Figure Skating Quad Jumps (Audrey Weisiger)

In this video Audrey Weisiger talks about quad jumps and what it takes to accomplish this amazing feat.  Audrey has worked with two skaters with successful quads, Michael Weiss and Timothy Goebel.

Notice that Audrey really focuses on preparation and making sure the skater is ready to safely attempt the quad.  This can be done by using computer video analysis software such as Dartfish to determine if they jump high enough and have the potential to rotate fast enough.  Audrey thinks 0.61 seconds of airtime is required before a skater can safely start to work on the quad and 0.667 seconds is really the “magic number” for good rotators.

Audrey is also a big believer in skaters wearing padding and protective equipment for quad attempts.  Audrey also strongly recommends using the pole harness for quad development.  For those that don’t have access to a pole harness, an overhead harness can also work although it’s much more restrictive.  Traveling to a quality pole harness coach may be a good investment.

Audrey tells the story of how she worked with Michael Weiss to develop the quad.  She mentions “Nick” several times and she’s referring to pole harness specialist Nick Perna who also coaches in Fairfax, VA.

Audrey emphasizes that the skater must be mentally prepared for the level of responsibility that goes along with attempting a quad.  She says the skater needs to be ready and committed to the process so that the initial experience is positive.  Audrey also talks about the nature of working on things that nobody has ever done before (Michael’s quad lutz).  It takes a lot of courage to attempt something you’ve never seen done.

Audrey encourages skaters and coaches working on these kinds of elements to travel to rinks where other people are working on them and landing them.  This raises the “believability” and helps with the mental side of the jump.

For any jump that is at or very near the skater’s physical ability and has the potential for serious injury (the quad), it is important that the skater is mentally prepared each and every day they work on it.

Near the end of this video, Audrey talks about working with skaters that have the ability to step up on competition day and land the jumps they need.  She mentions working with skater Kiri Baga.  This video was shot during the time that Kiri was in Turkey at an International competition.

Audrey is an Olympic coach and we are very lucky to have her contributions to iCoachSkating.com.  Please leave a comment for Audrey or other members below.

Editor’s Note:  I’ve spoken to many coaches about quads and they’ve said similar things as Audrey.  Frank Carroll told me that in a typical practice, a skater that is capable of the quad may not land any or may land half a dozen.  He said that on average over weeks or months, a skater that has a quad typically only hits it about a third of the time in practice but more in competition.  And Page Lipe told me that when working with Rohene Ward on quads, they would only attempt a few each day because of the intensity of the quad.  Rohene said he would try one and if he landed it, he might stop or do one more.  If he missed but was close on the first attempt, he’d almost always try another.  -Trevor
FavoriteLoadingAdd to “My Favorites” (Beta testing)

4 responses to “Figure Skating Quad Jumps (Audrey Weisiger)”

  1. Christine

    Great insight, thankyou, it doesn’t matter what level skater you are, there are lessons to be learned here. Thankyou.

  2. Cheryl

    Great thoughts on the psychological aspects of coaching that apply to all levels. Very helpful in many areas–transition to new skills, training and competing. Thanks for letting us in on the thought process!

  3. Nancy

    Thanks Audrey! Great pearls of wisdom for all of us, no matter what level we are teaching. Thank you for your insight and your contributions to icoachskating!

  4. Robert Mauti

    WONDERFUL! Loved this!