{| class="wikitable floatright"
|-
! colspan=2 | ISU abbreviations
|-
! 1Eu || Euler jump
|-
! T || Toe loop
|-
! F || Flip
|-
! Lz || Lutz
|-
! S || Salchow
|-
! Lo || Loop
|-
! A || Axel
|}
Figure skating jumps are an element of three competitive figure skating disciplines: men's singles, women's singles, and pair skatingbut not ice dancing. Jumping in figure skating is "relatively recent". They were originally individual compulsory figures, and sometimes special figures; many jumps were named after the skaters who invented them or from the figures from which they were developed. Jumps may be performed individually or in combination with each other.
It was not until the early part of the 20th century, well after the establishment of organized skating competitions, that jumps with the potential of being completed with multiple revolutions were invented, and when jumps were formally categorized. In the 1920s, Austrian skaters began to perform the first double jumps in practice. Skaters experimented with jumps, and by the end of the period, the modern repertoire of jumps had been developed. Jumps did not have a major role in free skating programs during international competitions until the 1930s. During the post-war period and into the 1950s and early 1960s, triple jumps became more common for both male and female skaters, and a full repertoire of two-revolution jumps had been fully developed. In the 1980s, men were expected to complete four or five difficult triple jumps, and women had to perform the easier triples. By the 1990s, after compulsory figures were removed from competitions, multi-revolution jumps became more important in figure skating.
The six most common jumps can be divided into two groups: toe jumps (the toe loop, the flip, and the Lutz) and edge jumps (the Salchow, the loop, and the Axel). The Euler jump, which was known as a half-loop before 2018, is an edge jump. Jumps are also classified by the number of revolutions. Pair skaters perform two types of jumps: side-by-side jumps, in which jumps are accomplished side by side and in unison, and throw jumps, in which the woman performs the jump when assisted and propelled by her partner.
According to the International Skating Union (ISU), jumps must have the following characteristics to earn the most points: they must have "very good height and very good length"; they must be executed effortlessly, including the rhythm demonstrated during jump combinations; and they must have good takeoffs and landings. The following are not required, but also taken into consideration: there must be steps executed before the beginning of the jump, or it must have either a creative or unexpected entry; the jump must match the music; and the skater must have, from the jump's takeoff to its landing, a "very good body position".
Progress in women's single skating in the 2010s is associated with the rapid increase in the technical complexity of programs. Alina Zagitova, representing Eteri Tutberidze's team from Russia, claimed victory at the 2018 Winter Olympics with a performance that approached the theoretical limit of a program without triple axels and quadruple jumps. Following this, the next generation of figure skaters, such as Rika Kihira from Japan and Alena Kostornaia (Tutberidze team), began setting records by incorporating the triple Axel into their programs. According to sports reporter Dvora Meyers, the "quad revolution in women's figure skating" began in 2018, when Kostornaia's teammate Alexandra Trusova began performing a quadruple Salchow when she was still competing as a junior. thumb|150px|Figure skating edges
American skater Ilia Malinin is the first and only person to successfully land a fully rotated quadruple Axel in international competition, a jump widely regarded as the most difficult achieved in figure skating competition.
Types of jumps
:Anomalies in the takeoff and landing are highlighted in bold and italic.
:All basic figure skating jumps are landed backwards.
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Classification and distinction of basic figure skating jumps
|-
!scope=col width=5px |
!scope=col width=5px | Jump
!scope=col width=55px|
!scope=col width=55px|
!scope=col width=55px|
!scope=col width=55px|
!scope=col width=55px|
!scope=col width=55px| Takeoff edge
!scope=col width=60px| Landing edge
|-
!scope=row| A
| Axel
| —
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
| —
| —
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
| Forward outside
| Outside
|-
!scope=row| Lz
| Lutz
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
| —
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
| —
| Backward outside
| Outside
|-
!scope=row| F
| Flip
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
| —
| —
| Backward inside
| Outside
|-
!scope=row| Lo
| Loop (Rittberger)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Backward outside
| Outside
|-
!scope=row| S
| Salchow
| —
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
| —
| —
| Backward inside
| Outside
|-
!scope=row| T
| Toe loop
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Backward outside
| Outside
|-
!scope=row| Eu
| Euler
| —
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
|bgcolor=#E0FFB0|
| —
| —
| Backward outside
| Inside
|}
The six most common jumps can be divided into two groups: toe jumps (the toe loop, the flip, and the Lutz) and edge jumps (the Salchow, the loop, and the Axel). The Euler jump, which was known as a half-loop before 2018, is an edge jump. The ISU classifies jumps in order of their difficulty: the toe loop, the Salchow, the loop, the flip, the Lutz, and the Axel; and by the number of revolutions. All single jumps, except for the Axel, include one revolution, double jumps include two revolutions, and so on. More revolutions earn skaters more points. Jumps with more revolutions have increased in importance "as a measure of technical and athletic ability, with attention paid to clean takeoffs and landings". Pair skaters perform two types of jumps: side-by-side jumps, in which jumps are accomplished side by side and in unison, and throw jumps, in which the woman performs the jump when assisted and propelled by her partner. Quintuple jumps are not allowed in the short program.
Toe jumps tend to be higher than edge jumps because skaters press the toe pick of their skate into the ice on takeoff. Both feet are on the ice at the time of takeoff, and the toe-pick in the ice at takeoff acts as a pole vault. It is impossible to add a half-revolution to toe jumps. Skaters accomplish edge jumps by leaving the ice from any of their skates' four possible edges; lift is "achieved from the spring gained by straightening of a bent knee in combination with a swing of the free leg". They require precise rotational control of the skater's upper body, arms, and free leg, and of how well they lean into the takeoff edge. The preparation going into the jump and its takeoff, as well as controlling the rotation of the preparation and takeoff, must be precisely timed. When a skater executes an edge jump, they must extend their leg and use their arms more than when they execute toe jumps.
Euler
The Euler is an edge jump. It was known as the half-loop jump in International Skating Union (ISU) regulations prior to the 2018–2019 season, when the name was changed. It was invented in the 1920s by American professional figure skater Bruce Mapes. In competition, the base value of a single toe loop is 0.40; the base value of a double toe loop is 1.30; the base value of a triple toe loop is 4.20; the base value of a quadruple toe loop is 9.50; and the base value of the quintuple toe loop is 14.00.
The toe loop is considered the simplest jump because not only do skaters use their toe-picks to execute it, but their hips are already facing the direction in which they will rotate. The toe loop is the easiest jump to add multiple rotations to because the toe-assisted takeoff adds power to the jump and because a skater can turn their body towards the assisting foot at takeoff, which slightly reduces the rotation needed in the air. It is often added to more difficult jumps during combinations, and is the most common second jump performed in combinations. It is also the most commonly attempted jump, In competition, the base value of a single flip is 0.50; the base value of a double flip is 1.80; the base value of a triple flip is 5.30; the base value of a quadruple flip is 11.00; and the base value of a quintuple flip is 14.00.
Lutz
The ISU defines the Lutz jump as "a toe-pick assisted jump with an entrance from a back outside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot". It is the second-most difficult jump in figure skating It is the only jump that begins with a forward takeoff, which makes it the easiest jump to identify. Sports reporter Nora Princiotti says, about the triple Axel, "It takes incredible strength and body control for a skater to get enough height and to get into the jump fast enough to complete all the rotations before landing with a strong enough base to absorb the force generated". According to American skater Mirai Nagasu, "Falling on the triple Axel is really brutal."
In competition, the base value of a single Axel is 1.10; the base value of a double Axel is 3.30; the base value of a triple Axel is 8.00; the base value of a quadruple Axel is 12.50; and the base value of a quintuple Axel is 14.00. According to The New York Times, the triple Axel has become more common for male skaters to perform; as of 2025, Ilia Malinin from the U.S. is the only skater to successfully complete a quadruple Axel.
thumb|Japanese figure skater [[Midori Ito, first female skater to land a triple Axel, in 1989]]
Rules and regulations
The ISU defines a jump element for both single skating and pair skating disciplines as "an individual jump, a jump combination or a jump sequence". Jumps are not allowed in ice dance.
Also according to the ISU, jumps must have the following characteristics to earn the most points: they must have "very good height and very good length"; In a jump combination, the landing foot of the first jump must be the take-off foot of the second jump. The skater can also execute one full revolution on the ice between the jumps, meaning that their free foot can touch the ice with no weight transfer. An Euler jump can be included in a jump combination, although not during the short program, and only once during the free skating program.
A jump sequence consists of "two or three jumps in Single Skating or two jumps in Pair Skating of any number of revolutions in which the second and/or the third jump is an Axel type jump with a direct step from the landing curve of the first/second jump into the take-off curve of the Axel jump". The free foot can touch the ice, but there must be no weight transfer on it, and if the skater makes one full revolution between the jumps, the element continues to be deemed a jump sequence and receives its full value. Prior to the 2022-23 season, the skater received only 80% of the base value of the jumps executed in a jump sequence.
left|thumb|Russian figure skater [[Alina Zagitova, namesake of the "Zagitova Rule", in 2019]]
All jumps are considered in the order they are completed. If an extra jump or jumps are executed, the extra jump(s) not in accordance with requirements will have no value. The limitation on the number of jumps skaters can perform in their programs, called the "Zayak Rule" after American skater Elaine Zayak, has been in effect since 1983, after Zayak performed six triple jumps, four toe loop jumps, and two Salchows in her free skating program at the 1982 World Championships. Writer Ellyn Kestnbaum says the ISU established the rule "in order to encourage variety and balance rather than allowing a skater to rack up credit for demonstrating the same skill over and over". Kestnbaum also says that as rotations in jumps for both men and women have increased skaters have increased the difficulty of jumps by adding more difficult combinations and by adding difficult steps immediately before or after their jumps, resulting in "integrating the jumps more seamlessly into the flow of the program".
Single skating
Skaters earn extra points for executing jumps in the second half of their programs. In their short programs, they receive a bonus on their final jumping pass executed in the second half of the program. In their free skating programs, the bonus applies to the final three jumping passes, also if they execute the jumps during the second half of the program. This limitation has been called the "Zagitova Rule", named for Alina Zagitova from Russia, who won the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics by "backloading" her free skating program, or placing all her jumps in the second half of the program in order to take advantage of the rule in place at the time that awarded a ten percent bonus to jumps performed during the second half of the program. Also starting in 2018, single skaters could repeat the same two triple or quadruple jumps only in their free skating programs. They could repeat four-revolution jumps only once, and the base value of the triple Axel and quadruple jumps were "reduced dramatically".
Junior men and women single skaters are not allowed to perform quadruple jumps in their short programs. In their short programs, both junior and senior skaters have to perform either a double or triple Axel jump, one triple or quadruple jump, and a jump combination. In their free-skating programs, both junior and senior skaters have to complete seven jump elements, one of which has to be an Axel-type jump.
Pair skating
thumb|Canadian pair skaters [[Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini performing a throw jump in 1983]]
Pair teams, both juniors and seniors, must perform one solo jump during their short programs; it can include a double loop or double Axel for juniors, or any kind of double or triple jump for seniors. In the free skating program, for both juniors and seniors, skaters are limited to a maximum of one jump combination or sequence. A jump sequence consists of two or three jumps of any number of revolutions, in which the second and/or the third jump is an Axel type jump. Jumps during the short program that do not satisfy the requirements (including the wrong number of revolutions) will have no value. In the free skating program, when the partners perform an unequal number of revolutions as a solo jump, or as part of a jump combination or jump sequence, the jump with the smaller number of revolutions is counted. When they "definitely perform" different types of jumps, they receive no credit. In the free skating program, repeated jumps executed with over two revolutions "of the same name and number of revolutions" are not counted, although the two jumps may be the same within the same jump combination or jump sequence. The ISU also states, "Jumps are considered in the order of their combination".
Throw jumps are "partner-assisted jumps in which the Woman is thrown into the air by the Man on the takeoff and lands without assistance from her partner on a backward outside edge". Skate Canada says, "The male partner assists the female into flight." The speed of the team's entry into the throw jump and the number of rotations performed increases its difficulty, as well as the height and/or distance they create. Richards found that a skater tends to spend the same amount of time in the air when performing triple and quadruple jumps, but their angular momentum at the start of triples and quadruples is slightly higher than it is for double jumps. The key to completing higher-rotation jumps is controlling the moment of inertia. Richards also found that many skaters, although they were able to gain the necessary angular momentum for takeoff, had difficulty gaining enough rotational speed to complete the jump.
|-
| Double Axel || 2A || Dick Button || 1948 || Carol Heiss || 1953 ||
|-
| colspan="5" |
|-
| Triple toe loop || 3T || Thomas Litz || 1964 || n/a || ||
|-
| Triple Salchow || 3S || Ronnie Robertson || 1955 || Petra Burka|| 1962 ||
|-
| Triple loop || 3Lo || Dick Button || 1952 || Gabriele Seyfert || 1968 ||
|-
| Triple flip || 3F || n/a || || Katarina Witt <br/> Manuela Ruben || 1981 ||
|-
| Triple Lutz || 3Lz || Donald Jackson || 1962 || Denise Biellmann || 1978 ||
|-
| Triple Axel || 3A || Vern Taylor || 1978 || Midori Ito || 1988 ||
|-
| colspan="5" |
|-
| Quadruple toe loop || 4T || Kurt Browning || 1988|| Alexandra Trusova || 2018 ||
|-
| Quadruple Salchow || 4S || Timothy Goebel || 1998 || Miki Ando || 2002 ||
|-
| Quadruple loop || 4Lo || Yuzuru Hanyu || 2016 || Adelia Petrosian|| 2022||
|-
| Quadruple flip || 4F || Shoma Uno || 2016 || Alexandra Trusova || 2019||
|-
| Quadruple Lutz || 4Lz || Brandon Mroz || 2011 || Alexandra Trusova || 2018 ||
|}
See also
- Quadruple jump