if the skater performed the rotation without leaving the ice. According to U.S. Figure Skating, the loop jump is "the most fundamental of all the jumps". The skater executes it by taking off from the back outside edge of the skating foot, turning one rotation in the air, and landing on the back outside edge of the same foot. It is often performed as the second jump in a combination. In competition the base value of the single loop jump is 0.50; the base value of a double loop is 1.70; the base value of a triple loop is 4.90; and the base value of a quadruple loop is 10.50. Axel The Axel jump, also called the Axel Paulsen jump for its creator, Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen, is an edge jump. It is figure skating's oldest and most difficult jump. The Axel jump is the most studied jump in figure skating. It is the only jump that begins with a forward takeoff, which makes it the easiest jump to identify. A double or triple Axel is required in both the short programs and free skating programs for junior and senior single skaters in all ISU competitions. The Axel has an extra half-rotation which, as figure skating expert Hannah Robbins says, makes a triple Axel "more a quadruple jump than a triple". Sports reporter Nora Princiotti says, about the triple Axel, "It takes incredible strength and body control for a skater to get enough height and to get into the jump fast enough to complete all the rotations before landing with a strong enough base to absorb the force generated." According to American skater Mirai Nagasu, "Falling on the triple Axel is really brutal." In competition the base value of a single Axel is 1.10; the base value of a double Axel is 3.30; the base value of a triple Axel is 8.00; and the base value of a quadruple Axel is 12.50. According to The New York Times, the triple Axel has become more common for male skaters to perform; however, as of 2022, the quadruple Axel has been landed at two international competitions by American skater Ilia Malinin. Rules and regulations Single skating The International Skating Union defines a jump element for both single skating and pair skating disciplines as "an individual jump, a jump combination or a jump sequence". Jumps are not allowed in ice dance. Also