From: steveth@netcom.com (Steve Thomas)
Subject: Re: The Axel
Organization: VisionAire, San Francisco, CA
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 1994 05:23:37 GMT

In article <9406010051.AA14930@mts-gw.pa.dec.com>
tanaka_be@swam1.enet.dec.com (Bert Tanaka) writes:
>> good pointers on what might be wrong with an Axel not working...]

I have one more to add to Bert's  list of "toubleshooting" an Axel:

4. Stepping back instead of stepping forward.  I've taught about 2 million
   people the Axel now ("I've told you a thousand times: stop 
   exagerrating!"), and probably the most common mistake--especially after
   watch me or somebody else that has the Axel well-learned--is that people
   pull the whole kite BACK instead of *walking forward* to keep the kite 
   in the stalled mode.  I have developed the following training method,
   I call "The Line In The Sand".  This consists of drawing a line in the
   sand where your feet are when you start the move (do this before you 
   set up, etc).  After you have completed the move, look at where the line
   you drew is in relationship to you.  If the line is *in front* of you,
   chances are the Axel is not going to work.  I have shown this method 
   to people, and they are usually amazed when they complete the (failed)
   Axel, and look at the line they drew ten feet in front of them.  It seems
   that one's natural tendancy is to pull the kite--and keep tension on the
   lines at all times.  Of course, this is exactly what you *do not* want to
   do when doing an Axel.  When the move is done right (unless you are good
   at doing Axels), the Line in the Sand should be *behind* you.

(At Berkeley this year, I will be using a slight variant of this training 
method called the "Line in the Grass"...).




-- 

_______
Steve Thomas
steveth@netcom.com

"Consequences, shmonsequences, as long as I'm rich."  -- Daffy Duck