Answering Your Mazurka Jump Questions!

Hi skaters, welcome back. I'm so glad you're here. I am coach Julia and today I'm going to be answering some questions from you specifically about the Mazurka jump. I noticed recently that I've had a few similar questions come in about this jump, even though the tutorial I made was quite a while ago. So there must be some interest coming up and I thought I would tackle them all in one video today. So our first question is from Heather Stein9576 And Heather says, How does the Mazurka differ from a half-toe Wally with a right inside three turn, Alright, so this is also a question about how is a mazurka different than a half flip. So let's talk about what makes each jump different. The half to wally, the mazurka, the half flip. So we don't give random names that are for all the same jump, right? You're not gonna have the same jump with three different names. Each jump in skating has its own specific characteristics and its own name, right? Just like each of us in the world is unique and different and has their own name, skating, each jump is unique Different has its own place in the skating world, and so we want to be careful to learn each one and and honor the difference between each of those jumps. So if you don't know what a Mazurka is, I do have a tutorial for this jump and I will post it down below. But before we do that, I want to show you what a Mazurka looks like. So for me, being a right-handed skater and rotating counterclockwise, I'm going to start with a right inside three turn. Right inside three turn. I'm going to tap while my toes behind me. I'm going to kick my legs into a crisscross, land on my right toe pick, and then step out onto my left. Let me do that really nice and smooth for you. So right inside three, tap with the left, scissor my leg, land on the right, and then skate out onto the left. Okay, so that is a mazurka. Again, you can learn the whole thing in a tutorial with the link I posted in the information down below this video. Okay. So, the first one is a half flip. So there's some confusion about what makes a mazurka and a half flip different. First of all, they start with different three turns. So for me, a right-handed skater, my mazurka starts with a right inside three turn. My half flip is gonna start with a left outside. That already is a difference, okay? And just as I said, each jump has a difference that we need to honor. We're gonna have a left outside three turn. I'm going to tap with my right, jump to my left, and then skate forward on my right, okay? So the half flip has a left outside three turn, taps the right, jumps to the left, skates on the right. That's a half flip. Very different than a mazurka, all right? So you're starting on the other foot. You're tapping with the other foot. It's almost opposite, okay? They're almost as opposite as you can be. So, the half-flip and the mazurka, I mean, you can almost reverse everything, so they're very, very different. Okay, so now let's talk about the difference between a mazurka and a half-toe wally. So one of those comments was wondering what the difference is between those two jumps. Now, this is like having a pair of non-identical twins. They're very, very similar, maybe born at the same time, but they are still different. And we should notice the differences. Otherwise, we're going to call them by the wrong name, right? So we're going to start with our left outside three turn. Okay, so the half toe wally is going to have a left outside three, mazurka, right inside three, that's our first difference. Now where they become very similar is after that three turn, we're going to step to our right inside edge. Okay, so that means we're tapping with our left, and this is going to be where it's going to feel similar to a mazurka. So that half toe That's how Wally is going to go outside three, left inside edge, tap. Okay now Mazurka, inside three, outside edge, tap. Okay so we're tapping from a different edge. Same leg, different edge. Half to wali is an inside edge. Mazurka, outside edge. Okay now just like a lutz and a flip, you can tell the difference by the edge you're taking off of. You can do that same thing with a half to wali. Half to wali is inside. Mazurkas outside, even though we're tapping with the same leg, so there is a difference there. Okay, so I'm going to show you really nice and smooth that half-tail wali first, left outside. Inside edge, tap, you're gonna come forward, land on your right, and step onto your left, forward, outside, okay? So, you're creating like a bunny hop motion in that half toe wally. Whereas the mazurka, you're creating an X. Let's look at that next. So we have an inside three turn, tap, X. Land on your right, step out onto the left. So the landing is the same, okay? It's the entry that's different and that is common for most jumps. It is the entry that creates the unique factors that create each jump. The landings are almost always the same, all right? Especially on the full rotation jumps where you land backwards. Now I've also heard people confused about how the Mazurka differences differentiates from a Tolu because they both have an inside three turn start. So let's look at the Mazurka compared to a Tolu. So a Mazurka again has for me right-handed counterclockwise rotating and inside three turn. I'm going to tap behind. Now here, they look the same. So far, I could either do a mazurka or a toe loop, but this is where they are different, right? The beginning on this one is the same and the ending is going to be different. So I'm going to rotate all the way through and land backwards for a toe loop, whereas for a mazurka, I'm going to crisscross and land forward. Okay, so to answer your question, a couple of these questions here. It matters what leg you tap on, what edge you're on when you take off of, are you rotating halfway, are you rotating all the way, what leg are you landing on. So even though jumps may seem very similar. Every single thing that is different is going to mean it's a different jump. So pay attention to those details so you make sure you're doing the jump that you're actually meaning to do. So this question is from Ariat13121 and they ask, Hey Julia, quick question. How come Mazurka jumps aren't used or taught anymore? All right this is a great question. Now my answer is they are used and they are taught. I teach them to my students and I will throw them into choreography. You might not see them on a high level as much because they don't have as much value as a full rotation jump, but they are sometimes put into Choreographic sequences and step sequences. So sometimes you'll see them hidden in between other footwork. And that's one of the things that you can do to really jazz up a choreographic step sequence is you could put in a little surprise element like a mazurka in there, right? So yeah, they're not seen a lot because they aren't, they don't have the point value of a toe loop or a double salchow, but They're very interesting and so they're fun to throw into your step sequences. So learn them so you can surprise people at your next program. All right skaters, I hope that that clarification on the Mazurka jump is helpful. You can really understand what that jump is. You know, it is such a unique and unexpected jump. Go out there and learn it and then you can throw it into programs and it's a fun little unexpected flair. All right if you enjoyed this video please do give us that thumbs up and as always I'm looking forward to reading all your comments in that section down below. If you haven't done so yet then make sure you subscribe so you can see all my videos when they come out. Happy skating and I'll see you next time.