Lutz jump

Lutz jump

The Lutz is a figure skating jump, named after Alois Lutzcite book |last=Yamaguchi |first=Kristi |authorlink=Kristi Yamaguchi |coauthors= Christy Ness, Jody Meacham |title=Figure Skating for Dummies |year=1997 |publisher=Hungry Minds |location= |isbn=0764550845 ] , an Austrian skater who performed it in 1913. It is a toepick-assisted jump with an entrance from a back outside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot.

Lutz technique

(The following description assumes a counter-clockwise jumper; for a clockwise jumper, reverse left and right.) The skater typically performs a long glide on a left backward outside edge in a wide arc into the corner of the rink. Just prior to jumping, the skater reaches back with the right arm and the right foot and uses the right toepick to vault into the air, before performing a full turn in the air and landing on the right back outside edge.

In addition to the standard entry described above, it has become common for skaters to do a lutz from a footwork entry, for example, a mohawk or 3 turn followed by a step to the left back outside edge and immediate pick for the jump. In this case the jump is more commonly done from a straight-line approach down the center of the rink, rather than placed in a corner.

The lutz is similar to the flip and the two jumps can be hard for the novice viewer to tell apart. The flip is initiated on the inside edge on a curve that has the same sense as the jump's rotation. The lutz is initiated on the same foot, but on an outside edge.

The lutz is considered one of the more difficult jumps because its entry is "counterrotated" — that is, the rotation of the jump is opposite to that of the entry edge. The body's natural impulse is to "cheat" or begin to pre-rotate the jump by veering off at the last minute onto the inside edge, which really makes the cheated jump a flip. For this reason, the cheated lutz is often called a flutz. On the other hand, skaters with excellent lutz technique will actually deepen the outside edge as they reach back for the pick.

Another notable technique flaw that appears in many skaters' lutzes (and flip jumps) is "hammer toe," which occurs when the free leg rises unusually high, typically near (in some cases above) hip height, before descending to strike the ice. This can make the jump easier to rotate but sacrifices height and some control. Examples of skaters with "hammer toe" on their lutz jumps include Angela Nikodinov and Rudy Galindo.

Lutz history

In the "old days" of skating, some skaters carried the idea of the lutz's counterrotated entry to an extreme by doing this jump in the opposite direction than their other jumps. For example, Sonja Henie did clockwise lutz jumps and the remainder of her jumps and spins in a counterclockwise direction. This practice disappeared with the development of multi-rotation jumps.

Today the lutz is often done in double or triple versions. Donald Jackson of Canada was the first skater to execute a triple lutz jump in competition, at the 1962 World Figure Skating Championships; Denise Biellmann is credited as the first woman to do so, in 1978. No skater has yet landed a clean quadruple lutz jump in competition.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lutz — may refer to:People with the surname Lutz*Adolfo Lutz, Brazilian physician*Alois Lutz, Austrian figure skater, for whom the Lutz jump is named *Al Lutz, American internet journalist *Berta Lutz, Brazilian scientist and feminist *Bob Lutz,… …   Wikipedia

  • Lutz Dombrowski — (born June 25 1959 in Zwickau) is a former German track and field athlete and Olympic champion.Dombrowski was the best long jumper ever to come out of the former East Germany. After winning at the European cup in 1979 he won the gold medal at the …   Wikipedia

  • lutz — type of skating jump, 1932, from the name Alois Lutz, an obscure Austrian skater of the 1920s [James R. Hines, Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating, 2011], who is said to have first performed it in 1913 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Lutz — [luts] n. pl. Lutzes [also l ] a jump in figure skating in which the skater takes off from one skate, does one full turn in the air, and lands on the other skate: cf. AXEL …   English World dictionary

  • lutz — [lʊts] noun a jump in skating from the backward outside edge of one skate to the backward outside edge of the other, with a full turn in the air. Origin 1930s: named after the Austrian skater Alois Lutz (1899–1918) …   English new terms dictionary

  • lutz — noun Etymology: probably irregular from Gustave Lussi died 1993 American (Swiss born) figure skating coach Date: 1938 a backward figure skating jump with a takeoff from the outside edge of one skate followed by a full turn in the air and a… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Lutz — /luts/, n. (sometimes l.c.) Skating. a jump in which the skater leaps from the back outer edge of one skate to make one full rotation in the air and lands on the back outer edge of the opposite skate. [1935 40; allegedly after Gustave Lussi (born …   Universalium

  • lutz — noun [ˈluts/ a) A jump in which the skater takes off from the back outside edge of one skate, rotates counterclockwise and lands on the back outside edge of the other skate. b) light …   Wiktionary

  • lutz — n. jump in figure skating from the back edge of one skate then making one full rotation and landing on the back edge of the other skate …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Lutz — [[t]lʌts[/t]] n. spo (sometimes l.c.) a figure skating jump in which the skater leaps from the back outer edge of one skate to make one full rotation in the air and lands on the back outer edge of the other skate • Etymology: 1935–40 …   From formal English to slang

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”