LANDING GRANDEUR

[@elizabethfrootloop7814]

Awesome and great insight on the deep edge to cut the rotation! Now I just need a jump to land... 😮

[@Yesenia694]

Excelente clase Gary felicidades

[@JimmyCroscill1970]

Great lesson as always! Gee you should have started these many years ago Gary.

[@GaryBeacom-FigureSkater]

Thanks, Jimmy. Better late than never!

[@fredpisarski6594]

Thanks Gary, I think the best is not to do more revolutions than you can handle opening in the air leg back. For me beauty of landing is worth more than number of revolutions. As you see I like exhibition, not competition. I believe the feat should be quite doable. After all, divers do many high rpm revs and open to a seamless vertical water entrance without splash all the time(hopefully).

[@GaryBeacom-FigureSkater]

Amen, Fred. I also favour aesthetics over athletics, if I can put it that way. I endeavour to please the judges more than the tech spec.

[@SaccoBelmonte]

My problem (saw myself on video), and something I still work on, is not to land already with the non-skating leg stretched behind. Which looks clumsy.

[@GaryBeacom-FigureSkater]

The first step to solving a problem is identifying it. All the best with the refinement of your landing technique.

[@fredpisarski6594]

I am curious why Sacco says such a landing looks clumsy. Ballet dancers would land such a step exactly like that in arabesque through the foot to lunge. Ballet's existence far exceeds that of figure skating. Is it not the most refined form of human movement?

[@fredpisarski6594]

I am curious why Sacco says landing with leg already in arabesque looks clumsy. Ballet dancers would land such a step exactly like that, in arabesque through the foot to lunge. Ballet's existence far exceeds that of figure skating. Is it not the most refined form of human movement? Doesn't it look really good if you have good deep lunge and nice high turned out leg in back?

[@GaryBeacom-FigureSkater]

Very good observation and input, Fred. Many skaters nowadays land with the free leg wrapped and then unwind it after landing, which is the other extreme, and is inept and ugly. Skaters don't generally land with the free leg all the way in the other extreme, which would be what you describe as an arabesque position like in ballet, although this might be sublime. I don't know of any skaters who land in this position. The reason might have to do with slowing down and stopping rotation for a controlled, sustainable landing. In theory, if the landing is right on a deep enough edge, this should be possible, but the free leg unwinding is a way of allowing some rotation to happen while stability is achieved on the slippery surface. The best landing is between the two extremes, one where rotation is completed in time to start unwinding the free leg before touchdown. Thanks for your comment. I agree that ballet is leaps and bounds ahead of figure skating in aesthetics.