Toe loop jump

History

The toe loop jump is the simplest of the six jumps in the sport of figure skating. It was invented in the 1920s by American professional figure skater Bruce Mapes, who may have also invented the flip jump. In competitions, 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 for a quintuple toe loop is 14.

Firsts

Technique

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 easier jump to add multiple rotations to because the toe-assisted takeoff adds power to the jump, and because a skater can turn their body toward the assisting foot at takeoff, which slightly reduces the rotation required 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, as well as "the most commonly cheated on take off jump", or a jump in which the first rotation starts on the ice rather than in the air.

According to figure skating researcher Deborah King and her colleagues, the toe loop jump can be divided into four key events and three phases. The key events are: the toe-pick, or the moment the skater places their toepick into the ice; the take-off, or the last contact they make with the ice; the jump's maximum height; and the landing, or the moment the skater returns to the ice. The three phases are: the approach, which begins when the skater initiates the three turn entry into the jump and ends when they initiate the toe-pick; propulsion, which begins at the toe-pick and ends at take-off; and flight, which begins at take-off and ends at landing.

A skater initiates a toe loop done in isolation with a forward approach on the inside edge of the blade, then switches to a backward-facing position before its takeoff. The takeoff is accomplished from a back outside edge and with assistance from the toepick of the other foot. The jump is exited from the back outside edge of the same foot.

The skater may arrive on the back outside edge either as the back outside edge exiting from a forward three turn initiated on the inside edge, or from a forward three turn initiated on the outside edge and exited on the inside edge, followed by a change of foot. When the toe loop is done in combination, the back outside edge is the landing of the previous jump. After completing the three turn or previous jump, the skater reaches their free leg behind them and slightly outside the direction they are traveling, much like a pole-vaulter; this is the opposite foot they will use to land. Then they place the toepick in the ice with the free leg, and jump while pulling the take-off leg back and around and reaching forward and around with the arm and shoulder on the same side as the take-off leg, thus achieving the rotation. They draw their arms into the body for the desired number of rotations. At the time of take-off, the skater should face forward, with their free leg approximately parallel to their take-off foot and with their arms as close to their body as possible, which results in keeping their arms and legs close to their bodies and remaining in tight rotating positions at the moment of take-off. This helps attain faster rotational velocities in the air.

King and her colleagues, when they studied quadruple toe loop jumps at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, counted 71 attempted quadruple toe loop jumps or quadruple toe-loop combination jumps. Of those, there were 33 quadruple toe loops performed not in combination with other jumps, 13 of which were landed cleanly, without a fall, without the skater touching a hand down on the ice, or without stepping out of the landing onto the other foot. They also found that "the most significant aspect" for completing toe loop jumps was the ability to increase rotational velocity while in the air. King also found that skaters who performed quadruple toe loops began to rotate their shoulders earlier than in triples, so that by the time they completed their toe-pick, their hips and shoulders were more aligned about their longitudinal axes. As a result, their hips and shoulders turned more uniformly during the propulsion phase of the jump. Vertical take-off velocity, however, was higher for both quadruple and triple toe loops, resulting in "higher jumps and more time in the air to complete the extra revolution for the quadruple toe-loop".

Gallery

File:MIYAHARA Satoko JPN – 4th Place (23).jpg|Satoko Miyahara begins a toe loop File:2020-01-09 Opening ceremony at 2020 Winter Youth Olympics (Martin Rulsch) 212.jpg|Stéphane Lambiel begins to take off by hitting the ice with his left toe pick File:2019 Internationaux de France Saturday men FS group 2 Kevin Aymoz 8D9A3750.jpg|Kévin Aymoz landing File:Adam Siao Him Fa 2025 Worlds Practice 4T.webm|Video of Adam Siao Him Fa performing a quadruple toe loop jump

Footnotes

References

Works cited

References

1. (22 February 2018). "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Figure Skating Jumps and Scores". Time Magazine.
2. Media Guide, p. 20
3. "Communication No. 2707: Single & Pair Skating Scale of Values (ISU No. 2707)".
4. Media Guide, p. 21
5. (26 March 1988). "A Quadruple Jump on Ice". The New York Times.
6. (10 March 2018). "Trusova (RUS) Makes History with Two Quads in Golden Performance". International Skating Union.
7. (10 September 2018). "Trusova (RUS) Continues to Make History, Goes for Three Quads in Kaunas". International Skating Union.
8. Media Guide, p. 22
9. (3 November 2001). "MasterCard Skate Canada International, Day Three". International Skating Union.
10. (28 October 2019). "". link
11. (4 November 2018). "Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) Hits Quad Toe-Triple Axel En Route to Gold in Helsinki". International Skating Union.
12. Pucin, Diane. (26 December 1999). "He's Pushing the Envelope, Not That Anyone Notices". Los Angeles Times.
13. Smirnova, Lena. (18 November 2024). "Three Years in the Making: Mikhail Shaidorov Breaks Down His Historic Triple Axel-Quad Toe Jump Combo".
14. (28 March 2017). "Figure Skating - Breakdown of Quadruple Jumps, Highest Scores and Judging".
15. "Identifying Jumps". U.S. Figure Skating.
16. (25 July 2025). "ISU Technical Panel Handbook: Single Skating 2025-2026". U.S. Figure Skating.
17. (5 February 2014). "A GIF Guide to Figure Skaters' Jumps at the Olympics". The Atlantic Monthly.