World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek shares an exercise he uses for developing the necessary tightness in the feet on double loop, triple loop, and even quad loop. Tom calls this exercise “cha cha cha” as this is a memorable… Continue reading
In this video, International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues giving a lesson on double toe loop where the skater has a mental block in terms of crossing the feet in the air. In the first part of this… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen works with a skater using an off-ice stationary harness and an electric spinner. Prior to the harness lesson, Sheila takes baseline balance mat measurements in order to compare balance after the harness session. She… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch works through some basic spins with a skater. After the first forward upright spin Charyl tells the skater, “You’re sticking your booty out just a little bit.” This is a fairly common error, where… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen continues a multi-part series on the axel, with an emphasis on the importance of edge pressure and how to generate it. In Part 1 he discussed the take-off and the need for edge… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau explains how she teaches the A-frame or upright forward spin. She begins by noting that she uses a wide variety of entrances, and the primary goal is to choose an entrance where the skater will hold the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger supervises a class of advanced skaters who are running through a number of off-ice warm-up exercises. The class is student-led with one of the skaters in the class are sharing the exercises she uses… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues working with an advanced class of skaters on the death drop. In Part 1 Kim taught the class a basic exercise at the wall to learn the necessary movements, as well as an illusion exercise… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Doug Leigh shares insights and benefits of using the “seatbelt” air position for jumping. He begins with a short discussion of philosophy on continuing education, with passion, details, finesse, and purpose. As an introduction to air… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches toe loop as a second jump (toe loop in combination). He begins by drawing a circle on the ice near the boards, and then dividing the circle into thirds. One radial line points… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues an off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. In Part 1 Chris taught some basic walking and skipping drills which served both as a warm-up and as an introduction to… Continue reading
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen continues a series of videos covering a lesson for an adult skater who is working on her USFS Senior Free Skating test. In the first part of this lesson, the focus was on the double… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna gives a lesson on double toe loop. He begins by asking for a double toe, but the skater never crosses the feet and lands the jump on two feet facing forward. Nick is… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek continues his explanation of the “barrier step up exercise.” In Part 1 Tom taught the first phase of the exercise, and in this video he teaches the second phase which he calls the “merry-go-round.”… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen teaches a class of beginner skaters to improve their jump landings. She begins by describing the arm positions, with the axis side arm pointing into the circle and the non-axis side arm pointing outside… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte teaches and off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. He begins with a series of moving exercises to warm up the skaters, and this process also allows him to see their natural… Continue reading
In this very short video, figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch has a very young male skater demonstrate some spins for the camera. This video is valuable from a coaching perspective, as Charyl shows an honesty that many coaches shy… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues her discussion and demonstration of the technique and unwritten rules of performing a cursy or bow at the end of a skating performance. In Part 1 Kate discussed the basic differences for high and low level… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen continues a multi-part series on the axel, with an emphasis on the importance of edge pressure and how to generate it. In Part 1 he discussed the take-off and the need for edge… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues her axel lesson with a young male skater. In Part 1 of the lesson, the focus was on the take-off itself and the quickness needed to transfer the weight in the air. In… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau begins a short series on the technique and unwritten rules of performing a cursy or bow at the end of a skating performance. A curtsy or bow at the end of a performance is a gesture of… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches an advanced class of skaters her approach to the death drop. Even though this a class of advanced skaters, Kim teaches the skill “from the beginning,” initially focusing on fundamentals and exercises. She explains… Continue reading
Coach and former French competitive skater Vincent Restencourt continues a small “group” lesson for two male skaters who are both working on triple axel (see earlier part of lesson here). One of the skaters essentially pops every attempt in this… Continue reading
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen continues a series of videos covering a lesson for an adult skater who is working on her USFS Senior Free Skating test. In the first part of this lesson, the focus was on the double… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna gives a lesson on triple salchow. He begins with single salchow, single loop, single toe loop in combo, and then a double salchow, single loop, single toe in combo. After that Nick asks… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen teaches a class of beginner skaters to improve their upright backspins. This video is part 2 of a Champion Cords class Sheila gave at a seminar, but the focus here is strictly the backspin… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches what he calls the “barrier step up exercise” which is important for learning proper jump air position and landing movements. This kind of exercise is important because it helps skaters learn these positions… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues a presentation on the fundamentals of good jumping and good jump technique. In Part 1 he discussed the idea of less complicated movements and he introduced the “sideways moment” concept. In this… Continue reading
In this very short video, figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a lesson with tips on the bullet sit spin (also called cannonball or Fratianne) and overhead arms in upright spins. (See Part 1 of this lesson here.) To… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen begins a multi-part series on the axel, with an emphasis on the importance of edge pressure and how to generate it. He begins by comparing the axel take-off to jumping on a trampoline,… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger is giving a young male skater a lesson on single axel. This skater’s axel is not yet fully rotated, and Audrey shares helpful drills for this stage of development. After watching an axel attempt,… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her seminar class on flying camels (see Part 1 here and see Part 2 here). In this video, Kim troubleshoots some specific issues and offers some very helpful tips. After watching some attempts, Kim focuses… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte begins a presentation on the fundamentals of good jumping and good jump technique. He starts by explaining what he will focus on, which is the part of the 5 primary backward jumps (toe… 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
Coach and former French competitive skater Vincent Restencourt gives a small “group” lesson to two male skaters who are both working on triple axel. In some parts of the world, this kind of group lesson is very common, while in… Continue reading
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen begins a series of videos covering a lesson for an adult skater who is working on her USFS Senior Free Skating test. The focus in this video is on the double salchow-Euler-double salchow combination jump.… 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
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues working with a class of beginner skaters on the lutz jump. In the first part of this class, Nick focused on helping the skaters understand and see what a proper lutz is.… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a lesson on forward and backward upright spins. On the forward upright scratch spin, this skater has unusual arm positions and movement so Charyl makes her aware of it. Some skaters use their… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen discusses the potential edge change issue with the flip jump, and how to fix it. Historically, edge change has been more concerning with the lutz jump (and it continues to be), but as… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek explains what he means by the terms “first up,” “second up,” and “third up” as these terms continue to be used more and more commonly among coaches and skaters. Tom says, “When I’m coaching… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her seminar class on flying camels (see Part 1 here). She continues with the walk-through at the wall that she introduced briefly in Part 1. This is one of the best ways to learn to… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger works with skater Ryan Dunk on his triple lutz combination jump at a seminar a number of years ago. (See the previous part of this lesson on triple axel here.) The initial comments in… Continue reading
Coach and former French competitive skater Vincent Restencourt gives a quad toe loop lesson to International skater Jordan Moeller (2nd place, 2017 Challenge Cup) a number of years ago. At the time this video was taken, Jordan had not yet… 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
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen continues a short series of videos where she shares ideas for a well-balanced warm-up intended to be skated to begin the first on-ice session of the day. See Part 1 here. See Part 2 here.… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna is working with a class of beginner skaters on the lutz jump. The focus of this video is making sure the class understands what a proper lutz is and how to see it.… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach and inventor Sheila Thelen discusses ongoing research regarding the body’s vestibular system, and how figure skating training methods offer benefits not only to figure skaters but others as well. In Part 1, she discussed such benefits… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward (with insights from coach Kori Ade) gives an advanced skater a spin lesson, focusing on the spins in the skater’s program. Rohene makes some comments during the spins, and there are technical details to be… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek discusses the importance of a “big muscle backspin” as a tool for improving jump air position. This is essentially a regular backspin with details that make it more valuable as a jump training tool.… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues his lesson with a skater who wants to learn a triple toe loop. In Part 1 Chris analyzed the double and decided to work on improving the double rather than trying triples.… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues her lesson working with a skater on a relatively new camel spin. See the initial part of this camel spin lesson here. In this video, the initial focus is on the camel catch… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen compares split lutz and h-position lutz take-offs and offers opinions on which to teach. This is a continuation of his presentations on beginning lutz, 3 helpful lutz drills, different lutz entrances and reach… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger works with skater Ryan Dunk on his triple axel at a seminar a number of years ago. After a warm-up single axel, Audrey reminds Ryan to include the “quick” acceleration to finish the take-off… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches flying camel spin in a class at a seminar. She begins by explaining that a skater really needs to have a good camel spin and a good back camel spin before they’ll create a good… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau works with a skater on basic spirals. This lesson is in the context of the Pre-Preliminary and Preliminary USFS Moves in the Field tests, although the tips for control and presentation apply to all spirals. For the… Continue reading
Coach and former French competitive skater Vincent Restencourt gives a quad salchow lesson to 2015 US National Champion Jason Brown. (The previous part of this lesson focused on the quad toe here.) It is uncommon for skaters and coaches at… 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
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen offers insights and drills for improving double loop in combination. She begins by having the students do single loop double loop combinations, which is one of the most common ways of training a double loop… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna teaches a double/triple lutz class to advanced skaters at a seminar. Rather than starting immediately with the lutz, Nick begins by discussing the edge for the flip jump. For those struggling with the… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen discusses considerations for selecting the best lutz technique for a given skater. This is a continuation of his presentations on beginning lutz, 3 helpful lutz drills and different lutz entrances and reach details.… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach and inventor Sheila Thelen discusses research she has been involved with regarding the body’s vestibular system, and how figure skating training methods offer benefits not only to figure skaters but others as well. Sheila begins by… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward shares insights and ideas for landing positions. For this presentation he has 4 advanced skaters as demonstrators, all having slightly different body types and jump landing technique. Rohene begins by noting that he chooses a… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues his lesson with a skater who wants to learn a triple toe loop. In Part 1 Chris analyzed the double and decided to work on improving the double rather than trying triples.… Continue reading
2011 US Men’s Champion Ryan Bradley works with a skater on the initial stages of double loop development. They are working on the jump from a forward inside three-turn entry, which can be a great way for skaters to feel… Continue reading
International coach Lorie Charbonneau finishes her presentation on using a simple air-filled balloon as a jump training aid. In Part 1 she introduced the concept and had her skaters demonstrate single jumps as well as axel and double salchow with… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues with a double axel lesson. In the previous video, Audrey focused on the single axel, the pivot on take-off, and stand-still double axel attempts. In this lesson, the focus shifts to moving double… Continue reading
Fred Bartick, a Minnesota-based (Bloomington, MN) skate technician with over 35 years of experience, continues his discussion of boots and blades with a short discussion of toe picks. (See Part 1 of the series here and Part 2 of the… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch works with a skater on a relatively new camel spin. After watching an initial camel attempt, Charyl has this skater do a forward spiral down the ice to work the camel position. She mentions… Continue reading
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
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
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen shares two important exercises for developing the double loop. These exercises are also valuable for learning double loop double loop combinations. The first exercise is performed at the wall, starting facing the wall with b0th… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues a jump lesson. In the first part of this lesson Nick taught axel and double salchow drills. In the second part of the lesson he worked on double toe loop, double loop,… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach and inventor Sheila Thelen discusses how an electric spinner is helpful as a training aid for figure skaters. She explains she was initially skeptical of the electric spinner, but she changed her mind after trying one.… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward gives a jump lesson to eventual 2022 US Ladies Champion Mariah Bell (this video was taken several years before she won her national title). This lesson focuses entirely on the triple flip triple toe combination… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater who wants to learn a triple toe loop. This entire portion of the lesson is a discussion of what it takes to create a triple, and all skaters need… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen offers additional insights regarding the lutz jump. This is a continuation of his presentations on beginning lutz and 3 helpful lutz drills. Jeremy begins this video by discussing options for the lutz entrance… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan explains how to practice spinning, including how much to practice. Kim recommends training spins 15 minutes during every 45 minute to 1 hour on-ice practice. The 15 minutes should be focused and continuous, and not just… Continue reading
2011 US Men’s Champion Ryan Bradley gives a skater a double axel lesson. The lesson begins with a double axel attempt, and after that Ryan immediately observes that the skater needs to get more energy from the legs (more jump… Continue reading
International coach Lorie Charbonneau continues her presentation on using a simple air-filled balloon as a jump training aid. In Part 1 she introduced the concept and had her skaters demonstrate single jumps as well as axel and double salchow with… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger gives a double axel lesson to a skater she hasn’t worked with before. She begins with a double loop exercise as a way to challenge the skater and see the quality of the skater’s… 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
Fred Bartick, a Minnesota-based (Bloomington, MN) skate technician with over 35 years of experience, continues his discussion of boots and blades with tips for proper blade care. (See Part 1 of the series here and Part 2 of the series… Continue reading
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen offers exercises for working on two jump combinations where the second jump is a double toe loop. A great way to improve double double combos is to work on single double combinations. Debbie has the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh gives a double axel lesson. She begins the lesson by having the skater watch a successful double axel example by an elite skater (Carolina Kostner). This provides an opportunity to review characteristics of a… 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
Figure skating specialist coach and inventor Sheila Thelen continues her demonstration of off-ice jump training using an electric spinner and stationary off-ice harness system. This is a continuation of the previous videos here and here and here. In this video,… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues a general lesson with a beginner level skater, using program elements as a roadmap for the lesson. Part 1 focused on footwork and spins, and Part 2 focused on some jumps. Part 3 focused on spin… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen shares 3 different drills for helping skaters feel the proper outside edge lutz take-off. This is a continuation of Jeremy’s discussion of the beginning lutz here. Many skaters struggle with the outside edge,… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues a jump lesson. In the first part of this lesson Nick taught axel and double salchow drills. In this video, they work on double toe loop, double loop, and double flip. On… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater on double flip development. This skater suffers from common issues, and Chris offers some helpful insights and drills. When initially learning the double flip, many skaters lack air time… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a group class on layback spins. In Part 1 the focus was on proper upright spin entrance and spin centering. In Part 2 Kim started teaching the straight leg layback, and she continues with that… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward skates along with Olympic medalist Jason Brown (a number of years ago) during a program run-through, reminding him throughout of important performance details. The purpose of this kind of exercise is the choreographer can repeatedly… Continue reading
2011 US Men’s Champion Ryan Bradley gives a skater a lesson on double toe loop using the forward inside three turn entrance. The forward inside three turn entrance has lost popularity over time, mostly because the forward inside three turn… Continue reading
World and Olympic ice dance medalist Madison Hubbell gives a skater a lesson at a seminar/camp. This lesson focuses on skating skills, and in particular, how to generate power on the ice. Madison begins with a simple two-foot weight transfer… Continue reading
International coach Lorie Charbonneau continues her presentation on using a simple air-filled balloon as a jump training aid. In Part 1 she introduced the concept and had her skaters demonstrate single jumps as well as axel and double salchow with… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger teaches a jump class at a seminar. This is a continuation of this video. In this video, Audrey begins by discussing the idea of using difficult and challenging drills in skating. Most skaters thrive… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson, covering camel spin, introduction to layback, and combination spins with camel and layback (and sit spin). This is a continuation of this lesson. Starting with camel, Charyl focuses on keeping… Continue reading
Coach and former French competitive skater Vincent Restencourt gives a quad toe loop lesson to 2015 US National Champion Jason Brown. It is uncommon for skaters and coaches at this level to share such an intimate look at a typical… Continue reading