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
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo begins a discussion about choreography. Pasquale is one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world and it is valuable to hear his insights. Right at the beginning, Pasquale… Continue reading
Specialty figures expert Kirsten Olson continues her presentation on specialty figures by demonstrating and explaining the Maltese Cross. The Maltese Cross uses the cross-cuts or fishtails learned in the previous video and is a pattern skated entirely on one… Continue reading
Specialty figures expert Kirsten Olson teaches the “crosscuts” used in the Maltese Cross specialty figure. Compulsory or school figures are making a resurgence and even historical specialty figures are growing in popularity. One such figure is the Maltese… 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
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
In this short video, international coach Page Lipe shares a simple but very effective warm-up drill she calls the “basketball exercise.” The drill was adapted from a warm-up used by a basketball team many years ago. The drill consists… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches a class the death drop flying spin entrance. As Robert notes, a good death drop briefly gives the illusion that the skater is in danger of falling on her/his head. In… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches important on-ice warm-up exercises for preparing to jump. These exercises focus on core jumping principles such as head position and movements, proper alignment and timing for the air position, and head position… 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. In this video,… 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
Coach Sheila Thelen begins a short series showing how to properly use a stationary off-ice (or on-ice) harness for developing jump air position. Most skaters simply learn this position as a backspin and then do their best when… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak comments on a quad toe loop performed by US National Champion Jason Brown. Trevor discusses how much rotation actually occurs “in the air” and addresses the rarely understood aspect of different amounts of rotation for… 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
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh works with a skater on the triple toe loop jump. This video has a number of important concepts and drills that will benefit skaters working on doubles, triples, and quads. Michelle begins with a… 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
During a spin clinic, figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a low level class on camel spins. Some of the information presented in this video is similar to her presentation to high level skaters here (Part 1)… Continue reading
Figure skating jump specialist Charlie Tickner explains how to do a double axel. This video is a continuation of Charlie’s presentation on the single axel (Part 1 and Part 2). In general, Charlie teaches a double axel using… 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
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh discusses some key concepts associated with the triple salchow. She likes having skaters use a “crosscut” entrance. In the USA this is more commonly called a salchow from “back crossovers” or from an “undercut.”… Continue reading
In this short video, spin specialist Charyl Brusch offers some insights and tips for the sit spin variation commonly known as the mushroom or “sit back.” This video is basically a continuation of the Charyl’s pancake video. She… Continue reading
Olympic coach Kori Ade works with a visiting skater on the double axel. Kori starts the lesson by watching YouTube video of a triple axel. Sometimes skaters need visual feedback to help them understand what they are trying… 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
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire explains how she teaches the camel spin jump into flying sit spin combination. A jump within a spin can add an IJS level to a spin and Bobbe shares her favorite way of… 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
Jump specialist and video analyst Trevor Laak discusses how and why he uses the split jump and split flip as a development tool for double flip. This is the second follow-up to the analysis video Trevor recorded on a… Continue reading
Jump specialist and video analyst Trevor Laak shares 2 drills for improving the timing and flow of the flip jump. This is a follow-up to the analysis video Trevor recorded on a single flip with excessive shoulder rotation (see… Continue reading
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh talks about using a half-axel to improve the axel and as a drill for double axel. This video is a continuation of an earlier double axel lesson. Michelle refers to an under-rotated axel where… 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
Figure skating jump specialist Charlie Tickner continues his discussion of how he teaches an axel. Please watch Part 1 before viewing this page as Charlie references some of the info he covered in that video. In this… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her spin class presentation on the forward outside edge camel spin. You can see Part 1 here. Here she describes a drill she has the skaters do on the hockey circle. It… Continue reading
In this short video, Page Lipe talks about when a skater is ready to learn a new element. This is a common question from coaches, skaters, and skating parents alike. Here’s Page’s thoughts on this topic. It’s… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch offers some insights and tips for the sit spin variation commonly known as the pancake. She begins by helping the skater get into the position while providing support. Notice the detail of grabbing the… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak analyzes a single flip for a skater interested in working on the double. Trevor provides a full analysis of the jump, but focuses on the “rotational jerkiness” caused by excessive shoulder pre-rotation. This is… 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
In this video, figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire offers many insights for maximizing IJS points for spins. This is a long video with lots of ideas. The specific rules and point values may have changed by the… 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
Olympic coach Kori Ade works with one of her skaters learning a triple flip. This skater lacks the necessary air time for the triple but Kori shows the process of building the jump from the double. In this lesson… Continue reading
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh gives a double axel lesson. As Michelle notes, the demonstrator in the video has just recently landed the double axel so it is a brand new jump without consistency. In this video we get… Continue reading
Page Lipe shares some tips with coaches on how to stay motivated and use their ongoing education to help bring more passion to the rink. Many coaches don’t have other coaches at their rink to help motivate them and… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch shares some fantastic tips for doing the sit spin variation with the leg in front and the body forward and down. This sit spin is known by many names including the bullet spin, the cannonball… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues her discussion of the split jump (see Part 1 and Part 2). In this video she focuses on the split toe loop, the split flip, and the split lutz. Audrey spends… Continue reading
Figure skating jump specialist Charlie Tickner explains and demonstrates how he teaches an axel. This is an excellent presentation and epitomizes the “traditional” axel teaching method used in the United States. Charlie uses the back outside edge preparation… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches a spin class how to do a forward outside edge camel spin. Kim begins by acknowledging that there are many ways to achieve the goal, but she likes to start with the camel “base… Continue reading
Chris Conte continues with Part 11 of a multi-part series on jump development exercises. In this series, Chris provides a set of warm-up exercises with a variety of drills embedded in them to develop important jumping skills associated with… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire continues her description of the back camel. In Part 1, she talked at length about the back camel spin entrance and in Part 2 she discussed the back camel position in detail. … Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire continues her description of the back camel. In Part 1, she talked at length about the back camel spin entrance. In this video, she begins by working on the back camel position… Continue reading