The waltz jump is a half-rotation edge jump, and it's the first jump most figure skaters learn. If you rotate counterclockwise, you take off from your left foot on a forward outside edge, turn half a turn in the air, and land on your right foot gliding backward on its outside edge. There's no toe pick involved: the lift comes from your knee, your free leg and your arms.
Key takeaways
- Counterclockwise skaters take off from a left forward outside edge and land on a right back outside edge. Clockwise skaters mirror it.
- It's an edge jump, so your toe pick stays out of it. Jabbing the pick in and vaulting off it is one of the most common faults.
- It's only half a turn. Most of the work is in a steady takeoff edge and a balanced landing.
- Practice the takeoff edge and the landing position on their own before you put them together, and learn the jump with a coach.
Your first jump is a big moment, and for most skaters that first jump is the waltz jump. It's small, only half a turn, but it teaches the basics every later jump uses: a clean takeoff edge, a swing that lifts you up, and a landing on one foot going backward. Adults learn it all the time, so if the idea of leaving the ice makes you nervous, you're in good company.
What a waltz jump is
A waltz jump 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 forward outside edge and the landing is a right back outside edge. In between, you turn half a turn counterclockwise, from skating forward to skating backward.
If you rotate clockwise, swap everything: take off from your right forward outside edge and land on your left back outside edge. The axel starts from the same forward outside edge and adds a full extra turn, which is why skaters sometimes call it the waltz jump's big sibling. Our guide to every figure skating jump shows how they all fit together.
What to have first
A waltz jump puts together several things you'll already be practicing. You want a steady glide on your left forward outside edge on a curve, and comfortable backward skating with a one-foot glide on your right back outside edge, which is your landing. Our guides to inside and outside edges and skating backward cover both.
It also helps to know how to fall before you start leaving the ice, and our page on falling safely walks through it. Many skaters learn a bunny hop first, a small forward hop with no rotation, which teaches the timing of swinging and springing. Because jumps can go wrong in ways you can't feel, this is a skill to learn with a coach watching.
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Build a bundleThe takeoff
Skate forward and step onto your left foot on a curving outside edge, with your left knee bent and your right leg extended behind you. Keep your shoulders level; many coaches have you hold your left arm in front and your right arm back here. Don't rush this part. The takeoff edge sets up everything else, and a steady, curving edge makes the jump much easier than a flat, wobbly one.
To jump, swing your right leg forward and up past your left foot, keeping it close rather than letting it sweep out around the side. Your arms swing forward and up with it. At the same time, push up out of your bent left knee, so you spring upward off the edge rather than forward.
You don't launch off your toe pick. It's a common habit to jab the pick in at the last moment and vault off it, and it's one of the first things coaches watch for. Think of rising up off a bent knee, the way you'd jump straight up from a small squat.
In the air and the landing
In the air, you turn half a turn counterclockwise. The right leg you swung forward becomes your landing leg, and your left leg trails behind. Keep your body upright and your head up, and look toward where you're going to land rather than down at the ice.
Land on your right foot with the knee bent to absorb the landing, gliding backward on its outside edge. Stretch your left leg out behind you and open your arms out to the sides to steady yourself. Hold that landing edge for a few seconds before you put the other foot down. A quiet, soft landing says more about a good waltz jump than height does.
How to practice it
Off the ice, try it in sneakers on a forgiving surface. Step onto your left foot, swing your right leg through, hop up and turn half a turn to the left, then land on your right foot with your left leg stretched back. A few slow ones before a session remind your body of the shape.
On the ice, practice the pieces separately first. Glide on your left forward outside edge and swing the free leg through without jumping. Then glide backward in your landing position on your right back outside edge and hold it. Your coach may have you jump from a standstill or a slow glide before adding speed, and later from backward crossovers with a step forward onto your left foot.
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; our guide to ice time and session types explains the difference. Before every jump, make sure your landing space is clear.
Common problems
Most waltz jump 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 |
|---|---|---|
| A scratch or a jab at takeoff | The toe pick is catching, or you're vaulting off it | Rise up off the bent knee, and practice the takeoff glide without jumping. |
| The jump goes forward instead of up | Your upper body is leaning forward at takeoff | Keep your back upright and push up out of the knee. |
| The free leg swings out to the side | Swinging around instead of through | Brush the right foot close past the left as it swings forward. |
| Landing on two feet, or facing the wrong way | Not enough rotation, or not trusting the landing | Practice the landing glide on its own, and keep the jump small until it's steady. |
| The landing wobbles or tips over | A straight landing knee, or leaning | Bend the knee as you land, open your arms and stretch the left leg back. |
What comes next
Once your waltz jump is steady and lands on one foot, your coach will start you on full-rotation jumps. The Salchow and the toe loop are the usual next steps, and a waltz jump followed by a toe loop is a common early combination. Further down the line, the axel builds on the same forward takeoff.
Jumping as an adult takes nerve, and it's fine to take it slowly. Celebrate the small jumps, because they're the ones everything else is built on. 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.
