Is it a thing where you have to do a triple axel in every program? All the short programs and free skates seem to have one and I was wondering if it is just a very popular jump or that they have to include one? Also how to tell a half-loop from an overrotation because sometimes they look similar? Sorry for poor English, is not my first language :)
Thanks for asking! (And donāt worry about your English, I understood you perfectly!)
There is no requirement to do a triple Axel in every program. In the short program, for Senior men and ladies a double OR triple Axel is required. In the free skate, one of the jumping passes must be an āAxel-type jumpā (which means it can be a single, double, triple or quadruple Axel - not that anyone has ever done the latter). Obviously, a triple Axel is worth more points than a double, so if a skater can, they will usually do a triple Axel. Itās not strictly required to be a triple, but youāre not going to be competitive internationally unless it is.
Trying to identify half-loops from step outs can be tricky at first, and some skatersā half-loops still look like a mistake. However, I find that watching the arms is a good way to pick it when youāre just starting to learn. If the arms are flailing or all over the place, itās a step out. If the arms are firm and somewhere between the waist and the shoulder, itās more likely to be a half-loop. (There are hints in the way the first jump is landed, too, in the legs, but this is harder to tell in real-time).
