How to Spot a Flutz or Lip in Figure Skating Jumps

Figure skating jumps can look impossibly quick from the stands, especially when a skater launches into a rotating jump with a toe pick and lands smoothly on one foot. Yet the take-off edge tells an important part of the story. A Lutz and a flip may share a similar number of rotations and a toe assist, but they begin from different edges of the skate.

That difference creates two familiar technical errors: the flutz, an incorrect-edge Lutz, and the lip, an incorrect-edge flip. You do not need to be a judge or an elite skater to recognise them. With a little practice, a viewer in the arena or watching a replay can learn to follow the skating foot, identify the curve, and understand why the technical panel may apply an edge call.

The essential difference between a Lutz and a flip

A Lutz begins with the skater travelling backwards on the outside edge of the skating foot. The free leg reaches behind, the toe pick of that free leg plants into the ice, and the skater vaults upwards while rotating in the opposite direction to the curve of the entry. For a usual counterclockwise jumper, this means a left back outside edge with the right toe assisting.

A flip also uses a toe pick, but it takes off from the back inside edge. The skater generally approaches on a backward curve that matches the direction of rotation more naturally. In a counterclockwise jump, the familiar entry is a left back inside edge with the right toe pick providing the vault.

The jumps can be difficult to distinguish because the entry may be short, fast, or hidden by the skater’s arms and body. Both can appear as a long backward glide followed by a toe-assisted take-off. The key is not the number of rotations in the air. It is the edge underneath the skating foot immediately before take-off.

A useful memory aid is simple: Lutz equals outside, flip equals inside. That phrase is only a starting point, though. The edge must be checked at the instant the skater leaves the ice, not several beats earlier in the preparation.

What creates a flutz or a lip

A flutz occurs when a skater intends to perform a Lutz but changes from the required back outside edge to a back inside edge before take-off. The free leg and toe pick may still create the familiar Lutz preparation, but the skating blade has rolled inward. The jump then uses the edge associated with a flip rather than a true Lutz.

A lip is the reverse error. The skater intends a flip but takes off from a back outside edge. The jump can look like a flip in its entry and arm position, yet the final edge is technically wrong for that element.

The change can be very subtle. Skaters may place their weight over the inside or outside portion of the blade to make the jump easier, especially when they are tired, under pressure, or trying to gain height. A skater may also have a long-standing habit of taking one jump with an unclear or incorrect edge.

In official scoring, an edge problem is shown through an edge warning or call. An unclear edge may receive an “e” designation, while a serious wrong-edge take-off can attract a stronger deduction from the element’s value. The exact scoring effect depends on the technical rules and the rest of the jump, so a viewer should avoid treating every visible wobble as an automatic penalty.

How to watch the skating foot

Start by ignoring the upper body. Arms, head position, costume details, and the direction of the shoulders can distract you from the blade. Find the foot that remains on the ice and watch its tracing during the final part of the entry.

A back outside edge curves away from the centre of the skater’s body. A back inside edge curves towards it. The distinction comes from which side of the blade is carrying the skater, rather than from whether the skater appears to be travelling left or right across the rink.

Look for the moment just before the toe pick touches down. In a Lutz, the skating foot should remain on a controlled back outside edge as the free leg swings behind and the toe pick strikes the ice. If the blade visibly rolls onto the inside edge before the pick enters, the jump may be a flutz.

For a flip, watch for the opposite pattern. The skating foot should be on a back inside edge at take-off. If it rolls outward before the toe assist, the jump may be a lip. The blade’s curve is easier to recognise when the video is slowed down, although some broadcast angles flatten the ice and make the edge difficult to judge.

Why television replays can be misleading

A side-on camera is often helpful because it shows the entry and take-off in profile. A high camera can reveal the shape of the curve, while a close-up may show the blade more clearly. No single angle is perfect, however. The skater’s body can cover the skating foot, and a camera positioned at the end of the rink may make an inside edge look like an outside edge.

The cleanest evidence usually comes from several views. Watch the live attempt for the overall entry, then use a slow-motion replay to examine the final half-second. If the replay is edited tightly, it may begin too late and hide the moment when the edge changes.

Ice quality can also affect what you see. A deep tracing may be visible after the jump, but the mark does not always prove which edge was used at take-off. Lighting, rink reflections, blade wear, and video compression can blur the detail. At a busy Australian public session, such as one at O’Brien Icehouse in Melbourne, even viewing from the boards can make the curve hard to read because the skater moves past quickly.

The technical panel has a better working position and access to calibrated replay systems than a spectator watching a livestream. A confident visual impression is useful for learning, but it is not the same as an official call.

Reading the entry without confusing the jump

The Lutz often has a recognisable long entry. A skater may glide backwards on one foot, extend the free leg, and hold the arms in a poised position before planting the toe. That preparation is a clue, but it does not guarantee a correct Lutz edge. The take-off blade can still roll inward at the last moment.

The flip usually has a more compact approach. Skaters may use a three-turn, mohawk, or a series of steps before entering the jump. The entry can be fast and understated, so the flip is sometimes mistaken for a Lutz simply because the toe pick is visible and the jump travels across the ice.

Do not identify the jump by its landing alone. Both jumps normally land backwards on the opposite foot, and a clean landing can make the take-off error easy to forget. Likewise, a fall does not automatically indicate a flutz or lip. A skater can use the correct edge and still under-rotate, lose the axis, or miss the landing.

It helps to separate three questions: which jump was intended, which edge was used, and how well the jump was completed. This approach mirrors the way skating analysis works. Edge correctness is one technical feature; height, distance, rotation, landing control, and entry quality are separate features.

Edge habits, coaching and Australian skating

An incorrect edge is usually a technical habit rather than a random mistake. A skater who repeatedly flutzes may find the Lutz outside edge uncomfortable and unconsciously shift weight inward to gain security. A lip can develop when a skater approaches a flip with too much outward pressure or relies on a familiar body position from another jump.

Coaches use edge drills, slow entries, mirror exercises, harness work, and repeated single-jump practice to improve the take-off. They may ask a skater to hold the entry longer, reduce the speed, or exaggerate the correct curve before adding rotations. The aim is to make the edge stable without sacrificing flow or jump height.

Australian skaters often train within a practical network of rinks rather than a single permanent elite centre. Facilities such as Ice Zoo in Sydney, Macquarie Ice Rink, O’Brien Icehouse in Melbourne, and Iceworld in Queensland serve different combinations of club skaters, public sessions, lessons, and competition preparation. Travel between cities can be part of a serious skater’s routine, particularly when ice time or specialist coaching is limited.

That local reality affects how fans learn the sport too. At an Australian rink, a coach might explain the difference in plain terms during a lesson, while a parent watching from the café may rely on a phone replay after school or work. Australians may call an afternoon session an “arvo” session, but the technical detail remains the same: watch the blade, not just the shape of the jump.

Following the call during a competition

When a Lutz or flip receives an edge call, look for a small symbol or note beside the element in the protocol. Depending on the scoring display, the notation may distinguish an unclear edge from a clearly wrong edge. The protocol can tell you what the technical panel identified, while the replay helps you understand why.

A program may include several jumps in combination, making identification harder. A Lutz may be placed at the end of a sequence, or a flip may follow difficult steps. Fatigue can cause the take-off edge to deteriorate late in the performance. In a short program or free skate, the jump’s base value and the quality grade are considered alongside the edge issue.

The same viewing method applies in major events such as the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final held at Turin’s Palavela. Whether you are studying a Senior or Junior program, watching an exhibition gala replay, or checking official results after the event, pause at the instant before the toe pick enters. The scale of the arena and speed of the skater can make a tiny edge change invisible in real time.

For Australian viewers, time-zone differences can make live analysis even trickier. A competition streamed from Europe may be shown in the early morning or during the workday in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, or Perth. Watching the archived broadcast later allows you to compare attempts, use slow motion, and check the protocols without trying to make a call while half-awake.

The best way to learn is to compare a clear Lutz with a clear flip, then study examples where the edge is marked as unclear or wrong. Focus on the skating foot at take-off, keep the terms precise, and allow for camera limitations. Once that habit becomes natural, a flutz or lip stops being a mysterious judging detail and becomes a visible part of jump technique.

Follow official competition results, replay coverage, schedules, and skating information through the event website, then use each program as a chance to train your eye. With regular viewing, even a fast jump across the ice can reveal the edge that started it.