The Axel is a figure skating jump

Figure skating jump

Figure skating jumps are a major element of competitive figure skating. Different jumps are identified by the take-off edge and the number of revolutions completed. There are six kinds of jumps currently counted as jump elements in ISU regulations.-Technique:...

 with a forward take-off. It is named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen

Axel Paulsen

Axel Paulsen was a Norwegian figure skater and speed skater. He is the inventor of the figure skating Axel jump.-Biography:Paulsen first publicly executed the Axel jump in 1882 at the World Championships in Vienna while wearing speed skates...

, who first performed the jump in 1882. An Axel jump has an extra ½ rotation in the air due to its forward take-off. For a jump with counterclockwise rotation, it has a takeoff from the left forward outside edge and a landing on the right back outside edge; this can be reversed for a clockwise jump. The Axel can also be done as a double jump with 2½ rotations, or as a triple with 3½ rotations.