Figure Skating – Skating Skills
World and Olympic coach Doug Leigh talks about a variety of concepts that combine to create great skating (and coaching). He begins by saying, “The foundation of skating period is how well can you skate – edge quality, the power,… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues her lesson on spirals (see tips on basic spirals in Part 1 and Part 2). She begins this video by offering insights about a Biellmann spiral. For this spiral Kate recommends pulling up strongly with the… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach and inventor Sheila Thelen teaches a class of beginner skaters to use her Champion Cords. She begins by explaining and demonstrating how to attach a cord to a skate and then how to hold the cord… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau works with a skater on basic spirals. This lesson is in the context of the Pre-Preliminary and Preliminary USFS Moves in the Field tests, although the tips for control and presentation apply to all spirals. For the… Continue reading
World and Olympic ice dance medalist Madison Hubbell continues her lesson on basic skating skills and patterns for the USFS Preliminary Moves in the Field tests. (See the previous video here.) In this video, the focus is on alternating forward… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson continues a discussion of power pulls. In Part 1, she discussed ways to make power pull practice more interesting, ankle and knee bend timing, and vocabulary misunderstandings. In this video,… Continue reading
World and Olympic ice dance medalist Madison Hubbell works with a young skater on basic pushes and crossovers. The pattern this skater uses is the first pattern of the Preliminary US Figure Skating Moves in the Field Test, but the… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson shares exercises and insights to improve power pulls. She begins by noting that many skaters don’t find working on power pulls interesting or enjoyable. One way to make them more… Continue reading
World and Olympic ice dance medalist Madison Hubbell continues a skating skills lesson at a seminar/camp. Part 1 focused on skating skills associated with generating power from edges. This part focuses on the fundamentals of pushing for power. Madison describes… Continue reading
World and Olympic ice dance medalist Madison Hubbell gives a skater a lesson at a seminar/camp. This lesson focuses on skating skills, and in particular, how to generate power on the ice. Madison begins with a simple two-foot weight transfer… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward works with a variety of advanced skaters who are doing program run-throughs without jumps. Rohene calls these performances “makettes” (SP) which he explains is a Russian ice dance word for “mark through” of an ice… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson discusses and demonstrates important insights related to forward outside and inside consecutive spirals. As she notes, this pattern is part of the US Figure Skating Preliminary Moves in the Field… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues a general lesson with a beginner level skater, using program elements as a roadmap for the lesson. Part 1 focused on footwork and spins, and Part 2 focused on some jumps. In this video, Kate has… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward finishes his warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. This class is performed to a variety of music and the emphasis is on warming up, mastering skating skills, and improving performance skills. Check out the entire… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson demonstrates and discusses the details of the Waltz Eight pattern from the US Figure Skating Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field test. Karen begins by drawing the figure eight pattern on… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward continues his warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. This class is performed to a variety of music and the emphasis is on warming up, mastering skating skills, and improving performance skills. Check out the entire… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson continues her discussion of forward spirals, both as a solo skill and as part of the US Figure Skating Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field test. In the previous part of… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau begins a general lesson with a beginner level skater, using program elements as a roadmap for the lesson. Kate has the skater do some of the footwork and skating skills from her program, and not surprisingly Kate… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward continues his warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. This class is performed to a variety of music and the emphasis is on warming up, mastering skating skills, and improving performance skills. Check out the entire… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers continues her multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen begins a short series of videos where she shares ideas for a well-balanced warm-up intended to be skated to begin the first on-ice session of the day. The purpose of this kind of warm-up is… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers continues her multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson discusses and demonstrates important insights related to the Forward Perimeter Stroking pattern of the US Figure Skating Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field test. This is the very first pattern of… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward continues his warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. This class is performed to a variety of music and the emphasis is on warming up, mastering skating skills, and improving performance skills. Check out the entire… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers continues her multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward continues his warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. This class is performed to very slow, bluesy music and the emphasis is on warming up, mastering skating skills, and improving performance skills. Check out the entire… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers continues her multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues a lesson for a skater working on her US Figure Skating Novice Moves in the Field test. The skater already knows the patterns, so this is an opportunity for Kate to help the skater improve them… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson shares insights to improve the two Power Double Three Turns to Double Rocker patterns on the USFS Senior Moves Test. The ideas presented apply to both patterns. Karen begins by… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers begins a multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward leads a warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. The class is warming up with very slow music using 3/4 timing. The exercises are meant to warm up the skaters’ bodies and provide an opportunity to… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau gives a lesson to a skater working on her US Figure Skating Novice Moves in the Field test. The skater already knows the patterns, so this is an opportunity for Kate to help the skater improve them… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau explains and demonstrates the process she uses for creating original edge classes and step sequences. The process begins with finding out which turns and elements her skaters can do, and trying to include at least one of… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson discusses and demonstrates key issues for the Waltz Eight pattern of the US Figure Skating Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field test. For simplicity and as a way to set reasonable circle sizes for… Continue reading
In this short video, figure skating specialist coach and Champion Cords inventor Sheila Thelen explains and demonstrates how to use the cords to improve forward and backward crossovers. Young skaters in particular struggle with shoulder turn as well as arm… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau teaches an exercise that simulates the situation where a skater lands a jump or finishes a spin and then needs to gain speed quickly and control that speed with another element or skill. To start… Continue reading
Coach Karen Olson continues a series of videos talking about how to approach IJS footwork sequences (choreographed sequences or step sequences) in order to prepare skaters for higher levels and to maximize points in competition. See Part 1 here and… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna shares an edge drill intended to help skaters feel how to properly use their feet and ankles, as well as their legs and hips when creating edges. Historically, edges have typically been taught as sideways leans… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau teaches a crossover exercise that is performed on a single circle. It is a sequence consisting of 3 forward crossovers followed by an inside mohawk with an overhead arm extension and then 3 backward crossovers… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau teaches a crossover exercise she calls “The Snowman” where skaters perform crossovers in 3 large circles down the ice. The skaters go around the circle one and half times each for the base and body… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau offers insights and exercises for forward crossover development. She starts with how she teaches beginners. The classic “step over” non-gliding sideways walk is very helpful for beginner skaters to learn balance and the basic… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen discusses the process of learning a cantilever. The cantilever is a well-known balance skill made famous by Mr. Frick (Werner Groebli) in the old days of Ice Follies, as Sheila notes. The cantilever has… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna discusses and demonstrates proper skating alignment, including a way for coaches and skaters to test for it. Historically, proper alignment was taught in detail on test figures or school figures, meaning that each new generation of… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau demonstrates a fun and challenging exercise for improving strength and balance. The exercise consists of a continuous glide with a spiral, a shoot the duck, and an upright victory position (y-spin). Kate says, “This is… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau demonstrates a series of on-ice flexibility exercises. These are all front catch foot positions with different hand grabs. These have obvious application to the I-spin (also called the needle) but also enhance overall flexibility for… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna continues his presentation on his “grapevine” exercise. In the first video he demonstrated how to perform the grapevine and how to teach it in sections. In this video, he explains how to create useful variations by… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau finishes a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen shares her insights on how to teach and master the hydroblade. Hydroblading is a relatively easy move for advanced skaters, and even skaters at relatively low levels with good edge and body control can… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna shares a skating drill he calls “The Grapevine.” The exercise gets it’s name from the off-ice grapevine agility exercise, which includes twisting and alternating foot positions. Nick explains that this is a fun exercise that all… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau continues a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues her lesson with a young (about 8 years old) male skater. The first part of this lesson focused mostly on the backspin, and this part focuses on forward and backward crossovers. Skaters at… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau continues a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for… Continue reading
International figure skating coach Page Lipe offers 3 on-ice drills that are particularly helpful for developing core strength and stability, as well as leg strength. The first exercise is a spiral, shoot-the-duck, spiral sequence down the ice in a straight… Continue reading
International figure skating coach Page Lipe shares a trick for getting beginner skaters to create more “reach” on backward crossovers. The concept is simple, and involves the coach gliding along inside the skater’s circle, and asking the skater to reach… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson continues her presentation on choctaws and in particular, the Junior USFS Moves in the Field Choctaw Sequence. Some of the information in this video is independent of the moves pattern… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau continues a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for… Continue reading
Coach Amy Brolsma shares a valuable tip for skaters working on advanced turns and twizzles. Many skaters struggle with core stability when learning advanced turns like rockers and counters as well as twizzles. Having objects or toys to hold with… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson continues her presentation on choctaws and in particular, the Junior USFS Moves in the Field Choctaw Sequence. The information in this video is independent of the moves pattern and is… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau shares a helpful exercise to develop stopping skills (on both feet), knee action and rhythm, and upper body control. As Kate notes, this exercise is fun and skaters will enjoy learning it and performing it… Continue reading
Coach Amy Brolsma shares a valuable tip for helping skaters at every level improve their skating skills and their turns. By using objects or toys that the skater can hold with both hands, the coach can reduce the uncontrolled arm… Continue reading
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a backward crossover drill in high Kilian. The purpose of this drill is to develop the correct up and down timing of the knees and match partner movements, as… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau begins a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for… Continue reading
Coach Amy Brolsma continues her presentation on a sequence of warm-up drills that she uses as an on-ice warmup with her skaters. The primary goal is to get the skaters moving and fully warmed up, but coaches can also monitor… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger is giving a lesson to a young skater who is struggling with straightening the legs. We spend so much time in figure skating telling skaters to bend the knees that we sometimes forget to… Continue reading
Coach Amy Brolsma continues her presentation on a sequence of warm-up drills that she uses as an on-ice warmup with her skaters. The primary goal is to get the skaters moving and fully warmed up, but coaches can also monitor… Continue reading
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue share a fun and helpful partner exercise intended to build partner connection and control while also demonstrating how speed and power can be achieved with and without push with a… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau begins a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh discusses the challenges of helping skaters work through fear issues associated with certain aspects of skating. She mentions the common fears of skating fast, jumping high, falling, and the fear of not succeeding. As… Continue reading
In this video, International coach Chris Conte gives a power lesson to a skater at a seminar. Chris begins this lesson having the skater press away from the barrier with just the hands and arms, first with lots of bending… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson talks at length about blade usage in turns, and she demonstrates drills to help skaters master the necessary rocking on the blade. Few skaters have complete mastery of their blades,… Continue reading
Coach Amy Brolsma shares a sequence of warm-up drills that she uses as an on-ice warmup with her skaters. The primary goal is to get the skaters moving and fully warmed up, but coaches can also monitor the warm-up to… Continue reading
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue share a valuable exercise for improving power and stability. This exercise is simple and well-known, but Zach and Madison offer insights on how to do it well. The idea is… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau continues her discussion of an on-ice warm-up routine and additional warm-up exercises that she covered in Part 1. In this video, she discusses the importance of pressing the shoulders against the hips (twisting). Skaters that… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson discusses the backward outside three turn. This is a continuation of Karen’s series of videos focused on issues faced by adult skaters, but the information in this video is applicable… Continue reading
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class on the foundational details of partner skating, and in particular, basic stroking with a partner. For those interested in partner skating (pairs or ice dance), there is… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson continues her explanation of some important details about learning the backward inside three turn, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by adult skaters with this skill. As Karen notes,… Continue reading
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue work with a class of skaters on a single exercise for learning to generate power. In this video, Madison and Zach explore this exercise in detail, and explain the concepts… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster teaches a class of skaters a warm-up sequence. He begins with some breathing exercises, followed by a simple relaxation exercise that includes an exhale and bending of the ankles, knees, and hips. Next he does a… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson explains important details about learning the backward inside three turn, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by adult skaters with this skill. As Karen notes, this is a challenging… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue work on acceleration with a class of skaters at a seminar. Zach initially shows an exercise intended to allow skaters to feel acceleration and deceleration while on a flat… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna talks about speed and power and offers some tips for developing more speed and power. To begin the video, he stresses the need to encourage skaters to “crunch” the ice on every push. He says, “If… Continue reading
In this video, International coach Chris Conte continues a lesson with a male skater who he had worked with earlier on skating skills. You can watch those videos here Part 1 – Tips on Forward Stroking and here Part 2… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a class on ways to generate more power from basic pushes. Many of these concepts are similar to those Doug has already shared here at iCoachSkating. To begin this class, Doug explains that skaters… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters a couple more partner skating drills. This video builds on the earlier videos in the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.… Continue reading
National coach Chris Conte continues a lesson with a male skater that is focused on skating skills. In the previous video, Chris helped him develop long and powerful forward strokes or pushes. In this video, Chris focuses on forward crossovers… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters backward crossovers with a partner. The video builds on a repeating series of back inside edges in the previous video and another video discussing… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster teaches a class of young skaters some basic skills concepts and drills. He starts by stating “always bend before you push” and he makes it clear that skaters need to bend from their ankles, knees and… Continue reading
National coach Chris Conte begins a lesson with a skater that is focused on skating skills. In this video, Chris is helping a skater develop long and powerful forward strokes or pushes. He describes what he wants as a “push… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters backward crossovers, and particularly, how to do them with power. The video builds on a repeating series of back inside edges in the previous… Continue reading
In this short video, World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh talks about one of the most important but commonly-ignored topics for good jumping. Good jumps simply cannot happen if the skater has excessive body tension during the execution of the… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters a repeating series of back inside edges. This exercise is performed on two feet, although the skater’s weight is nearly 100% on the inside… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna talks about the importance of learning to balance at a standstill on one foot. To help skaters master the control of the exit edges of turns, Nick uses a drill he calls the hitchy coo which… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a lesson where he explains exactly how to generate power during a turn in skating. In this case, the turn is a 3-turn, but the concept applies to any turn (3-turns, brackets, rockers, and counters).… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a fun exercise for generating momentum with a partner. This exercise is a simplification of the always-fun “slingshot” pass-by and it teaches important partnering skills in a very… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue offer two exercises for generating power and flow in the context of skating with a partner. The first exercise is just a repeating series of dance swing rolls. The… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his lesson on cross strokes. In the earlier part of the lesson, Doug focused on leg and hip position. In this video, he focuses more on the actual push and movements to create power. As… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a skater a lesson on cross strokes. Doug focuses almost entirely on the free leg and hip position on the preparation of the entry edge of the cross stroke. This information is rarely discussed in… Continue reading
2018 US National Ice Dance Champions Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters some basics of partnering. Maddie and Zach are teaching the skaters basic shadow skating without holding on. This is also called side-by-side skating. This… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his work with a skater on her footwork. The first part of this lesson is here. In this part, the primary focus is on improving the illusion and getting the exit direction correct to improve… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade gives a lesson to two young skaters. This basic skills lesson focuses on blade awareness and usage, and some introduction to jumping. To start the lesson, Kori has the skaters do a series of… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater on a footwork sequence. This process of fine tuning is usually necessary to create a more advanced footwork sequence with better edge quality and overall presentation. Doug focuses on a wide range… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues working with a skater on her footwork sequence. See Part 1 here. In this part of the lesson, Doug focuses again on edge quality and power generation. He gives very specific feedback to the skater… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Laurent Depouilly shares one of his drills for developing jumping power and rhythm. The concept of the drill is simple, but skaters tend to struggle with the necessary power generation and edge quality prior to the… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater on her footwork sequence. This is not an advanced skater, but she is also not a beginner. Skaters at this skill level usually struggle with power generation, knee and ankle… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna talks about “stomping” and how and why to use it in figure skating. He calls these exercises “The Stomping Drill.” Nick says, “If you can hit any edge at any time in a gliding position, whether… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a skater a lesson on the concept of deepening edges. The concept is explained in the context of a three-turn and also in the context of back inside edges (salchow). When performing three turns, most… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater on cross strokes, particularly in terms of edge pressure and power generation. Doug begins the lessons by explaining and demonstrating what he wants for the forward cross strokes (gather,… Continue reading
In this very short video, spin specialist Kim Ryan offers tips for exiting a hydroblade position. As she notes, if you can glide in a position, you should be able to get into that position and spin in it… Continue reading
International figure skating coach Page Lipe shares some great tips for developing and improving spread eagles and Ina Bauers. These elements can be very challenging to learn and require good drills and lots of persistence and patience. For… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater to improve a circular step sequence in her program. In this video we see Doug teaching and offering insights about a program put together by a different choreographer. The… Continue reading
This video is a continuation of a class on partner skating (see Part 1 here) by US National Pair Champion Jeremy Barrett and US World ice dancers Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue. In this video, they cover a lot… Continue reading
The vast majority of the information at iCoachSkating is focused on singles skating and particularly, on how to figure skate singles or how to teach figure skating to a singles skater. This video represents a slight deviation from this… Continue reading
This is a short video follow-up to World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger‘s previous video on pivots and skids. Here Audrey recommends teaching a backward snowplow stop and skids in spirals. She highlights the need for figure skaters… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger talks about pivots and she provides motivation for learning pivots and skids/stops. She begins by showing the 4 backward pivots (right backward inside pivot, left backward inside pivot, right backward outside pivot,… Continue reading
International and World figure skating coach Nick Perna continues his explanation of how he teaches turns for complete mastery. In the first part of this video, Nick showed how he teaches a forward outside three-turn on a straight… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson begins a discussion of the Serpentine Step Sequence from the USFS Senior Moves in the Field test. As with all complex moves, Karen breaks down the move into its component skills.… Continue reading
International and World figure skating coach Nick Perna shares a method for teaching complete mastery of all one foot turns in figure skating. He does not introduce this at the Learn-to-Skate level, but after a skater has developed… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger covers a variety of topics related to blade control and usage, with an emphasis on toe hops and some discussion of the toe loop jump. This video is a continuation of Audrey’s… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson continues her discussion and demonstration of how she teaches the Sustained Edge Step pattern of the USFS Senior Moves test. In the first part of this discussion, she broke the move down… Continue reading
In this very short video, Chris Conte explains at what point in a skater’s development he focuses on the various skids and stops. This video is part of a series of videos on skids and stops. In Part 1… Continue reading
International and World figure skating coach Nick Perna explains and demonstrates a simple drill he uses to build edge control and complete mastery of turns. This video is a follow-up to his video on the Shut Up Drill. … Continue reading
Chris Conte continues his multi-part series on skids and stops. In Part 1 he covered T-stops. In Part 2 he introduced the slideboard drill. In Part 3 he shared some drills for building skidding mastery and discussed… Continue reading
International and World figure skating coach Nick Perna explains a very simple drill he uses to build edge control. This is a drill every figure skating coach has used at one point or another, but probably not with all… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a class on power generation from edges. He notes that almost everything in figure skating relates to these kinds of edge pushes. He says, “You’re always in a push, unless you’re in… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma explains and demonstrates how she teaches backward crossovers which are also known as backward crosscuts depending on where you live in the world. This video is a continuation of Amy’s presentation on forward crossovers.… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma explains and demonstrates how she teaches forward crossovers which are also known as crosscuts depending on where you live in the world. Amy begins by noting that a good goal for proper crossovers is… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger talks about the ballet jump. The ballet jump is sometimes mistaken for the mazurka, but the non-picking leg remains behind on the ballet jump. To start, Audrey does not focus on getting… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues his multi-part series on skids and stops. In Part 1 he covered T-stops. In Part 2 he introduced the slideboard drill. In this video, Chris discusses drills for building skidding mastery. He also… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo talks about creating power and flow and he shares a “simple” circular drill. In the beginning of the video, he emphasizes the importance of working on edges and generating… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna shares a drill related to the alignment drill on 2 feet with the feet crossed. This version of the drill is simple in concept, but it can be very challenging. It develops great… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna offers a set of drills intended to improve a skater’s alignment and get them comfortable with their feet under them. These drills fall under the category of “skating skills.” Alignment issues plaque skaters… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues his multi-part series on skids and stops. In Part 1 he covered T-stops. In this video, Chris introduces the slideboard drill for helping develop the inside edge skid as well as power generation in stroking,… Continue reading
Chris Conte begins a multi-part series on skids and stops. Skids are a form of edge control that needs to be developed from the beginning stages of skating. Most skaters are introduced to skids when they learn a… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo explains how he develops stronger outside edges, primarily through the use of cross strokes or cross rolls (dance). Bending before the push is critical for proper power generation. … Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna continues his explanation of pivots. Check out Part 1 and Part 2. In this video, Nick discusses the back outside pivot. This pivot is typically learned in basic skills classes and it helps… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo explains how he develops stronger inside edges. (See the introduction to this video here.) The demonstrators in this video are World ice dance competitors Madison Hubbell and Zach… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo discusses the importance of edge work and skating skills as it relates to skating development and IJS points. Pasquale is an elite choreographer, and notice the focus and awareness… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna continues his explanation of pivots. You can see Part 1 of his presentation here. In this video, Nick begins by noting there are 8 different pivots in total. These are forward inside, back… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna explains how he teaches pivots. Nick thinks pivots are often overlooked because skaters usually learn them so early in the skating development process and coaches aren’t demanding about improving the positions. Also, even… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his class on warming up properly after stepping onto the ice. In the first video, Doug focused on exercises intended to warm up the knees and ankles. In the second video, he focuses… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma explains and demonstrates how she teaches the outside spread eagle. The spread eagle can be a beautiful figure skating move but it usually requires a significant commitment from a skater in terms of stretching… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna provides a more advanced version of his Banana Drill on one foot. The inside edge version of this drill is easier, but skaters should master stopping on both inside and outside edges, and both… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches the figure skating move called the “Ina Bauer.” This move can be very beautiful and graceful, but as Amy notes, when it is not done well it can be an… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna explains a drill he uses to help skaters develop balance, proper body alignment, and better blade usage in order to improve turns. The basic drill has the skater standing still on two feet, and… Continue reading
In this short video, Amy Brolsma shares an advanced drill on one foot that serves as an excellent warm-up for the knees and ankles. It also is a great way to develop the proper timing and rhythm for rockers.… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna shares two very important drills. These exercises are deceptively difficult, and represent a clever way to develop important skating skills. Both of these drills benefit the skater in two major ways: The skater… Continue reading
Amy Brolsma shares a number of warm-up drills to get the knees and ankles warmed up after a skater steps onto the ice. As Amy explains, these kinds of exercises are particularly helpful as warm-ups for competitions or test… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his class on warming up properly after stepping onto the ice. In the previous video, Doug focused on exercises intended to warm up the knees and ankles. In this video, he focuses on… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster teaches a class on warming up properly after stepping on the ice. Instead of racing around the rink to warm up, Doug offers a set of exercises that are more effective at engaging the ankles… Continue reading
In this figure skating turn and steps video, Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches a forward outside mohawk. As with the forward inside mohawk, Amy uses a cone to bring the mohawk into a tighter circle with a more… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo goes through a few on-ice warm-up exercises for more advanced skaters. This is a continuation of his warm-up videos for lower level skaters (Part 1 and Part 2). In… Continue reading
In this basic skills video, Amy Brolsma provides a framework for teaching beginner skaters the basic forward inside mohawk. Amy uses a cone to facilitate learning the mohawk more quickly. The cone helps skaters focus and understand the… Continue reading
Karen Olson explains how she teaches the forward crossover circle pattern of the USFS Juvenile Moves test. Much of this discussion is specifically about the pattern, but a great deal of this discussion applies to all skaters doing power… Continue reading
In this figure skating video, Karen Olson discusses the forward outside mohawk, particularly as it applies to the 8-Step Pattern of the USFS Junvenile Moves pattern. The forward outside mohawk is a difficult skill at this level, primarily because… Continue reading
Amy Brolsma provides an update on how she has changed how she teaches backward outside loops for more flow and rhythm. Her focus for loop development has changed somewhat from the precision of figures (based on her figures background)… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues with Part 2 of a multi-part series on jump development exercises. The series focuses on a set of warm-up exercises with important drills embedded in them. The purpose of each drill is to improve the… Continue reading
In the video below, World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo continues his class on edge and stroking drills. (Please see the first part of these stroking drills.) At the beginning of Part 2, Pasquale… Continue reading
In this figure skating video, World and Olympic coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo teaches an outstanding class for improving skating skills, stroking technique and edge quality. Pasquale starts with a short discussion of “Russian stroking” or “Russian steps” which… Continue reading
In this figure skating video, Amy Brolsma continues her explanation of choctaws. In Part 1, she introduced an exercise at the wall and then showed how she works with a skater to develop the step away from the wall.… Continue reading
In this figure skating video, Amy Brolsma continues her explanation of choctaws. In Part 1, she introduced an exercise at the wall and then showed how she works with a skater to develop the step away from the wall.… Continue reading
Moves in the Field expert Karen Olson discusses backward cross strokes as required on the USFS Juvenile Moves in the Field test. Karen starts the skater at a standstill and slowly builds the feeling of the turned out hips… Continue reading
Moves in the Field expert Karen Olson discusses forward cross strokes as required on the USFS Juvenile Moves in the Field test. To begin the discussion, Karen touches on an aspect of cross strokes that is somewhat controversial. … Continue reading
Choreographer Chris Conte continues with his class on edges and power generation. As noted in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 this class was in Korea on one of Chris’s visits and you’ll… Continue reading
Choreographer Chris Conte continues with his class on edges and power generation. As noted in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 this class was in Korea on one of Chris’s visits and you’ll notice Eun… Continue reading
Olympic Coach Frank Carroll offers insights about proper blade usage. As Frank explains, skaters often don’t think much about what part of their blade they should be skating on. So he offers an easy to remember “speedboat analogy”… Continue reading
In this short video, Amy Brolsma continues her explanation of choctaws. In Part 1, she introduced an exercise at the wall and then showed how she works with a skater to develop the step away from the wall. … Continue reading
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches choctaws. Choctaws are a relatively advanced skating step. Amy starts with a relatively simple drill at the wall and she explains that the skater must fully shift weight or the drill is… Continue reading
Page Lipe continues her discussion of compulsory figures (also called school figures). In the previous videos in this series, Page laid out a set of circles without using a scribe , discussed the forward outside 8, briefly demonstrated the… Continue reading
Amy Brolsma shares some tips for teaching and properly executing an inside slide chasse or slip. This element shows up as a major part of the US Figure Skating Intermediate Moves In The Field Test. Although this element… Continue reading
Karen Olson continues her discussion of power pulls. In two recent videos she covered forward power pulls and backward power pulls as independent elements and as they relate to the US Figure Skating Pre-Juvenile Moves in the Field… Continue reading
Choreographer Chris Conte continues with his class on edges and power generation. As noted in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 this class was in Korea on one of Chris’s visits and you’ll notice Eun Hee Lee… Continue reading
Choreographer Chris Conte continues with his class on edges and power generation. As noted in Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 this class was in Korea on one of Chris’s visits and you’ll notice Eun Hee Lee translating for… Continue reading
Karen Olson explains and demonstrates how she teaches backward power pulls for skaters just learning power pulls and those working to pass the US Figure Skating Pre-Juvenile Moves in the Field test. This is a continuation of a recent… Continue reading
Nick Perna shares his thoughts and insights about learning and teaching backward crossovers (also called crosscuts). This is a follow-up to his earlier video on forward crossovers. Much like the earlier video, this is an in-depth video… Continue reading
Amy Brolsma explains and demonstrates how she teaches backward cross strokes. (This video is a follow-up to Amy’s video on forward cross strokes.) Cross strokes appear repeatedly in the US Figure Skating Moves in the Field tests and… Continue reading
Karen Olson explains and demonstrates how she teaches forward power pulls for skaters just learning power pulls and those working to pass the US Figure Skating Pre-Juvenile Moves in the Field test. Karen did a previous video on power… Continue reading
Choreographer Chris Conte continues with his class on edges and power generation. As noted in Part 1 and Part 2 this class was in Korea on one of Chris’s visits and you’ll notice Eun Hee Lee translating for her Korean… Continue reading
Choreographer Chris Conte continues with his class on edges and power generation. As noted in Part 1, this class was in Korea on one of Chris’s visits and you’ll notice Eun Hee Lee translating for her Korean skaters. … Continue reading
Choreographer Chris Conte teaches a class on edges and power generation. This class was in Korea on one of Chris’s visits and you’ll notice Eun Hee Lee translating for her Korean skaters. Please excuse the audio on this… Continue reading
Nick Perna continues his discussion of the figure skating dice game he invented called FERTS for working on figure skating turns and steps and developing a clearer understanding of the definitions of the major turns in skating. As discussed… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna discusses a dice game he invented called FERTS for working on figure skating turns and steps and developing a clearer understanding of the definitions of the major turns in skating. The FERTS game is… Continue reading
Amy Brolsma explains and demonstrates how she teaches forward cross strokes. Cross strokes appear repeatedly in the US Figure Skating Moves in the Field tests and are an excellent tool for choreographers to use with a skater to generate… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Nick Perna continues his discussion of a set of unnamed and unrecognized turns that he calls orphan turns because they don’t below to any family and they have no formal name. In the previous video, Nick… Continue reading
Nick Perna begins a discussion of what he calls “orphan turns” in figure skating. He calls them orphan turns because these “forgotten” turns don’t belong to any family and they have no formal names. These turns are generally… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson explains how to properly train the spiral position off the ice. This is an outstanding video, both for the detail of the instruction and for the quality of the demonstrated positions.… Continue reading
In the video below, Nick Perna continues his discussion of figure skating stops and skids and covers a whole range of advanced stops and skids. He demonstrates a back two foot stop and again recommends that all skaters learn… Continue reading
In the video below, Nick Perna begins a discussion of stops and skids. Nick starts by noting the importance of learning a variety of stops and skids. But he also acknowledges that beyond the very basic stops taught… Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson teaches forward inside loops. See Karen’s presentation on forward outside loopsbefore watching this video. As with the forward outside loops, the shoulders start twisted into the circle. Karen emphasized the need to… Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson teaches forward outside loops. As Karen notes in her introductory comments in this video, “as freestyle coaches, without taking as much time as they did for figures, it’s still a process to teach loops. … Continue reading
Nick Perna shares his thoughts and insights on crossovers (also called crosscuts). This is an in-depth video covering details which are generally glossed over by many coaches. As Nick says, “To me, forward crossovers and back crossovers,… Continue reading
Karen Olson explains and demonstrates how she teaches backward cross strokes. This video is a continuation of her video on forward cross strokes. Backward cross strokes are an important skating skill but they’re often performed incorrectly, especially at… Continue reading
Karen Olson explains and demonstrates how she teaches forward cross strokes. This is an important skating skill, and it first appears in the US Figure Skating Juvenile Moves in the Field Test. Karen starts these with an exercise… Continue reading
Nick Perna discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of passive edges and active edges. He initially defines what each is and offers a demonstration of each type. As Nick notes, a passive edge “is just coasting on… Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson teaches backward inside loops. At the beginning of the video, Karen references the back outside loops, but she generally teaches the back inside loops first because they are easier to learn for most skaters. … Continue reading
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues with the fifth part of her multi-video on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. (On-ice jumps Part 1, On-ice jumps Part 2, On-ice jumps Part 3, On-ice jumps Part… Continue reading
Nick Perna gets back to first principles and provides more detail about what he calls the “blurb.” Nick uses the term “blurb” in many of his videos here at iCoachSkating.com. (He also calls it the “dip.”) … Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson explains the Backward Circle Eights pattern for the U.S. Figure Skating Pre-Juvenile Moves in the Field test. Karen demonstrates the moves and talks about it as she demonstrates it. Notice the technique used and strength… Continue reading
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues with the fourth part of her multi-video on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. (On-ice jumps Part 1, On-ice jumps Part 2, On-ice jumps Part 3) In this video, Michelle… Continue reading
Nick Perna continues a series of videos covering drills and exercises he uses to help his skaters develop power, agility, coordination, and edge control and awareness. In the first three videos in this series, Nick taught the … Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson discusses the Figure Eight pattern for the U.S. Figure Skating Preliminary Moves in the Field test. When starting this move, Karen reviews the Pre-Pre moves edges patterns. She also draws the circles for the… Continue reading
Audrey Weisiger continues her multiple part series on important foundational concepts she has developed during her coaching career. In Part 1, Audrey introduced the “h and d system” and covered the neutral alignment she wants as a… Continue reading
Audrey Weisiger begins a multiple part series on important foundational concepts she has developed during her coaching career. In this presentation, Audrey discusses her “h and d system” or the “alignment system.” The system is a series… Continue reading
Nick Perna continues a series of videos covering drills and exercises he uses to help his skaters develop power, agility, coordination, and edge control and awareness. In the first three videos in this series, Nick taught the Bread Drill, the… Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson discusses the full Backward Twizzle pattern from the US Figure Skating Novice Moves in the Field Test. Karen initially teaches it on the line, even though the pattern is skated on the long axis. Karen… Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson explains how she introduces and refines back inside twizzles. Karen teaches it much like a flip jump take-off. She uses same arm in front (same arm as skating foot). Karen notes that she uses twizzles… Continue reading
Nick Perna continues a series of videos covering drills and exercises he uses to help his skaters develop power, agility, coordination, and edge control and awareness. In the first three videos in this series, Nick taught the Bread Drill,… Continue reading
Nick Perna continues a series of videos covering drills and exercises he uses to help his skaters develop power, agility, coordination, and edge control and awareness. In the first two videos in this series, Nick taught the Bread Drill… Continue reading
Audrey Weisiger continues her discussion of important keys to the development of all skaters (see also Development Process Reminders). In this video, Audrey notes the need for off-ice training and she suggests that skaters learn to play a musical… Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson builds on her discussion of backward outside twizzles by offering a valuable exercise to work on properly building rotational energy and timing. In this short video, Karen explains how to apply the circular power three turn… Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson explains how she teaches backward outside twizzles from the beginning. In fact, in this video Karen works with a skater that has never done these twizzles before. Karen starts with back pushes with the free foot… Continue reading
Nick Perna continues a series of videos covering drills and exercises he uses to help his skaters develop power, agility, coordination, and edge control and awareness. In the first video in this series, Nick taught the Bread Drill. … Continue reading
Nick Perna begins a series of videos covering drills and exercises he uses to help his skaters develop power, agility, coordination, and edge control and awareness. In this video, Nick explains and demonstrates the Bread Drill. The Bread… Continue reading
Chris Conte finishes his edges and turns class in Korea. This is the fifth and final part of a multi-part series. You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and… Continue reading
skating.com/site.php/spgs/read/chris_conte/”>Chris Conte continues with an edges and turns class in Korea. This is the fourth of a multi-part series. You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3).We did not… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues with an edges and turns class in Korea. This is the third of a multi-part series. You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2).We did not have wireless microphones… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues with Part 2 of an edges and turns class in Korea. This is the second of a multi-part series. You can see the first part of this series here (Part 1). We did not… Continue reading
Chris Conte teaches an edges and turns class in Korea. This is the first of a multi-part series. We did not have wireless microphones for this class so at times the audio may be hard to hear. … Continue reading
This YouTube video shows Nick Perna skating on figure skates with the skate blades modified. This video proves that we primarily use the center part of the blade for the vast majority of skating on the ice. To… Continue reading
Karen Heng Olson covers the Forward Inside Twizzles from the USFS Intermediate Moves in the Field Test. (The forward outside twizzle video that Karen references is no longer published on the website.) Karen starts with the Preliminary inside three… Continue reading
In this very short video, Sheila Thelen offers a way to use Champion Cords to get a skater to lean into the circle they are skating on. Sheila shows how to attach the cords to the skater and she… Continue reading
Chris Conte finishes his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction (Part 7). You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6). In… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues with Part 6 of his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction. You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5). In… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues with Part 5 of his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction. You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4). In this video,… Continue reading
Nick Perna finishes his lutz lesson with Emily. In Part 1 of the lutz lesson, Nick did some preliminary analysis of Emily’s other jumps and her backspin and then started to address the flutz with backward power pulls. … Continue reading
Nick Perna continues with Part 3 of his lutz lesson with Emily. In Part 1 of the lutz lesson, Nick did some preliminary analysis of Emily’s other jumps and her backspin and then started to address the flutz with… Continue reading
Page Lipe shares three valuable exercises to increase body awareness. These drills are very effective in bringing out issues with alignment and core stability. Not surprisingly, these drills are harder than they look. The purpose of the first… Continue reading
Nick Perna continues his lutz lesson with Emily to fix her take-off edge. This video is the second of a multipart series covering the entire half hour lesson. In the first part of the lutz lesson, Nick did… Continue reading
Nick Perna fixes an incorrect lutz take-off edge or flutz. This video is the first of a multipart series covering the entire half hour lesson. We get to sit in on a practical lutz lesson as Nick works… Continue reading
Sheila Thelen offers a great tip to help skaters keep their head up while skating. In this video, Sheila explains and demonstrates exactly how to attach Champion Cords to a skater to apply tension to help the skater remember… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues with Part 2 of his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction. In Part 1, Chris discussed marching, swizzles, rocking horses, and rotating swizzles with some discussion of arm positions and posture. In… Continue reading
Chris Conte offers insights into ways coaches can speed the learning process by focusing on skills that emphasize basic jump rotation and developing power out of edges.
Tricia Offerdahl finishes Leah's program.
Tricia Offerdahl continues her development of Leah's program. This is Part 5 in a multi-part series. In this video, you'll see Trish make changes to the program.
Tricia Offerdahl continues her development of Leah's program.
Tricia Offerdahl continues her development of Leah's program.
Tricia Offerdahl continues her development of Leah's program.
Amy Brolsma teaches backward inside rockers.
Amy Brolsma teaches backward outside rockers.
Amy Brolsma teaches forward inside rockers.
Amy Brolsma begins her discussion of rockers by explaining how she teaches forward outside rockers. Amy begins by making sure the skater has complete control and proper alignment of the entry edge.
Amy Brolsma finishes her discussion of counters.
Amy Brolsma continues her discussion of counters.
Amy Brolsma continues her discussion of counters. In the previous video she discussed forward outside counters. In this video, she tackles forward inside counters.
Amy Brolsma introduces counters with a general discussion and then information on the forward outside counter.
Amy Brolsma teaches backward inside brackets. This is a continuation of Amy's discussion of forward outside brackets, forward inside brackets, and backward outside brackets).
Amy Brolsma teaches backward outside brackets. This is a continuation of Amy's discussion of forward brackets (forward outside brackets and forward inside brackets).
Amy Brolsma teaches forward inside brackets. This is a continuation of Amy's discussion of forward outside brackets.
Amy Brolsma shows how she discusses forward outside brackets. She starts off with a definition for brackets and she also talks briefly about the "bunny ears."
Amy Brolsma demonstrates an outstanding exercise to develop leg strength, edge pressure, and power, particularly as it relates to figure loops.
Amy Brolsma shows how she teaches back inside figure loops. (To see Amy's presentation on forward inside and outside figure loops, visit her bio page.
Amy Brolsma shows how she teaches back outside figure loops. (To see Amy's presentation on forward inside and outside figure loops, visit her bio page.)
Amy Brolsma shows how she teaches forward inside figure loops.
Amy Brolsma shows how she teaches forward outside figure loops.
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches power pulls. Notice that Amy is focused on the mechanics of how a skater generates power from a continuous edge.
Amy Brolsma gives a three-turn theory lesson with diagrams on the ice. This presentation is important and EVERY skater and coach should understand this information thoroughly.
Amy Brolsma talks about body lean on edges and turns. This is a short video but a great reminder for coaches and an important concept for skaters.
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches back inside three turns.
In this video, Amy Brolsma continues her discussion of the back outside three turn. This short video covers an incredibly important point which is why it's a stand-alone video on the site.
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches back outside three turns.
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches forward inside three turns.
Karen Heng Olson explains how she teaches the Bracket-Three-Bracket Pattern from the Novice USFS Moves in the Field Test.
Karen Heng Olson explains how she teaches the Backward Power Three Turns from the Juvenile USFS Moves in the Field Test.
Karen Heng Olson explains how she teaches the 8-Step Mohawk Sequence from the Juvenile USFS Moves in the Field Test.
Karen Heng Olson explains how she teaches the Power Pulls from the Pre-Juvenile USFS Moves in the Field Test.
Karen Heng Olson explains how she teaches the Forward Power Three Turns for the Preliminary USFS Moves in the Field Test.
Joan Orvis offers important insights about edges in figure skating. With the move away from school figures in the 1990's, more than a generation of skaters has now grown up without them.
Joan Orvis continues her discussion of school figures by covering double three turns.
Joan Orvis introduces one of the most basic school figures pattern. In this video, she focuses on the forward inside and forward outside edges.
Joan Orvis explains forward outside and inside 3-turns. She starts with the left forward outside 3-turn because many skaters use it for flip and salchow.
Joan Orvis discusses how to generate power and maintain speed. This is a short video but it includes information that is a good reminder to all of us.
Joan Orvis discusses some common mistakes that skaters make when learning forward inside and outside edges.
Sheila Thelen explains several ways to use Champion Cords to improve crossovers.
Tom explains a drill that consists of a series of half jumps and builds to a long sequence of jumps and rotations to develop skater control and jump flow and rhythm. Tom provides tips and recommendations to help the demonstrating skater improve the drill.
Sheila offers some insights about teaching young skaters. She makes the point that stories can be especially effective.
Sheila talks about skating posture and gives some tips to help young skaters understand and improve their posture.
Sheila shows how to use a Champion Cord to improve the stretch of a spiral.
Sheila talks about 2 fundamentally different ways to do a spiral and why a coach would want to choose one over the other. Notice that she talks about hip tension to help keep the free leg higher on one method.
Sheila discusses one of her favorite ways to help her skaters get more split on their spirals. This is so obvious and logical that many coaches may overlook it.
Audrey Weisiger finishes her series of circular stroking exercises that she developed to help her skaters with their posture, alignment and control.
Audrey Weisiger continues with the fourth stroking exercise intended to help her skaters with their posture, alignment and control.
Audrey Weisiger continues with the third stroking exercise intended to help her skaters with their posture, alignment and control.
Audrey Weisiger continues with the second stroking exercise intended to help her skaters with their posture, alignment and control.
Audrey Weisiger shares some stroking exercises that she developed to help her skaters with their posture, alignment and control.
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches forward outside three turns. Notice that Amy believes her skaters should fully understand the concept of the three turn, including how the turn starts and stops. She uses a hula hoop to help develop proper awareness of all the parts of the turn.
Karen Heng Olson explains how she teaches the back inside edges for the Pre-Pre USFS Moves in the Field Test. Notice that Karen goes back to the beginning and teaches backward stroking again, even if the skater already knows it ("Make a C, lift the foot in front"). The "C push" is a critical foundation skill for this pattern.
Joan Orvis discusses forward inside and outside edges. Joan makes a great point at the beginning of this video that good jumping cannot happen in skating without good edges.
In this video, Nick Perna discusses his system of teaching basic edge positions, and how he's distilled them down to four basic positions.
Nick Perna continues his explanation of slaloms and shares a drill to help skaters develop the proper weight transfer, balance, and power.
Nick Perna follows up his forward slalom drills to generate edge power with the backward versions of these drills.
Nick Perna shares some important drills to help skaters develop power from their forward edges.
Sheila demonstrates a stretching method she learned from Janet Champion to improve spiral positions. An assistant (in this case the coach) helps the skater during this stretch.
