Karen Heng Olson
Karen Heng Olson is a PSA Master Rated coach in Moves in the Field and Freestyle and she has a Level II PSA Ranking (Jr. Nationals and Sectional Coach). She’s been coaching since 1995 and she currently coaches at the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN.
Karen has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware in Physical Education with a concentration on Figure Skating and a Minor in Psychology. She also has her ISI Gold Judges Certification and has coached skaters through ISI FS 9 and USFS Senior tests. Karen specializes in moves in the field and freestyle. She has been a presenter at both ISI and PSA seminars.
Most recent videos at the top…
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
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
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson discusses the ‘alternating backward crossovers to backward outside edges’ pattern of the US Figure Skating Preliminary Moves in the Field test. When teaching this pattern, Karen often refers to it… 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
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
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
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson discusses and demonstrates important insights related to forward spirals. As she notes, a forward spiral pattern is part of the US Figure Skating Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field test, although… 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
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
In this video, Karen Olson discusses the importance of the entire kinetic chain of joint and muscle usage for powerful jumping. As she notes, it is common, especially for lower level skaters, to struggle with properly engaging the glutes and… 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
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
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. NOTE:… Continue reading
Coach Karen Olson begins 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. NOTE: The rules of the… Continue reading
Coach Karen Olson gives a double toe loop lesson to a skater, with the emphasis on developing good combination jumps. In Part 1, Karen shared two valuable toe loop exercises, and in Part 2 she offered additional insights and exercises.… Continue reading
Coach Karen Olson gives a double toe loop lesson to a skater, with the emphasis on developing good combination jumps. In Part 1, Karen shared two valuable toe loop exercises. In this video, Karen offers additional insights and exercises. A… Continue reading
Coach Karen Olson gives a double toe loop lesson to a skater, with the emphasis on developing good combination jumps. In the first part of this lesson, Karen shares two valuable toe loop exercises. The first exercise is similar to… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson discusses and demonstrates specific details of the Straight Line Step Sequence from the USFS Junior Moves in the Field test. Karen walks through much of the pattern and discusses what… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson begins a discussion of rockers, and especially how she teaches rockers leading up to and including the USFS Junior Rocker moves in the field tests (Forward and Backward Outside Rockers,… 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
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
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson begins a presentation on choctaws and in particular, the Junior USFS Moves in the Field Choctaw Sequence. As we’ve come to expect from Karen, she begins by breaking down more… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson offers insights and tips for the Backward Rocker Choctaw Sequence pattern from the USFS Novice Moves in the Field test. She begins acknowledging that many skaters struggle on this move… 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
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
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
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
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson explains how some aspects of Moves in the Field can be used to address issues when teaching free skating, including jumping. She begins by saying, “I like to take some of… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson offers tips, advice, and exercises to help skaters and coaches master the Backward Loop Pattern from the USFS Junior Moves in the Field test. At the beginning of the video, Karen… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson continues a discussion of the Serpentine Step Sequence from the USFS Senior Moves in the Field test. Make sure to watch Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson continues a discussion of the Serpentine Step Sequence from the USFS Senior Moves in the Field test. Make sure to watch Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 before… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson continues a discussion of the Serpentine Step Sequence from the USFS Senior Moves in the Field test. To see Part 1 of this presentation, click here, and to see… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson continues a discussion of the Serpentine Step Sequence from the USFS Senior Moves in the Field test. To see Part 1 of this presentation, click here. In this video,… 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
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
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson explains how she teaches the Sustained Edge Step pattern of the USFS Senior Moves test. Much of this discussion is specifically about the pattern, but even those not teaching or skating this… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson continues her explanation of how she teaches the Power Double Three-Turns to Power Double Rocker patterns of the USFS Senior Moves test. You can see Part 1 of this discussion here. … Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson explains how she teaches the Power Double Three-Turns to Power Double Rocker patterns of the USFS Senior Moves test. Much of this discussion is specifically about these patterns, but even those not… 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
This is the second video about choctaws with Karen Olson. In the first choctaw video Karen shared some drills including a powerful back outside pivot drill. In this video Karen provides additional exercises for skaters learning choctaws and… Continue reading
This figure skating video is the first of two on teaching choctaws. Karen Olson shares a number of helpful exercises for teaching choctaws required for the USFS Junior Moves in the Field test. Compare this presentation to that… 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
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
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
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
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
Karen Olson teaches the forward outside three turns and the forward inside three turns from the US Figure Skating Preliminary Moves in the Field test. At the beginning of this video, Karen shares an insight that is important for… 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
Karen Heng Olson teaches backward outside loops. When beginning loops with a skater, Karen like to focus initially on the upper body movement. She shows the skater what she wants and holds the skaters arms. (Coaches,… 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
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
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
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
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
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
Moves in the field expert Karen Heng Olson continues her presentation on the USFS Intermediate Moves in the Field pattern. In the first video of the series, Karen introduced some basics. In the second video, she started to build the… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Heng Olson continues her presentation on the USFS Intermediate Moves in the Field pattern. In the first video of the series, Karen introduced some basics. In the second video, she started to build the… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Heng Olson continues her presentation on the Forward Outside Twizzles for the USFS Intermediate Moves in the Field pattern. In the first video of the series, Karen introduced some basics. In this video, she… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Heng Olson explains how she begins working on twizzles with skaters. Karen recommends that skaters start learning twizzles very early on in the skater’s development, well before the Intermediate Move in the Field Test.… Continue reading
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.
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.
