"Entry and takeoff-- as you set up for the jump, look over your left shoulder, and pick a spot on the wall/bleachers/whatever to jump towards. Step onto the left forward outside edge and keep your chest up. Jump, bringing your arms and right leg through, towards that spot that you picked.
Make sure you are not swinging your right leg around in an arc, as that will make it more difficult for the rest of your body to "catch up" to it in order to convert into the rotating position. In other words, don't think about rotating before you're in the air--it's actually counter-productive, because you will be off your axis of rotation.
Make sure that you are not letting your left shoulder drop on the takeoff, as that will pull you inside the circle (and away from your axis of rotation).
Do not let your free leg turn out on the takeoff. (This may have been a problem that is particular to me, as I have very naturally open hips and I was turning my right foot out as I kicked through. I had to think about pigeon-toeing in order to straighten that out)
If you are skidding a lot on the takeoff, or if you are having trouble with pre-rotation, and you don't think it's your shoulder or your free leg, then think about pressing your left big toe into the ice as you jump into the air. I didn't think I was pre-rotating the jump at the time, but now I know that I definitely was, and that I was jumping inside the circle (because I was more worried about the rotation).
The "axis of rotation": You must think about rotating over the RIGHT side of your body. That's the "backspin" that everyone talks about...for some reason, saying "backspin" never clicked with me (and yes, I could do waltz-backspin, waltz-loop, etc). When you bring your arms in, bring them in over your RIGHT side. This was tremendously helpful--for the longest time, I was bringing my arms in over my left side (because that's the direction of rotation), and I could not get into that nice "backspin" position in the air. Only when I started thinking about getting my whole body over my right leg did I begin to feel that "backspin." (Actually, this probably helped me out more than any other piece of advice)
When you're in the air, push down with your right leg and point your toe so that you're ready to land on it (this is crazy, but for about two weeks, I was getting everything right about the axel, in position, etc, but I wasn't thinking about actually landing it on one foot, and so I never did).
Otherwise, there's practice, perseverance, and prayer...and padding."
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