Named after the Austrian skater who first did it in 1913, the Lutz is a type of jump in the sport of figure skating.
It’s a toepick-assisted jump that begins on the outside of one foot and finishes on the outside of the other.
What is a Lutz in Figure Skating
It’s second only to the Axel in terms of difficulty, and it’s certainly second in terms of notoriety.
After the Axel, the Lutz jump is “probably the second-most famous jump” in figure skating due to its difficulty.
Vienna, Austrian figure skater Alois Lutz is credited with performing it for the first time in 1913.
The greater the number of rotations achieved during the jump, the higher the score.
A successful single Lutz is worth 0.60, a double Lutz 2.10, a triple Lutz 5.90, and a quadruple Lutz 11.50.
What’s the Difference Between the Figure Skating Jumps
Every sole of the foot has four sides: the inside, the outside, the inside, and the outside.
In this context, “forward” and “backward” refer to the forward and reverse motion of the skaters.
Like in gymnastics, the Salchow, Lutz, and Axel are all jumps that are named after the skaters who first performed them.
Lutz in Figure Skating
Are you doing a flip or a Lutz and you have no idea which it is? Where exactly do you plan to jump off? This is what sets apart the two leaps.
The beginning point of the flip is the inside corner facing backward. The Lutz with the outside foot behind you.
In both cases, the dancer lands on the leg of the toe-picking foot. Nevertheless, a Lutz is more challenging because it involves a counter-rotation.
Meaning that the skater must take off and land on the same edge.
In 1913, Austrian skater Alois Lutz performed the first known landing of his eponymous jump in a competition.
Alexandra Trusova, a member of the ROC, made history by completing the first ever quadruple Lutz in a competition setting.
Conclusion
One of the most challenging jumps in figure skating, the lutz jump is named after the Austrian skater who invented it in 1913.
The move begins with a takeoff from the outside of one foot, incorporates a toe pick to aid in the takeoff, and finishes with a landing on the outside of the other foot.
Common errors in the lutz entry’s edge have earned it a slang name: a “flutz.”
One of the most popular Winter Olympic sports, figure skating often draws in viewers who aren’t particularly invested in the competition.
If you aren’t a die-hard figure skating fan, it can be difficult to tell the various jumps apart.
