Figure Skating Edges And Turns – Part 5 (Chris Conte)

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 Part 4).We did not have wireless microphones for this class so at times the audio may be hard to hear. Throughout these videos, Korean coach “Grace” Eun He Lee is translating Chris’s comments for her skaters and this sometimes makes understanding Chris even more challenging on the video. However, the overall value of this information is so high that we decided to publish it anyway. We ask for your understanding regarding the audio and please leave a comment below if something is unclear.

As Chris prepares to return to basic turns, he continues to have the skaters do the itsy-bitsy-spider drill. Chris says, “No hurry. I want to feel each edge. Going in. Going out. At this point I’m not being specific about what edges they are. I’d like them to feel as if it’s a flat.” Then Chris explains that depending on how the skater uses the ankle (pronation/supination), they can generate ANY turn from this drill. Great theory discussion and very eye-opening to many coaches and skaters!

Next, Chris demonstrates the extreme version of the itsy-bitsy-spider drill but does not have the class do it as the class was running out of time. The purpose of the class was to focus on some basic turns so that’s how Chris ended the class. The drills in this series dramatically helped these skaters’ turns. At the end of the video, Chris continues to cover issues with the free leg on some of the rockers as well as alignment issues, although the audio of this section is difficult to hear. The main point is that skaters that learn to control of their blade will dramatically improve their turns. Obviously, it’s also important to have proper alignment as well as and free leg and arm positions and movement.

This has been another great series from Chris. Please leave a comment below.