In figure skating the quad axle is generally considered the most hard jump. Until 2022, when American skater Ilia Malinin – currently climbing to the top as the “God of Quads” at the 2026 Winter Olympics – started doing them, it seemed impossible. The landing can of course give the athlete a higher score. But for skaters who aren’t generational talents like Malinin, they get it right How it can be hard to get the quad axle off. But physics may provide some clues.
In 2024, Sports Biomechanics magazine published a study by Toin University researcher Seiji Hirosawa, who brought the science a little closer to understanding how quads work. One of the most essential factors? Departure. About 20 inches above the ground.
In the current scoring system for figure skating competitions, the jury, which in the case of the Milano Cortina Games consists of two technical specialists and a technical controller, awards points to each technical element, namely jumps, turns and steps. However, scores for more hard jumps, such as triple or quadruple jumps, are higher than scores for other technical elements, so skaters must perform them correctly to win the competition.
Overall, the axle is the most technically convoluted of the jumps. There are three main types, each distinguished by its start: toe, blade or edge. Most are named after the first person to do so; the ax was named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen. It is also the only jump that involves a forward launch, which causes the athlete to make half a turn more than other jumps. Therefore, a straight axle requires one and a half revolutions to complete, while a quad axle requires four and a half revolutions in the air.
To shed lightweight on the specific kinematic strategies athletes apply when performing a quadruple axle jump, Hirosawa’s study focused on footage of two skaters attempting the jump in competition. Using data from the so-called Ice Scope tracking system, researchers analyzed several parameters: vertical height, horizontal distance and skating speed before takeoff and after landing.
Unlike previous biomechanical studies that suggested that jump height does not change significantly, Hirosawa’s study found that increasing jump height is crucial to successfully completing a quadruple axle jump. In fact, both skaters were attempting to achieve a much greater vertical height than the triple axle in their attempts to perform this jump.
“This suggests a strategic shift towards increasing vertical height to master 4A [quadruple axel] jumps, unlike previous biomechanical studies that did not emphasize vertical height,” the study concluded.
The increased jump height – adds Hirosawa – extends the flight time, enabling a immense number of revolutions around the longitudinal axis of the body. Tiny version: jump higher, spin more. “The results of this study provide valuable information on the biomechanics of quadruple and triple axle jumps, update existing theories in figure skating research, and provide insight into training strategies for dealing with complex jumps,” the study concluded.
Easier said than done – unless you’re Ilia Malinin.