Figure Skating Skills – Backward Power Pulls (Karen Olson)

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 video Karen did on forward power pulls. Karen also did a video a while back on power pulls but the newer videos cover them in more detail.

As in the forward power pulls video, Karen starts all skaters on two feet doing backward slaloms. The key is to keep the feet close together and parallel the whole time. Karen recommends doing this slowly at first with the feet together but the knees slightly apart. Next Karen adds arms and shares easy to remember tips. She also discusses knee rhythm.

Next, Karen talks about what to do with the free leg. Notice she does not initially teach these with a straight leg. She notes, the free leg “should not be used to create the power.” She allows there to be front-to-back distance between the legs and feet, but doesn’t want side-to-side spacing.

Karen shares a simple but very effective two feet to one foot drill for developing alignment and rhythm. She reiterates a comment from the previous video that speed is not necessary at first while learning to generate power.