Figure Skating – Basic Skills
World and Olympic coach Doug Leigh offers insights into his philosophy of coaching. He discusses quite a few things in this video, but it all boils down to starting with solid fundamentals and being a good person and mentor. To… 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 continues her lesson on basic spirals (see Part 1 here). The focus of this part of the lesson is on the pattern of the Consecutive Outside and Inside Spirals on the Preliminary USFS Moves in the Field… 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
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
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 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 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
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
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 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
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
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna shares an off-ice drill whose purpose is to improve balance and control of the 4 main skating positions. The demonstrating skater has a large asterisk on the floor to help with visualizing… 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
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
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
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach the very common ice show partner spin which is sometimes referred to as the eagle spin or spread eagle spin. And although this is not a serious figure skating… 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade continues with a lesson for two young skaters. Part 1 of the basic skills lesson focused on blade awareness and usage, and some introduction to jumping. In Part 2, Kori focused on fundamental… 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
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 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
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 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
Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma explains and demonstrates how she teaches lunges to beginner skaters. As she explains, the lunge provides a great way for young skaters to work on core control (hips) and get used to bending more… 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
Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma explains and demonstrates how she teaches spirals to beginner skaters. She focuses initially on the upper body position while on 2 feet. To balance this position, skaters must allow the hips to move… 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
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger explains what a mazurka is and how to do one. A mazurka is a basic skill that is useful in the development process for jumps such as the toe loop. Audrey… 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
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
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
Figure skating coach and tots expert Kayla Johnson demonstrates and gives tips on leading two fun activities designed to help teach kids how to hop on two feet on the ice. Hopping is an important skill for beginning skaters to… Continue reading
Tots expert Kayla Johnson explains yet another great game for engaging a tots class and teaching some important basic skills. The cookie game is a combination of games and skills already covered in Kayla’s videos. The basic idea… 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
Tots expert Kayla Johnson shares some ideas of how to use on-ice drawings to engage and inspire the skaters in a tots class. Initially, Kayla discusses the marker itself and recommends caution when using permanent markers. (Water soluble… Continue reading
Tots expert Kayla Johnson offers a number of ways to use Beanie Babies or “Beanies” in a tots class. Using toys is a great way to shift the focus of young (and old) skaters away from the details and… 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
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
Tots expert Kayla Johnson explains a couple warm-up games for a tots class that get the skaters moving and build balance and control. These games are fun and get the skaters moving around on the ice without focusing on… 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
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
Tots expert Kayla Johnson explains a couple games for a tots class that build backward skating skills. The first game is the “bubble gum” game. This game is effective for a number of reasons. It involves candy… Continue reading
Page Lipe continues her discussion of compulsory figures (also called school figures). In the previous video in this series, Page laid out a set of circles without using a scribe. In this video, Page demonstrates how to skate… Continue reading
Tots expert Kayla Johnson explains a fun game for a tots class that she calls the Zoo Game. Kayla notes that effectively teaching a tots class requires the ability to let go and have fun with the skaters in… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson discusses how to develop hip flexibility and improved hip turn-out. This is extremely important in figure skating and applies to T-stops, spirals, lunges, camel spins, Ina Bauers, spread eagles, jump landing… Continue reading
Tots expert Kayla Johnson explains how she runs a tots class in skating school. Initially she notes that the primary purpose of these classes is simply to have fun. Without having fun, most tots simply won’t be interested in learning… Continue reading
Page Lipe demonstrates how to draw figures circles without using a scribe. Although figures were dropped from international competition back in the early 1990’s, school figures are seeing a resurgence in popularity as coaches recognize the value of these… 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
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
Chris Conte discusses how to properly tie figure skates. In particular, Chris discusses how to properly tie very stiff skates such as the Edea carbon fiber boot. But this information also applies to almost any stiff skating… 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
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
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
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
This is the third video in a multi-video series from Olympic coach Michelle Leigh as she teaches an on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. (On-ice jumps Part 1, On-ice jumps Part 2) In this video,… 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
This is the second video in a multi-video series from Olympic coach Michelle Leigh as she teaches an on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. (On-ice jumps Part 1) At the beginning of this video, Michelle works… Continue reading
This is the first video in a multi-video series from Olympic coach Michelle Leigh as she teaches an on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. It’s pretty rare to see just how an Olympic coach teaches low… 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
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
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 3 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 Part… 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.
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.
In this video, Tom Hickey continues his explanation of how to use a Skate Spinner effectively for training. In this video, Tom discusses spins and footwork.
In this video, Tom Hickey shows how to use a Skate Spinner for jump development.
Tom Hickey describes some basic on-ice drills he uses to help very beginners learn to rotate. As in aprevious clip, he is assisted by his daughter Maddie.
Tom Hickey has help from his daughter Maddie showing how to introduce a young beginner skater to the waltz jump.
Joan Orvis finishes her four part description of the waltz jump.
Joan Orvis continues her multi-part description of the waltz jump.
Joan Orvis explains how she introduces the waltz jump. Notice the emphasis on the proper use of edges and ankle pressure.
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 offers a clever if not slightly diabolical concept to help skaters clearly remember their proper alignment side for jump air positions (as well as most take-offs and landings).
Sheila Thelen explains several ways to use Champion Cords to improve crossovers.
This is the fifth and final video of Sheila Thelen teaching a young skater in a private lesson. Sheila's skater is a 6 year old boy named Milan.
This is the fourth in a series of videos of Sheila Thelen teaching a young skater in a private lesson. Sheila's skater is a 6 year old boy named Milan.
This is the third in a series of videos of Sheila Thelen teaching a young skater in a private lesson.
This is the second in a series of videos of Sheila Thelen teaching a young skater in a private lesson.
This is the first in a series of videos of Sheila Thelen teaching a young skater in a private lesson.
Sheila uses a Champion Cord to help her skaters learn to cross their feet in jumps.
Sheila offers some insights about teaching young skaters. She makes the point that stories can be especially effective.
Sheila suggests a fun way to "spice up" a basic lesson with younger skaters. Never underestimate the power of toys! In this video, Sheila addresses skating posture.
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 continues with the fourth stroking exercise intended to help her skaters with their posture, alignment and control.
Audrey Weisiger continues her discussion of how to introduce spins to young skaters.
Audrey Weisiger continues her discussion of how to introduce spins to young skaters.
Audrey Weisiger continues her discussion of how to introduce spins to young skaters. She relies heavily in the beginning on what she calls the "washing machine" to get the skaters used to rotation and to help them get comfortable with their inside edges.
Audrey Weisiger discusses how to start young skaters spinning, from the very beginning. She starts the video by offering three suggestions for determining a skater's dominant spin direction.
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.
In this video, Nick Perna discusses his system of teaching basic edge positions, and how he's distilled them down to four basic positions.
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.
