How Figure Skaters Like Mirai Nagasu Actually Train to Do a Triple Axel

Nagasu will attempt to be the first U.S. woman to land the jump in the Olympics.
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Vaughn Ridley - ISU/ISU via Getty Images

UPDATE: On Monday, Mirai Nagasu became the first American woman to successfully land a triple Axel at the Olympics, and the third overall to do so, during her performance during the women's free skating portion of the team competition. Read on for how she trained for the difficult move.

Watching a professional figure skating routine is like watching a really legit magic show. You’re completely captivated, and at the same time, completely dumbfounded over how the performers are able to do what they do.

Thanks to an Instagram video that was making its rounds this week, the curtain has been lifted ever-so-slightly on how figure skaters master one of the sport’s most difficult moves: the triple Axel.

The video, which was posted by The Players' Tribune, features American figure skater and PyeongChang medal contender Mirai Nagasu using an off-ice apparatus called the Champion Skating Harness. Check out the mesmerizing video below.

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“This device helps skaters learn how to pull in and tighten their bodies more quickly so they can rotate faster when they’re in the air,” Darlene Parent, figure skating coach and U.S. figure skating test coordinator/co-competition chair at NYC-based Sky Rink, tells SELF. “It acts as a centrifugal force.”

Nailing this complex move requires strength and coordination from practically every part of your body.

The triple Axel, which involves three and a half rotations, is particularly challenging because it’s the only jump with a forward (versus backward) takeoff. The forward takeoff creates the extra half rotation in the air, which means skaters need to spin more rapidly in order to successfully complete all of the rotations before landing again.

“Your ankle, knee, and hip have to work together to push up underneath you like a spring in a mattress,” explains Parent. This initial force propels skaters into the air.

From there, “you need to hold your core, including your spine and waist, very strong and still as your shoulders rotate,” she adds. “It’s all about timing, coordination, and your muscles working together in perfect unison.”

Many of the top skaters in the world have trouble with the triple Axel because it’s so technically difficult, George Selimos, figure skating coach at Colorado’s Ice Centre At The Promenade, tells SELF. Only eight women in history, including Nagasu, have been able to successfully land the jump.

Using the harness is a safe way for skaters to perfect the technique of the rotational move before attempting it on the ice.

The device helps a skater improve and perfect their body alignment and coordination while also showing them exactly what it feels like to spin at the speed needed to nail the triple Axel. “It gives a visual cue and feeling for how your body has be aligned when you jump,” Selimos says.

Skaters are clipped into the harness, which is attached to a rope that’s hung from the ceiling in a pulley system. As the skater jumps into the air, a coach will pull down on the rope to keep the skater lifted in the air much longer and much higher than they would be able to do on their own. Certain skaters will place a target on the ground to guide their landing.

Although the harness looks like a complicated tool that might require a high level of skill and experience, it’s a fairly introductory device that helps young, beginner skaters as well as elites like Nagasu. “You first need to learn how to control yourself on skates,” says Parent. “But from there, you can use this device to practice less advanced moves, like simple spirals or double rotations. You can do this with a small amount of training.”

Once skaters feel comfortable and confident with the rotations practiced in the on-land apparatus, they can transition to a mobile, on-ice harness, also known as a fishing pole harness.

“This helps them learn the finishing touches of a jump,” explains Selimos. “Once the jump is consistent, they can begin performing it out of the harness.”

Some skaters can learn jumps on the harness in a matter of weeks, while others may need longer before transitioning to the ice, says Parent. “It all depends on their skill set,” she says. “And also how gutsy they are.”

Tune into the 2018 Winter Olympics this week to watch Nagasu's attempt to become the first U.S. woman to land a triple Axel in the Games.