Ice Skating Jumps: Lutz Jump (Michelle Leigh)

Olympic coach Michelle Leigh explains how she develops single lutz.  This video is packed with various drills and ideas that Michelle has developed to ensure her skaters always come off an outside edge.

Initially Michelle simply focuses on having the skater feel the outside edge.  She suggests a step-behind drill to feel the proper edge and reach behind.  She wants the skater to put the free foot “underneath” for the lutz.  (She demonstrates a similar exercise where the free leg goes out to the side, but as she notes, it’s not as good.)  Michelle suggests having the skater get used to twisting the shoulders properly as part of this exercise.

Next she adds a “practice jump” where the skater jumps straight up without rotation so the skater can focus entirely on the outside edge.  After accomplishing this on an outside edge with no turn, the skater can move on to a half turn.

Next Michelle suggests using one foot pulls or power pulls to generate edge power.  For lutz development it is critical to fully twist the shoulders in this exercise.  (Many coaches teach power pulls with relatively still shoulders to focus on edge awareness, but a lutz requires significant shoulder movement.)  Next, add the half turn to the final edge pull.

When attempting the lutz for the first time, Michelle likes the one foot pull entry.  As Michelle notes, “It’s a little bit tough to create rotation on a lutz when you’re going really slow so you might want to go just a little bit faster to make sure that they have good understanding of the edge.”

One of the most overlooked aspects of a good lutz is the quality of the edge itself.  Michelle says, “Great lutzes are built off a really strong outside edge.”  This echoes the “active edge” concept of the Nick Perna lutz videos elsewhere on this website.  This brings up one of the most disturbing aspects of how lutzes are typically taught.  Most young skaters are asked to glide backwards on a shallow outside edge and put their pick in and rotate.  Needless to say, this method simply doesn’t help the skater create a strong outside edge as Michelle wants.  Some skaters figure it out and start pushing on their outside edges while others end up flutzing.  Instead of this “old fashioned” and inconsistent approach to teaching the lutz, all coaches need to be encouraged to hold off on teaching the lutz until the skater can create power in edge pulls or back cross strokes.  Michelle’s approach is a perfect model for skaters and coaches to use to create consistent lutzes off strong outside edges.

One other note:  Watch Michelle’s demonstration at 2:08 in the video.  Notice how Michelle’s picking foot goes in relatively close to the skating foot.  It’s very close in sideways relationship, and it’s also pretty close in front-to-back relationship.  This means there is no setting the pick as far back as possible and “drawing the feet together.”  If you watch carefully, Michelle never uses that terminology or that concept.  It simply doesn’t happen on most good lutzes.  In fact it is virtually impossible to set the pick in the ice a long way back without then switching edges.  Most quality lutzes come off a strong outside edge with a close toe pick placement that allows the skater to easily remain on an outside edge.

This is a great video from a great coach.  Please leave a comment below.

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