What is a jump combination? The landing foot is the take-off foot of the next jump: ISU rules, a safe build-up with a coach and typical mistakes.
The honest answer first: a jump combination consists of two or more jumps directly one after the other, in which the landing foot of one jump is the take-off foot of the next. That is what the ISU handbook says: "the landing foot of a jump is the take-off foot of the next jump" [1]. The abbreviations, for example 1S+1T, come from scoring.
One full revolution on the ice between the jumps is allowed without the combination "falling apart": the free foot may touch the ice, but there must be no weight transfer [1]. A single hop between two listed jumps, the Euler (1Eu), is counted as a jump of its own [1]. And whoever jumps jumps with more than one revolution in a combination may land all except the last on either foot; if the last one lands on the wrong foot, the judges reduce their grade [1].
Honestly: a jump combination is a serious step because you have to control two landings in a row. This guide explains the rules and the build-up, but deliberately gives you no step-by-step instructions for executing the jumps: they belong in a coach's hands.
Does each of the two jumps work on its own five times in a row, with landing on one foot and a calm glide out? Only then do you start linking them. Milestone: you land both jumps five times in a row without a hand on the ice.
The landing foot is the take-off foot of the next jump [1]. Have your coach explain which combination follows from it for your two jumps, for example 1S+1T.
Practise with the coach: after the landing glide out only briefly, then go into the next jump. According to the rulebook, a full revolution on the ice in between is allowed if the free foot only touches the ice and the weight is not transferred [1].
Jump the combination with your coach, once per attempt, without pressure to repeat. Milestone: you land the combination cleanly on the landing foot three times out of five attempts.
Watch the video: does the last jump land on the correct foot? The rulebook lowers the grade if the last jump lands on the wrong foot [1].
Your progress shows in the landing of the first jump (rule of thumb, not a study): is the landing leg bent, the upper body upright and the glide out calm before the second jump begins? Do you manage three clean combinations out of five? If not, stay with the single jumps. There is no schedule that should rush you, and a coach is best placed to judge when you are ready.
This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training. Jumps are among the most fall-prone elements in figure skating. A review names among possible influences on injuries the repetition of complex elements and multiple rotations [2], and a systematic review finds that quality and comparability of the data are low and that results should be read with caution [3]. Both concern competitive skaters. Wear a helmet; in a video analysis of 216 ice-skating falls in children the head hit the ice in 13% of cases [4]. Practise only with a coach, not exhausted and not on crowded ice.
Take a still of the landing after every attempt: pause the video exactly when the blade touches down and check whether the landing leg is bent and the upper body upright. The quality of the first landing decides the second jump (practical experience).
Two or more jumps directly one after the other in which the landing foot is the take-off foot of the next jump [1]. A full revolution on the ice in between does not cancel the combination as long as the free foot only touches the ice [1].
In a jump sequence the second or third jump is an Axel type with a direct step from the landing curve into the take-off curve [1]. In the combination the landing foot is the take-off foot.
A Euler is an intermediate hop between two listed jumps; it is counted as 1Eu with its own value [1]. It often serves as a link, for example in three-jump combinations.
We advise against it. Jumps are among the most fall-prone elements; practise them with a coach.
The Flip: Take-Off Edge, Edge Calls and a Safe Build-Up