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Why does my son keep falling on his Axel landing?
TL;DR
Axel landing falls usually trace back to the takeoff or air phase, not the landing itself. The most common causes (in order): under-rotation from slow arm tuck, insufficient height from a weak takeoff push, and off-axis body alignment in the air. Fixing the landing means fixing what came before it.
The Single Axel landing is often where the fall happens, but the ROOT CAUSE is almost always upstream.
The three most common reasons for Axel landing falls:
1. Under-rotation (most common)
- 1.5 rotations means the body has to rotate fully and an extra half — the arms have to close fast for it to happen in the air
- If arms are still wide when the skater is supposed to land, rotation isn't done — the body lands at the wrong angle
- Diagnosis: missing the landing by about 1/4 turn (foot rotated 90° off where it should be) → arms too slow
2. Insufficient height
- Jumping forward (running into the takeoff) instead of UP loses vertical air time
- The free leg should drive forward AND up; a "kick forward" without "up" doesn't generate enough lift
- Diagnosis: missing the landing by about 1/2 turn (foot rotated 180° off) → not enough air time
3. Off-axis air position
- The body should rotate around a vertical axis, head over hips over feet
- A common error is leaning forward in the air (looking down at the ice) — this tilts the rotation axis
- Result: the landing edge isn't where it's supposed to be when the foot hits the ice
About the free leg and shoulder action:
- On TAKEOFF, the free (right) leg drives forward and UP — not "up and back." The forward kick is what generates rotation.
- The shoulders DON'T stay quiet — they coordinate with the arm tuck to generate rotation. The "stay quiet" advice applies only to the prep phase BEFORE takeoff (to avoid pre-rotation), not to the takeoff itself.
What the landing should look like:
- Right back outside edge (not back inside, not forward)
- Right knee bent moderately to absorb impact
- Left leg trailing behind in arabesque
- Arms snapping open ("checking out") to stop rotation
- Body upright, eyes looking the OPPOSITE direction of where the skater was traveling pre-jump
The fix is usually NOT "land better." It's usually "fix the takeoff height" or "speed up the arm tuck." Coaches will work backward from the symptom.
Want to see whether your son's Axel is under-rotating because of arms or because of height? SkateMarks measures rotation count and air time so you and his coach can see exactly which one to fix.