Salchow jump

The salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot after one or more rotations in the air. It was invented by Ulrich Salchow in 1909.

Salchow technique

The salchow is normally approached from a forward outside 3 turn, on the left foot for a counterclockwise jump. On the left back inside edge after the turn, the skater checks the rotation momentarily with the right foot extended behind, then initiates the jump by swinging the right leg forward and around with a wide scooping motion. The rotational momentum for the jump is gained by the swinging movement of the free leg and the coordination of the free leg and arms at the point of takeoff.

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The salchow can alternately be entered from an inside mohawk turn or from back crossovers. As an edge jump, it is usually performed on a circular pattern instead of from a straight-line approach.

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Occasionally, the salchow is performed as the second or third jump in a jump combination, following a one-foot axel or half loop, which land on a back inside edge.

Related Topics:
One-foot axel - Half loop

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The mechanics of a single salchow are quite similar to those of the waltz jump, the half-rotation jump from a forward outside edge. The salchow is therefore usually the first full-rotation jump taught to beginning figure skaters. It teaches the skater to check her turn and how to jump off the edge rather than the toe pick.

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An alternate technique used by some skaters on the takeoff for multi-rotation salchow jumps is to allow the free foot (the right foot for a counterclockwise jumper) to rest on the ice while bringing it around to the front, instead of using the scooping motion. Sometimes this is merely the result a deep knee bend on the takeoff leg. While salchows performed with this technique have been ratified by the International Skating Union in recent years, some skating purists object to it because in some cases it is clear that the skater is gaining material assist into the jump from pushing off the supposed "free foot", instead of merely skimming it over the ice. For example, Sonia Bianchetti, former chair of the ISU Technical Committee, has referred to the two-footed salchow entry as "a severe error for which a steep deduction had to be applied by the judges". The two-footed salchow entry is also confusing to spectators because the resulting jump can more strongly resemble a loop jump or toe loop jump than a traditional salchow.

Related Topics:
International Skating Union - Sonia Bianchetti - Loop jump - Toe loop jump

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