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
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire reviews her foundational spin concepts and explains the challenges of the forward scratch spin. After a brief introduction, Bobbe talks about how she uses a 5-step system to teach spins. She… Continue reading
Matthew Blair Davis shares tips and techniques for improving a skater’s strength for the sit spin. The sit spin requires significant strength in the legs and torso. A lack of strength is a common limitation for skaters… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak continues a multiple part series on the loop jump. Please see Part 1 for a summary of when and how the survey was conducted. Responses from coaches and skaters were separated, and… 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
Olympic coach Kori Ade continues a discussion with her skaters about the mental and emotional side of skating. In the first part of this series Kori used the metaphor of the “shell-less turtle” to help build confidence and… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade has a discussion with her skaters about the mental and emotional side of skating. In this video, Kori uses a fun and humorous exercise she calls the “shell-less turtle” (or “naked turtle”) as a… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues his multi-part series on air turns or the Russian Twist. In Part 1, he introduced the overall concept. In Part 2 he explained the first turn and discussed how it relates to … Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares some simple but important concepts to help skaters and coaches address jump issues. He begins by explaining there are “3 big parts” which are pattern, position, and timing. Pattern is related… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch works with a skater on her attitude spin. The attitude spin is a foundational spin that provides some basics to be used later when a skater learns a layback. The attitude spin is… Continue reading
International and World figure skating coach Nick Perna shares a drill he calls the “disco dance” which he uses to help skaters understand the concept of flow or flight direction in a jump. In the last video by… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak begins a multiple part series on the loop jump. A few months prior to posting this video, Trevor asked iCoachSkating subscribers to take a survey about the loop jump. The survey consisted of… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a multi-part series on off-ice jumping. In Part 1 she focused on some basics and the axel. In this video, she discusses the salchow and some drills to improve landings.… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh begins a multi-part series on off-ice jumping. A large percentage of elite skaters use off-ice jumps as part of their regular training and warm-up. And top coaches like Michelle often have… Continue reading
International coach Page Lipe continues with a double lutz lesson and shares more valuable tips regarding the lutz. In the first part of this lesson, Page focused on the arms. In this video, the primary focus is… Continue reading
In this video, figure skating coach Sheila Thelen is giving a skater a lesson on the broken leg sit spin (sit side). Sheila explains one method of using the arms on this spin to make the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger shares a game she developed to help keep her highest level skaters motivated who were training in near isolation. The game is particularly effective for skaters who are the “best” skater in… Continue reading
This short video by figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan is a follow-up to the lesson she gave a skater on a sit spin that transitions from a regular forward sit spin (sit front) to what the skater calls… 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
Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a lesson on a sit spin that transitions from a regular forward sit spin (sit front) to what the skater calls a turtle spin (also called a clam), which is a forward… 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
This figure skating video is a continuation of an advanced loop class by Ryan Bradley at the G2C Supercamp in the summer of 2015. In Part 1, Ryan offered a number of tips and some specific advice… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo continues his presentation on choreography (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here). In Part 3 he discussed the idea of “polishing” a program, and he continues… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo continues his presentation on choreography (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here) with a discussion of “polishing” or improving existing choreography. Pasquale wants every single moment of… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade continues her discussion with her competitive and elite skaters about how elite people approach the world as compared to how ordinary people and even successful people approach it. See the first part… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade has a discussion with her competitive and elite skaters about how elite people approach the world as compared to how ordinary people and even successful people approach it. Her goal is to… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby explains how he teaches a toe loop jump. He begins by acknowledging there are lots of ways to set up the jump, but once backward and reaching, the position should be the… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues with a spin lesson for one of her skaters. In the first part of this lesson, Charyl covered the forward upright scratch spin, the back upright scratch spin, and the forward sit spin.… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues his multi-part series on air turns or the Russian Twist. In Part 1, he introduced the overall concept. In Part 2 he explained the first turn and discussed how it relates to snizzles… Continue reading
International and World figure skating coach Nick Perna talks about jump trajectory and flow in the context of throwing a frisbee. Nick notes, “A jump is supposed to be moving through space, turning, and in a straight line,… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade continues her discussion of what she calls the “second up.” In the first part, she explained the basic concept and why it’s important and began some exercises to improve the second up on an… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade shares her concept of a “second up” in a good figure skating jump. The “first up” is the actual movement of jumping up in the air, and Kori explains, the “second up” is the… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen shares some great reminders and tips regarding figure skating jumps. Sheila does a large number of seminars and workshops throughout the US each year. And she has some observations regarding common… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh explains the mechanics of a toe loop jump as it relates to the non-picking foot. She draws a picture on the ice to explain the movements and she shows common errors. … Continue reading
International coach Page Lipe gives a double lutz lesson and shares some valuable tips regarding the lutz. This part of the lesson focuses on the arms, and this information is applicable to other jumps as well. Skaters… 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 Robert Tebby continues his presentation to a class on waltz jump and axel. In the first part he focused primarily on the setup and the landing. In second part, he shared a walk-through… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues his multi-part series on air turns or the Russian Twist. In Part 1, he introduced the overall concept. In this part, he explains the first turn and discusses how it relates to snizzles and… Continue reading
In this video, spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a spin lesson to one of her skaters. The value in watching this video comes from seeing the errors (which are common) and the corrections and discussion. At the beginning… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her layback lesson with a skater during a spin seminar. In the first part of the lesson, Kim talked about all of the main problems with the spin. In this… Continue reading
Chris Conte begins a multi-part series on air turns or what he refers to as the Russian twist. This is a very common jump drill, but oftentimes the details are missing. In this series, Chris provides enough information… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a layback lesson to a skater as part of a spin seminar. The skater does a layback with many fundamental errors which Kim identifies and then offers solutions for. A layback… Continue reading
Specialty figures expert Kirsten Olson teaches another specialty figure that uses crosscuts, edge changes, and forward outside loops to create a clover pattern on the ice. You can see Kirsten’s other videos on specialty figures here: Fishtails/Crosscuts,… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen talks about 2 common misconceptions related to spinning. A high percentage of skaters are unable to correctly answer the following questions: Where on the blade do you balance as you spin? Does… Continue reading
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh offers two valuable exercises for correcting the “pike position” or “broken arrow” jump air position where the body is forward and the skater’s body does not make a nice straight line. The first exercise… 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 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
In this short video, International coach Page Lipe explains the h-position clap drill. She uses this drill with skaters on loop, flip, and lutz jumps and she explains it doesn’t work very well on salchow (and toe loop… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation to a class on waltz jump and axel. In the first part he focused primarily on the setup and the landing. In second part, he shared a walk-through… Continue reading
As an iCoachSkating subscriber, would you please take the following survey on the loop jump? Please select the correct button below to go to the survey. The survey itself should take about 5 to 10 minutes. If you do… Continue reading
This video is a continuation of an advanced loop class by Ryan Bradley the G2C Supercamp in the summer of 2015. In Part 1, Ryan offered a number of tips and some specific advice to help the… 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
Ryan Bradley teaches a loop jump class at the G2C Supercamp in the summer of 2015. These exercises are appropriate for all skaters who have basic mastery of a single loop, although the class in the video are… 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
Jump specialist Trevor Laak offers 4 examples of double and triple axels showing how elite skaters use a pole-vaulting method to maximize jump height and create maximum rotational energy for the jump. This is a follow-up or clarification video… Continue reading
Figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte continues his presentation on how he teaches a skidded axel take-off. In the first part, Chris introduced the topic and demonstrated how he begins the process with the hockey glide. In… Continue reading
Figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte continues his presentation on how he teaches a skidded axel take-off. In the first part, Chris introduced the topic and demonstrated how he begins the process with the hockey glide. In… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a long-time student on her layback spins. There are some nice tips in this video, but one of the main benefits you’ll get from watching this video is to see… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives one of her skaters a spin lesson. Sometimes it can be helpful for coaches and skaters to see how other coaches give lessons. Some of the information in these kinds of lessons is… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen gives a very concise presentation on some of the most important aspects of the toe loop jump. These ideas and tips apply to single and double toe loops as well as triples… Continue reading
Specialty figures expert Kirsten Olson offers more insights about the Maltese Cross specialty figure as she works with a group of skaters on the pattern. This video acts as a continuation of Kirsten’s presentation on Fishtails/Crosscuts and the… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire shares some helpful information related to testing for shoulder flexibility for Biellmann spins, haircutters, and donut spins. It’s a little hard to see in the video what Bobbe is talking about when… 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
International coach Page Lipe explains and demonstrates a number of valuable exercises to help skaters develop body awareness as it relates to figure skating. These exercises not only build awareness, but also strength and muscle memory for correct positions… Continue reading
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a lesson with a skater. The first part of the lesson focused on toe loop combination jumps (triple-triple but concepts also apply to double). In this video, Michelle and her student leave… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade continues a discussion with her competitive skaters regarding their thresholds for various stressors. In Part 1, she introduced the topic and covered the examples of thresholds for physical pain and thresholds for handling success.… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade leads a discussion with her skaters about understanding and dealing with our individual thresholds. For example, everyone has their own specific threshold for tolerating pain. But these thresholds are not fixed and unchangeable.… 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
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation to a class on waltz jump and axel. In the first part he focused primarily on the setup and the landing. In this part, he begins the axel… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches a class some important details about the waltz jump, particularly as it relates to axel and double axel. Robert starts with a discussion of the setup and he encourages getting… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a skater on her pancake spin. We join this lesson in progress after initial work on entry and the basic sit spin. The skater performs a pancake where she… Continue reading
Figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte continues his presentation on how he begins teaching a skidded axel take-off. In the first part, Chris introduced the topic and demonstrated how he begins the process with the hockey glide. … Continue reading
Figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte explains and demonstrates how he begins teaching a skidded axel take-off. This video follows naturally from the earlier series Chris did on skids and stops (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part… 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
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
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives one of her skaters a layhback spin lesson, which includes the skater’s first attempts at a Beillmann spin. Throughout the video, Charyl shares tips and tricks for laybacks, side laybacks, the haircutter variation, and… Continue reading
Coach Sheila Thelen continues her short series showing how to properly use a stationary off-ice (or on-ice) harness for developing jump air position. In Part 1 she discussed the desired fundamental h- and d-positions, and it Part 2… Continue reading
In this video, figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire discusses teaching and learning methods in the context of skaters trying jumps within spins. In particular, Bobbe has her demonstrators attempt forward sit, jump into back sit. Notice that… Continue reading
Specialty figures expert Kirsten Olson teaches the specialty figure “angel wings.” (See Kirsten’s presentation on the Maltese Cross specialty figure here.) The turns used for angel wings are the bracket and the double three turn. Kirsten demonstrates… 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
International coach Page Lipe explains and demonstrates the take-offs for the weight transfer jumps, axel, salchow, and toe loop using drawings on the ice. These drawings help skaters (and coaches) understand how to create a take-off with flow and… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues teaching a class the flying sit spin. In Part 1 he focused entirely on “the fly” or the jump. In this part he talks mostly about the tuck and the rest… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches a class the first part of a flying sit spin. He begins by explaining that the element happens just the like the name implies. He says, “You have to fly first,… Continue reading
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh works with a skater on developing triple-triple combinations with triple toe as the second jump. The lesson starts with 2 huge double axels which are used primarily as a warm-up for this skater but they… 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
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues with a double axel lesson for a skater who has been working on the jump a while, yet has never landed it. In Part 1, Audrey shared the one-foot axel drill and… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger gives a double axel lesson to a skater who has been working on the jump a while, yet has never landed it. We join the lesson already underway with Audrey asking for a… Continue reading
During a spin clinic, figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan asks a low level class to create their own spins. So much of figure skating is dominated by coaches telling skaters what to do, leaving little or no room… Continue reading
Figure skating jump specialist Charlie Tickner discusses his approach to working with adult skaters. He acknowledges that adults may feel fear and many may admit to it, but he reminds everyone that young skaters also have fear (and coaches… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade continues her lesson on the double axel with a skater at the 2015 G2C Supercamp (see Part 1 here). Here Kori starts by addressing the free leg position and movement. She wants the free leg… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade works works with a skater on double axel at the 2015 G2C Supercamp. Kori begins by watching a single axel and then a double loop. Kori focuses a lot on the concept of a… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch shares her thoughts about common problems that adult skaters face when learning the sit spin. Because most adult skaters don’t want to fall, they often round their back, sit too far back, and have their… 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
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire teaches 3 skaters the back camel, jump to forward sit spin. None of the skaters had attempted this before this lesson so you get to see the typical learning process. Bobbe calls… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo continues his presentation on choreography (see Part 1 here) with a discussion and demonstration of creating an interesting transition. Transitions by definition are the connecting movements between skating elements… Continue reading