- Sport
- Figure skating
- Type
- Edge jump
- Take-off
- left back inside edge
- Landing
- right back outside edge
- Named after
- Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)
The entry-level jump
The Salchow is usually one of the first jumps children learn in figure skating. The skater moves forwards, turns into backward skating with a three turn on the left foot and glides on the inside edge. The right leg then swings forwards and upwards in an arc and provides the momentum for take-off. The toe pick is not used. The landing is backwards on the right foot.
Named after a record world champion
The jump goes back to Ulrich Salchow, a Swede who is said to have first performed it in 1909. Salchow was one of the most successful skaters of his time: he was world champion ten times and, in London in 1908, the first Olympic champion in men's singles. He later served for many years as president of the International Skating Union.
Difficulty and value
Along with the toe loop, the Salchow is considered the easiest of the six standard jumps. Accordingly, it has one of the lowest base values for the same number of rotations. At the top level, the quad Salchow is nonetheless an important jump, because many skaters master it as their first quad. The first quad Salchow in competition was landed by American Timothy Goebel in the late 1990s. Among women, Japan's Miki Ando became the first to land a quad in competition in 2002 – also a Salchow.
Recognising it
Typical is the wide swing of the free leg before take-off, which looks like an arc. Just before, the skater usually performs a three turn or a mohawk, a step with a change of direction. The toe pick does not touch the ice. Compared with the loop, the Salchow takes off from the left foot.
Typical mistakes
- Starting to rotate on the ice too early, making the jump look "pre-rotated" and costing height.
- A take-off where the edge tips over.
- Incomplete rotation on multi-rotation jumps.
The judges take this into account in the GOE.
The Salchow in programs
Because the Salchow takes off from the left foot, it is rarely used as the second jump in a combination. With the Euler as a link, a sequence such as loop–Euler–Salchow is possible. In the short program and free skate it usually appears as a solo jump.
Pair skating
In pair skating, the Salchow is one of the most common jumps that both partners perform side by side in sync. It also appears as a throw jump, in which the man throws the woman into the jump.
Frequently asked questions
+Who invented the Salchow?
Swede Ulrich Salchow, who is said to have first performed it in 1909.
+Is the Salchow an easy jump?
Along with the toe loop, it is considered the easiest of the six standard jumps.
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.