The Salchow is an edge jump with one full rotation, and for many skaters it's the first full-rotation jump after the waltz jump. If you rotate counterclockwise, you turn a forward outside three-turn on your left foot, take off from that left back inside edge as your right leg swings around, and land on your right back outside edge. There's no toe pick involved, and clockwise skaters mirror all of it.
Key takeaways
- The Salchow is an edge jump with one rotation. Counterclockwise skaters take off from a left back inside edge and land on a right back outside edge, and clockwise skaters mirror it.
- Most skaters get onto that back inside edge with a forward outside three-turn. Some coaches use a mohawk instead.
- The swing of your free leg around and forward gives you the rotation, so your toe pick stays out of it.
- Learn it with a coach once your waltz jump is steady, and jump on freestyle sessions or in lessons rather than on a busy public session.
The Salchow is where a lot of adult skaters turn all the way around in the air for the first time. It's a big step up from the half turn of the waltz jump, and it can feel strange at first, because you take off going backward. The good news is that it's built from pieces you'll already be practicing, and you can work on each one before you put them together.
What a Salchow is
A Salchow is an edge jump, which means you take off from the edge of your blade rather than tapping in with your toe pick. For counterclockwise skaters, the takeoff is a left back inside edge and the landing is a right back outside edge, with one full counterclockwise turn in between. It's pronounced SAL-kow, and it's named after the Swedish skater Ulrich Salchow, who first performed it in 1909.
If you rotate clockwise, swap everything: take off from your right back inside edge and land on your left back outside edge. Of the six jumps you see in competition, only the toe loop ranks below the Salchow in difficulty. Our guide to every figure skating jump shows how they all fit together.
For many skaters, the Salchow is the first full-rotation jump after the waltz jump. It feels familiar, because like the waltz jump you leave the ice from an edge with a swing of the free leg, only going backward this time. Some coaches and programs teach the toe loop first instead, and both orders work. Your coach will pick the one that suits you.
What to have first
A Salchow puts together a few skills you'll already be working on. You want a steady waltz jump that lands on one foot, a forward outside three-turn on your left foot that finishes on a controlled back inside edge, and a comfortable backward glide on your right back outside edge, which is your landing. Our guides to the waltz jump, inside and outside edges and skating backward cover them.
Know how to fall before you start jumping, and our page on falling safely walks you through it. A helmet is a good idea while you're learning, and padded shorts under your leggings are completely normal. Because jumps can go wrong in ways you can't feel, this is a skill to learn with a coach watching.
The entry and the takeoff
Most skaters get onto the takeoff edge with a forward outside three-turn. Counterclockwise, you glide forward on your left outside edge, turn from forward to backward on that same foot, and come out of the turn on your left back inside edge. Coaches often start you from a slow glide, and later from backward crossovers and a step forward. Some coaches use a mohawk instead, which turns you backward by stepping from one foot to the other.
Don't rush out of the turn. Once you're on the back inside edge, hold it for a moment with your left knee bent, your right leg extended behind you and your shoulders checked, so you stop turning. That short pause is where the jump gets set up, and a steady, curving edge here makes everything after it easier.
To jump, swing your right leg around from behind you and forward in a wide, scooping arc, and bring your arms forward with it. At the same time, push up out of your bent left knee and spring off the edge. The swing gives you the rotation, so the toe pick has no part in it. The track it leaves on the ice curves like a fishhook, which is worth looking for in your marks.
In the air and the landing
In the air, bring your arms in and your legs close together, and turn once counterclockwise. Keep your body upright and your head up, and look where you're going rather than down at the ice. A first Salchow doesn't need height. It needs to get all the way around.
Land on your right foot with the knee bent, gliding backward on its outside edge. Stretch your left leg out behind you and open your arms to the sides to steady yourself, the same landing position as your waltz jump. Hold that landing edge for a few seconds before you put the other foot down.
How to practice it
Practice the pieces separately first. Turn your forward outside three-turn and hold the back inside edge in a checked position until it feels calm. Then add the swing of the free leg without jumping, so you feel where it wants to take you. On its own, glide backward in your landing position on your right back outside edge and hold it.
When the pieces feel steady, your coach will have you put them together, small and slow at first. A Salchow that gets all the way around and lands on one foot with a wobble is real progress. Height and speed come later, once the turn, the pause and the swing start to feel like one movement.
Off the ice, rehearse the shape slowly in sneakers: the turn, the pause and the swing. Your coach may give you an off-ice version of the whole jump too. Floor jumps are hard on adult joints, so warm up first, keep them small and land softly on a bent knee. Our page on off-ice training has more ideas.
Jump on freestyle sessions or in lessons, not on a crowded public session. Many rinks don't allow jumps on public sessions at all, so check your rink's rules, and our guide to ice time and session types explains the difference. Before every jump, make sure your landing space is clear.
Common problems
Most Salchow trouble falls into a few patterns. Your coach will tell you which one is yours, but these are the ones they usually look for.
| What happens | What's usually going on | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| The jump spins off the turn instead of lifting | Rushing out of the three-turn without settling on the back inside edge | Pause on the checked back inside edge before you swing. |
| The free leg swings forward too soon | Swinging before the takeoff edge is set | Keep the free leg back until you're ready to jump, then swing. |
| Not enough rotation | A small, hesitant swing of the free leg | Let the free leg swing wide and through. |
| Taking off from both feet | The free foot pushes off the ice as you jump | Practice the swing with the free foot clear of the ice. |
| Falling away to the outside | Your head and weight leaning outside the circle you're skating on | Keep your head and weight over the circle. |
| Landing on two feet, or facing the wrong way | Not getting all the way around, or not trusting the landing | Practice the landing glide on its own, and keep the jump small until it's steady. |
What comes next
Once your Salchow lands on one foot most of the time, your coach will start adding the other single jumps. A Salchow followed by a toe loop is a common early combination, because the Salchow lands on the right back outside edge that the toe loop takes off from. Our guide to figure skating terms has the takeoff edge for every jump.
Jumping as an adult takes nerve, and plenty of us spend a while with the Salchow as our nemesis. That's why we made an Anti Salchow Club sticker. If fear is the thing holding you back, our page on overcoming fear on the ice has ideas that help.
This is general advice from adult skaters, not coaching. A coach can see things you can't feel, so if something here doesn't match what yours teaches, go with your coach.
Sources
The edges and history in this guide come from the sources below, and the technique follows common coaching practice. Coaches teach the Salchow in slightly different ways, so where they differ, go with yours.
- Adults Skate Too, Every Figure Skating Jump Explained (reviewed against the ISU Technical Panel Handbook): takeoff and landing edges and the difficulty ranking of the six jumps.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica and Olympics.com, athlete entries for Ulrich Salchow: the first performance of the jump in 1909.
- Wikipedia, "Salchow jump": the forward outside three-turn or mohawk entry, the checked back inside edge and the scooping swing of the free leg.
- iCoachSkating coaching lessons by Michelle Leigh, Kori Ade and Page Lipe: common Salchow faults.
- Learn to Skate USA Free Skate level sheets, as published by member rinks: the place of the waltz jump, toe loop and Salchow in class progressions.
