Why does my son keep falling on his Axel landing?

The Axel landing is where most skaters first experience real trouble—it's that one-and-a-half rotation that demands both power and precision. If your son is consistently falling on the landing, I'd look at two things happening before he even gets airborne.

First, check his takeoff. A weak or off-axis jump entry means he's already fighting gravity on the way down. The Axel needs that clean forward entry with his free leg driving up and back—if he's rotating early or not committing fully to the jump, the landing leg won't be in the right place to catch him.

Second, many skaters don't realize their upper body is working against them. Even slight upper-body rotation ahead of his hips will throw off his landing alignment. He should feel like his shoulders stay quiet and patient while his legs do the work.

The landing itself also requires serious edge control. Some skaters land too far back on their blade or with their weight on their heel—both will cause that backward fall. He needs to land on a solid back outside edge, with his weight centered and his core engaged to absorb the impact.

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