The first jump taught is the Bunny Hop. It is a jump that goes forward, with no rotation. It is a requirement in Gamma (beginner) group classes level under ISI curriculum. I think I did this level in a summer, when there weren't adult only group classes, but all ages classes. The kids got this jump quickly so it wasn't done over and over again. I thought I kind off got it, even if I was terrified of doing it every single time. Now I know I didn't. Also, everybody I asked that learned it as an adult, was terrified of it, so it seams it is an awkward jump for adults. Anyhow, come test day, I crossed my fingers and up I went, and I passed...
I thought I'll never do it again, until I started private lessons, mostly Ice Dancing, but I asked my coach to review mu jumps. He was: "Show me your Bunny Hop". Me: "Mmmm, I don't know it. But I know the rest of them up to the flip!" Actually that wasn't even true, I also didn't remember Any of the half jumps.So he explained to me tat the Bunny Hop is the foundation of all the jumps. It teaches hoe to push yourself in the air safely, from the toe pick, rolling on the blade. If you push yourself up from a flat blade you'll slide. Also it teaches you to use the free leg hip, to help you come up...
Prep exercises:
- off ice skipping because the bunny hop is a skip... Pay attention what muscles you use to bring the knee up (hip and core for me) and how the arms goes forward and backward in opposition.
- holding the boards roll on your blade until the toe pick. It was more foreword then I have thought. You'll have to jump from the toe pick.
- holding the boards and if it's comfortable from a two foot glide, bend both knees and hop in the air (it's not so much from the toe pick but it's still a little roll on a blade). You land on the flat on both feet.
- this didn't work for me, but here it is: bunny hop from a two foot glide. Swing the right leg back, then at the same time swing it forward (with the knee bent, think knee up) and jump up from the left foot. Land for a sec on the right toe pick, from which you push on a left foot glide. The reason it wasn't working for me is that when I swang the right leg back I was shifting the weight too forward on my left blade so I didn't have what to roll onto, and I was leaning my upper body forward so I was feeling that I will surely trip over the toe pick.
The bunny hop can be done on both legs, I'll describe just the right leg up:
- from standing (or couple of strokes if you can handle some speed) stroke and bend that knee, put pressure onto the left foot (feels like stepping onto that foot), the weight is on the left foot, right foot extended back the right arm forward and left arm and shoulder back(!important) to balance both on the blade (be on back of the middle of the blade) and feeling the upper body square with the hips.
- immediately push up from the left toe pick rolling the blade (up not forward!) while lifting (swinging) the right knee (from the hip) and switching the arms so the left goes forward, and the right back to balance. Some coaches teach to swing the leg forward straight.
- land on the right toe pick and push forward on a left foot glide
My first problem with the bunny hop was that I just didn't know how to start, that became evident when I started to do it on both legs. I think at the beginning I was thinking of which knee goes up. But the jumps starts before that, you push from the other leg. It helps me to think of it as "step and push up". And it is UP. At first, second mistake, I was trying to go long, it doesn't work... My other mistake was that I didn't use the hip and core to push that free knee up, I was just let it come for the ride. The swinging of the free leg from back to knee up is helping the whole body come up. Also don't forget to use the arms.
Here is me jumping the Bunny Hop on both legs
My coach also asks me to alternate them. That took me awhile...
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