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Why does my daughter's arm drop right before she jumps?
TL;DR
Arm drops before jumps usually indicate an early weight shift where the upper body starts rotating before the feet leave the ice, disrupting jump timing and power.
Great question—arm drops right before takeoff are super common, and they usually signal one of two things happening in your daughter's body.
Most often, it's an early weight shift. As skaters prepare to jump, their arms naturally want to drop to help them rotate or balance differently. If that's happening, her body is already starting the jump before her feet actually leave the ice. It's like her upper body is getting ahead of the plan, which can mess up the timing and power of the jump itself.
The other possibility is that she's unconsciously trying to "catch" herself or adjust balance right before takeoff. This happens when skaters aren't quite confident in their setup or when they're second-guessing the jump as they approach it.
The good news? This is totally fixable with some focused practice. The key is helping her understand that her arms should stay in position through the entire approach and takeoff—they're the last thing to move, not the first.
Have her practice her jump entries in slow motion without actually jumping yet. Just the approach, the positioning, hold it. This builds muscle memory for keeping her upper body stable while her legs do the work.
Want to see this in your child's skating? SkateMarks analyzes every jump with per-second AI coaching notes.