First of all good for your daughter for achieving what she has and good for you for supporting her. It's such a rewarding pastime. From what you describe it doesn't sound like she suffers from a general debilitating fear of falling otherwise she would not have passed tests and performed in shows. If she's working on the loop jump it presumably means she's doing the other jumps one normally learns before loop. So she knows how to leave the ice and land. Therefore it sounds more like a specific problem with the loop - maybe because it requires that extra bit of rotation or because of the specific mechanics of the jump. I find the loop awkward, despite having been doing it for years. With me, what I find challenging about it is the feeling of havng your legs crossed going into the jump and for the takeoff, and not having the left leg (assuming you jump anti clockwise) free to touch down if the jump doesn't go well - I tend to fligh my left leg out much too early instead of kicking up and back at the end. Perhaps this is true for Anabelle, or perhaps there is some other aspect of the jump that makes her feel unsafe. A lot of skating is about overcoming mental blocks of this sort, at least for me. Sometimes the blocks are just in the mind, and there's really nothing to worry about, sometimes your brain tells you something is unsafe because it actually is and you need to correct your technique to make it safe. So maybe try to focus on what aspect of that jump as opposed to others is unpleasant, and devise some exercises to overcome it - one thing I have often seen advised is to skate along backwards on right foot with left foot crossed in front, then lift and kick out backwards with left foot. Or work on backspin. Patience is required I think to gradually overcome blockages - some people never learn to do crossovers because of this kind of blockage, not wanting to be crossed over with your legs. And by all means work hard on it but try not to make every skating session just about that - try and enjoy and progress with the other aspects. I am a slow learner . I am improving, but gains are tiny week on week, then sometimes a breakthrough after months. Sometimes I drop things for ages and come back to them and suddenly find they are much better. Sometimes not. I am kind of stalking some of these things I find awkward. Another thing to avoid is practicing bad technique because it just reinforces whatever is wrong - so maybe find a prepatory exercise that helps with the loop that your coach gives you, that you are able to do correctly on your own in practice, and work on that until it's easy for you, then move on to something else. Good luck! It builds character in skater and parent (I am both). My daughters are way better than me now, I get free coaching from them!
