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What is a combination jump in figure skating?
TL;DR
A combination jump is two or more jumps performed back-to-back without any turn or step between them. The second (and any subsequent) jump must take off from the back outside edge of the foot the previous jump landed on. This means in practice, only Toe Loop and Loop can directly follow another jump.
Combination jumps are required at most USFS test levels and are a key way to score additional points in competition.
The mechanics rule:
For a CCW skater, virtually every standard single jump (Salchow, Toe Loop, Loop, Flip, Lutz, Axel) lands on the right back outside edge. The next jump in a combination must take off from that same edge — meaning:
- Toe Loop is a valid follow-up — its takeoff IS a back outside edge with toe pick
- Loop is a valid follow-up — its takeoff IS a back outside edge (no toe pick, feet crossed)
- Salchow cannot directly follow — needs a back INSIDE edge
- Flip cannot directly follow — needs a back INSIDE edge
- Lutz cannot directly follow — needs a back outside edge but with a long unrotated approach (impossible from a previous jump's landing)
- Axel cannot directly follow — needs a forward outside edge (impossible from a previous landing)
Common valid combinations:
- Waltz Jump + Toe Loop (typical at Preliminary level)
- Salchow + Toe Loop
- Loop + Loop
- Toe Loop + Toe Loop
- Higher level: Triple Toe Loop + Triple Toe Loop, Double Axel + Triple Toe Loop, etc.
Sequences vs Combinations:
A "sequence" is two jumps with steps or turns in between (allowed but worth less in scoring than a combination). A "combination" has zero steps, just landing → takeoff.
A note about valid combination examples:
Triple Axel + Triple Lutz is not a real combination — the Lutz needs a long backward outside edge approach with no rotation. It cannot be done immediately after another jump's landing. Common third-jumps in combinations are Loop or Toe Loop, not Lutz or Flip.
For lower test levels:
- Preliminary requires a basic two-jump combination (e.g., Waltz + Toe Loop)
- Pre-Juvenile / Juvenile expand combination requirements
- Higher levels (Intermediate+) include double + double combinations
Want to see whether your skater's combination flow has a sneaky step between jumps (turning it into a sequence)? SkateMarks captures the takeoff-to-landing window so you can verify it's a true combination.