Let's land steadily, with knee bent!
That's the tips right? Bent your knee!
Right hand make a swing!
Oh yeah right hand, that's important!
Yes, that's Shoma's landing!
Let me try Shoma's landing!
Shoma's landing is special!
All the special landing we can't forget..
It takes a lot of skill to land a jump nicely with flow
Because landing a jump is already difficult in itself!
when she wobbles like this
or Tonya Harding nearly falls over,
they're compensating for a huge rotational velocity all while trying to look good
This is what good jump landing looks like normally..
Skaters land backward with outside edge on a circle
Hands wide open for balancing
A jump is considered landed well when they land with absolute control of their body
Also when they are able to hold the position while skating continuously with flow
Most of the time their free leg will be down within 1-2 seconds after landing
Sometimes the skaters need to put down their free leg faster to save a jump
fighting for it!
that was amazing! He was able to save that jump with deep knee bent!
Or skaters will use deep knee bent to save a jump
Shoma was teased because he always landed his jumps with such deep knee bent
which almost felt like he's saving a jump each time
Hence he's nicknamed the "Golden knee" by some fans
Put Shoma's jumps aside, there are actually some really special jumps landed which leave a lasting impression on us!
figure skating Top 6 special jump landings to watch!
6 - Yuna Kim, 3S and 3Lz in the 2010 Olympics
Most of Yuna Kim's 2010 olympics win highlight was on her 3Lz-3T combination
beautiful start
But for me, the best jumps she did there were her 3S and 3Lz near the end!
beautiful! so good the running edge out of that!
look at her landing there!
how long did she hold it with one foot?
with multiple three turns out of the jump that flow with the music, her transition was simply unreal and the best of her prime time!
we didn't see her reuse this transition again after she returned on the Olympic stage in 2014.
perhaps it's too difficult after she passed her prime
3Lz! Tight but done! triple looks tight but done!
or perhaps it's not as highly rewarded..
but as a skating enthusiast, these special landings are what makes us remember a skater
Yuna's 2010 long program was the longest world record held for over 6 years,
until it's broken in the 2016 world championships
which brings us into
5 - Evgenia Medvedeva - beginning of "Eteri" era style of transition
Evgenia Medvedeva is the one who broke Yuna Kim's world record at the 2016 world championships
most people credited that for her extensive use of "Tano" hand variation
wow! that is a gorgeous triple triple with the arm over the head!
she did a lot of jumps with her arm over her head
and while that doesn't actually add points, it adds to the grade of execution and the difficulty of the jump
but for me, the landing of Zhenya's jump is always a highlight of her programs!
The more you learn about skating, the more you would start appreciating these exquisite transitions out of her jumps!
which requires excellent control on her landing foot!
the reach back into that second triple on this 3S-3T is insane!
her technique is so on point!
her successful career also influenced other "Eteri" girls to take up these special landing approaches for their jumps
does this jump from Sasha look familiar to you?
she definitely learned it from watching this skater on ice!
so difficult to go backwards and forward on the same foot and just take straight off into the air
4 - Yuzuru Hanyu, 3A
really difficult entry into that 3A!
Hanyu basically created a path for everyone to start doing stuff!
wow! very difficult entry!
he started difficult exit for 3A!
This man literally started a trend for the new generation!
Supreme jump!
3A out of nowhere
so while 3A become Hanyu's signature move..
what skating fans are looking for is always what kind of new landing he would come up this time for his 3A!
3A! sweeping take-off!
Great ice coverage!
beside 3A, we have also seen some special landings on his QUADS!
3 - Yuzuru Hanyu, 4T
he was the only Olympic champion who stayed in and competed through the year
that actually was a QUAD! How easy did that look!
As the requirements for the QUADs get more intense throughout the years,
we seldom see Hanyu performing a solo Quadruple Toeloop (4T) in the recent events..
as he mostly performed 4T in combination
4T-3T! just perfect!
he had some of the nicest 4T combination landing ever!
but when he performed the solo 4T in his routine..
it's normally coupled with some of the most exquisite landings!
right here, huge jump for him!
his solo 4T in the grand prix final 2014 had one of the most exquisite landings we had ever seen!
he landed it so well that he could still perform two of the most difficult transitions
holding onto one foot skating for almost 10 seconds!
and talk about perhaps the longest time a skater held it with one foot skating after a jump, it got to be this one!
and let's go to the...
2 - Wenjing Sui / Cong Han Worlds 2019 Throw 3S
this is perhaps the best throw jump ever performed in the world!
look at how long she held her free legs up
and how many transitions she did without ever changing her landing foot!!
the stillness of her upper body on those landings amazes me!
Looks fake!
Throw jumps are the hardest elements for a lot of pairs!
For a lot of top pairs, most throw jumps were either landed tight
and saved with deep knee bent!
high risk element like this - throw 3S at the very end of the program
so to achieve such good landing flow out of this jump is extremely difficult
even for the pair themselves!
let's look at their world championships 2021 for the same program!
notice the difference in landing? (Her free leg was down earlier)
so it's always these special jumps that landed so well which left a lasting impression for us!
Talking about leaving a mark in all skating fans hearts, let's jump to the..
1 - Special hand variations
here another QUAD
while the previously introduced landings were done perfectly,
sometimes it took some imperfection to make the landing special
just like this landing save that goes against gravity,
to a lot of fans, the most special landing are always those non-choreographed moments..
which you can find a lot in Hanyu's programs..
Did anyone notice the hand variation when Hanyu landed that 3A with hands close to the chest during Olympics 2022 Short program?
Another hand variation when he raised his arm up as if declaring "Don't ever doubt about me!"
This video was made to remember these special jump landing with excellent transitions
which will never again be rewarded any extra PCS in the new judging system from season 2022/23..