World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh discusses how to increase jump air time, which is the same as jumping higher. Sufficient jump height is critical in order to have enough air time to finish the desired rotation prior to landing.… 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. In this video, the… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward continues his warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. This class is performed to a variety of music and the emphasis is on warming up, mastering skating skills, and improving performance skills. Check out the entire… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater to improve a single flip jump. (See previous part of this lesson focusing on loop jump here and Part 1 of the flip portion of the lesson here.) A… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her detailed explanation of how she teaches camel spins. In Part 1, Kim discussed details of the setup and initial entry edge, with emphasis on hand positions intended to properly open the shoulders and generate… Continue reading
International coach Lorie Charbonneau continues an exercise/game she uses for encouraging skaters to efficiently work through all of their combination jumps. In Part 1, the game focused on double toe loop combinations. In this video, the game remains the same… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers continues her multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch works with a young skater on the beginner backspin. This short video is a continuation of a beginner spin video focused on basic forward upright scratch spin, sit spin, and camel spin (see Part… Continue reading
International coach Lorie Charbonneau shares an exercise/game she uses for encouraging skaters to efficiently work through all of their double toe loop combinations. The game consists of performing a jump such as axel with a double toe loop in combination.… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues a jump lesson at a seminar. As noted in Part 1, the skater in this lesson had a double axel at one time in the past and lost it (after an injury), and… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson discusses and demonstrates important insights related to forward spirals. As she notes, a forward spiral pattern is part of the US Figure Skating Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field test, although… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues a lesson for a skater working on her US Figure Skating Novice Moves in the Field test. The skater already knows the patterns, so this is an opportunity for Kate to help the skater improve them… Continue reading
Choreographer Garrett Kling continues the off-ice choreography class for an on-ice group performance to skaters at a camp. He begins this video with choreography that precedes the movements learned previously in Part 1 and Part 2. Garrett first organizes the… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues a lesson with a skater who is working to improve her single jumps. In Part 1 of the lesson, Nick worked on backspin, h-position, d-position, and landing position. In this short video,… Continue reading
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen begins 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. The purpose of this kind of warm-up is… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a video series discussing the tracings left on the ice by the 6 major jumps. By understanding what the tracings should look like, it helps get a clearer picture of proper technique and… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater to improve a single flip jump. (See previous part of this lesson focusing on loop jump here.) Chris begins by noting that a flip is basically a “loop jump… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan shares her method of teaching camel spins. She begins by acknowledging there are many ways to do a camel spin entry, such as leading with the skating side arm or leading the non-skating side arm. Neither… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers continues her multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… 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 details about how to properly mount blades on the boot. (See Part 1 of the series here and… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch works with a young skater on basic spins, including the basic forward upright scratch spin, sit spin, and camel spin. Charyl notes that, “It took forever to get this one to spin, but… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger gives a jump lesson at a seminar. The skater had a double axel at one time in the past and lost it, and the goal of this lesson is to try to get it… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach and inventor Sheila Thelen demonstrates balance improvements in an adult subject (Trevor Laak from iCoachSkating) using vestibular training. Vestibular training is any training that stimulates the body’s vestibular system which is the sensory system within the… 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
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues a lesson for a skater working on her US Figure Skating Novice Moves in the Field test. The skater already knows the patterns, so this is an opportunity for Kate to help the skater improve them… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna gives a lesson to a skater who is working to improve her single jumps. Nick begins the lesson by asking for a backspin, and based on the weakness of the spin he focuses… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a video series discussing the tracings left on the ice by the 6 major jumps. By understanding what the tracings should look like, it helps get a clearer picture of proper technique and… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater to improve a single loop jump. Once a skater learns the basics of the jump, it is necessary to reduce scratching, increase entry speed and jump flow, and improve… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen continues his series of videos where he discusses in detail all aspects of toe loop combination jumps. In Part 1 he discussed what happens on a good jump landing and how the reset… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a class a lecture and demonstration on centering spins, focusing on the basics of performing an upright front scratch spin. Kim uses a step-by-step process to help skaters learn and center spins, and there are… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward continues his warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. This class is performed to a variety of music and the emphasis is on warming up, mastering skating skills, and improving performance skills. Check out the entire… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers continues her multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here) and Part 3 here) by introducing a back camel and back sit spin. In the previous parts of the lesson, this skater… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger teaches a class some challenging but valuable double loop drills. The skaters in this class can already do double loops, so the purpose of the drills is to develop complete mastery as well as… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues a lesson for a skater working on her US Figure Skating Novice Moves in the Field test. The skater already knows the patterns, so this is an opportunity for Kate to help the skater improve them… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues a lesson with a skater who is starting to work on double axel. In Part 1 of this lesson, Nick focused on determining the readiness for this skater to try double axels… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh begins a video series discussing the tracings left on the ice by the 6 major jumps. By understanding what the tracings should look like, it helps get a clearer picture of proper technique and… Continue reading
International coach Chris Conte continues his description of the physical processes of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). In the previous videos, Chris discussed the theory of how skaters create lift and how… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen begins a series of videos where he discusses in detail all aspects of toe loop combination jumps. This series is an update to a good introductory video by Jeremy on combination jumps in… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward continues his warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. This class is performed to very slow, bluesy music and the emphasis is on warming up, mastering skating skills, and improving performance skills. Check out the entire… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers continues her multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here) with emphasis on an upright attitude position as well as the hair cutter position. In the previous parts of the lesson, this… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger teaches a seminar class on toe loops. She begins class by asking the skaters if they worked on something they should have and if they did something better than before. These concepts are part… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues a lesson for a skater working on her US Figure Skating Novice Moves in the Field test. The skater already knows the patterns, so this is an opportunity for Kate to help the skater improve them… Continue reading
Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson shares insights to improve the two Power Double Three Turns to Double Rocker patterns on the USFS Senior Moves Test. The ideas presented apply to both patterns. Karen begins by… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Denise Myers begins a multi-part series sharing a variety of exercises and drills intended to improve overall skating skills. These exercises would be excellent as part of an on-ice warm-up or at the end of a… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna gives a lesson to a skater who is starting to work on double axel. In the first part of this lesson, Nick is focused on determining the readiness for this skater to try… Continue reading
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward leads a warm-up edge class for advanced skaters. The class is warming up with very slow music using 3/4 timing. The exercises are meant to warm up the skaters’ bodies and provide an opportunity to… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a “double axel” class for more advanced skaters who are consistently landing single axels and most if not all of the other double jumps. In the Part 1 Michelle taught take-off details, proper… Continue reading
International coach Chris Conte continues his description of the physical processes of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). In the previous videos, Chris discussed the theory of how skaters create lift and how… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen offers insights and drills for combination jumps. He begins with a discussion of toe loop combinations and the all-important “reset” between the first jump and the toe loop. Jeremy defines the reset as… Continue reading
Choreographer Garrett Kling continues the off-ice choreography class for an on-ice group performance to skaters at a camp. He begins this video where Part 1 left off, adding new movements and steps. Skaters often struggle with steps and footwork while… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson (see Part 1 here) with emphasis on a sit back position or mushroom and the basic camel spin. In the previous part of the lesson, this skater worked on the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger gives a group lesson to 3 skaters at a camp. Audrey has the skaters do 2 classic jump drills. The first drill is an axel drill and starts with the skater in a forward… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau gives a lesson to a skater working on her US Figure Skating Novice Moves in the Field test. The skater already knows the patterns, so this is an opportunity for Kate to help the skater improve them… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen discusses the lutz entry and offers some alternatives to the classic “lutz corner” entry. The old-school “lutz corner” entry remains popular but causes massive problems with session flow, safety, and even proper lutz execution.… 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
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna offers a number of helpful jumping insights based on the concepts associated with throwing a frisbee. As he notes, many skaters benefit from seeing and using physical objects for understanding important ideas. Nick… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh begins a “double axel” class for more advanced skaters who are consistently landing axels and most if not all of the other double jumps. She starts by asking for super fast backspins as a… Continue reading
International coach Chris Conte continues his description of the physical processes of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). In the previous videos, Chris discussed the theory of how skaters create lift and how… Continue reading
Choreographer Garrett Kling teaches choreography for an on-ice group performance to a class of skaters at a camp. He begins by telling the class about the music choice, including some deeper meaning. Next he explains that he will teach the… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen discusses the double axel, including common errors and drills for creating a proper take-off. The first mistake he mentions is “going out too much” or extending the arms and free leg (and sometimes… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a spin lesson, focusing on upright scratch spin and sit spin. For very calm and gentle skaters, coaches often struggle to get strong pushes and aggressive edges. The primary solution is to keep… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger is working with a young skater who is struggling with properly moving the non-picking foot through the take-off of the double toe loop. This problem is often referred to as a “toe axel” as… Continue reading
Coach Kate Charbonneau explains and demonstrates the process she uses for creating original edge classes and step sequences. The process begins with finding out which turns and elements her skaters can do, and trying to include at least one of… Continue reading
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson discusses and demonstrates key issues for the Waltz Eight pattern of the US Figure Skating Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field test. For simplicity and as a way to set reasonable circle sizes for… Continue reading
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
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna shares his updated process for developing the lutz jump. Nick briefly references his earlier iCoachSkating lutz videos which can be seen here: Introduction and Basics, Correcting the Edge, and Setups. These videos focus… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh finishes with her seminar beginner axel class (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). In this video, Michelle gives the class a “test” which is a summary of the important concepts discussed throughout… Continue reading
International coach Chris Conte continues his description of the physical processes of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). In the previous video, Chris discussed the theory of how skaters create lift. In this… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches a sit spin class at a seminar. The skaters in the class can all do a sit spin, but many need help getting the position lower so it’s a “real” sit spin. After watching the… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch works with a skater who has learned the basics of a sit spin and a camel spin but is working on improving them. (The previous part of this lesson focused on the backspin.)… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen discusses the lutz jump, and how to get a consistent outside edge take-off. He begins by acknowledging that it “really depends on the skater.” But then Jeremy notes that most of the top… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger gives a single axel lesson to a skater at a camp. This skater can already do an axel, so the focus is on making the jump bigger. Unfortunately, after making the jump bigger, the… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau teaches an exercise that simulates the situation where a skater lands a jump or finishes a spin and then needs to gain speed quickly and control that speed with another element or skill. To start… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach and Champion Cords inventor Sheila Thelen explains and demonstrates how to use the cords to improve arm awareness, resulting in better lines and overall upper body carriage. She begins by showing how to create a second… 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 more details about sharpening. (See Part 1 of the series here.) The focus in this video is the… Continue reading
Coach Karen Olson continues a series of videos talking about how to approach IJS footwork sequences (choreographed sequences or step sequences) in order to prepare skaters for higher levels and to maximize points in competition. See Part 1 here and… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna shares an edge drill intended to help skaters feel how to properly use their feet and ankles, as well as their legs and hips when creating edges. Historically, edges have typically been taught as sideways leans… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues with her seminar axel class (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). In this video, Michelle again returns to her “one focus” concept for practicing with one primary focus. The idea is to prevent… Continue reading
In this important video, International coach Chris Conte describes the physical process of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). Chris uses imagery of a car hitting a speed bump as a way to… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a skater to improve a camel spin. (Previous parts of this lesson focused on the sit spin, Part 1 and Part 2.) This skater, who can rotate the camel a few revolutions and has… Continue reading
International coach Page Lipe explains how she handles the critical waiting time between a competition warm-up and competition skate. This wait time can be significant, especially for IJS events and high level events with longer performance times. Page takes a… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch works with a skater who has learned the basics of a backspin but is focusing on improving it. The errors seen at this level are nearly universal, with common struggles being rocking on the… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen addresses shoulder turn on jump take-offs. First, he notes that for all jumps the shoulders are checked and twisted to the axis side on the setup. This jump preparation helps control rotation and… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger teaches a class on double loop combination jumps at a seminar. The purpose of the class is to develop jump combinations with the single, double, or triple loop as the second or third jump… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau teaches a crossover exercise that is performed on a single circle. It is a sequence consisting of 3 forward crossovers followed by an inside mohawk with an overhead arm extension and then 3 backward crossovers… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach and Champion Cords inventor Sheila Thelen explains and demonstrates how to use the cords to create improved landing positions. By connecting the cord to same-side hand and foot, a nice stretch can be created on landings… Continue reading
Coach Karen Olson continues a series of videos talking about how to approach IJS footwork sequences (choreographed sequences or step sequences) in order to prepare skaters for higher levels and to maximize points in competition. See Part 1 here. NOTE:… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna shares a fun and effective exercise to help skaters learn to jump higher and farther. Initially used primarily with waltz jump, this exercise is also good for salchow (and even axel). First Nick draws the take-off… Continue reading
In this very short video, World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh begins an axel class with skaters who are either landing the jump or are very close. The main point of this video is the free leg kick through position.… Continue reading
In a class setting at a seminar, International coach Chris Conte offers helpful insights about the flip jump. He begins by addressing the position after the 3-turn or mohawk and just before the reach and pick. Chris wants the “toe… Continue reading
As in the previous part of this lesson, spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a skater to improve a basic sit spin. In the previous part, the focus was on getting the balance and tension correct to get all the… Continue reading
International coach Page Lipe shares important insights about the critical training time in the days and possibly weeks leading up to an important competition. Like most elite coaches, Page wants her skaters prepared for competition well in advance. But as… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a spin lesson, covering one sit forward variation she calls the bullet and one sit back variation she calls the mushroom. This video is the final part of this lesson, and the previous… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger teaches a class on double toe loop combination jumps at a seminar. The purpose of the class is to develop jump combinations with the single, double, or triple toe loop as the second or… 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
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen discusses the flip jump. As Jeremy notes, entry edge issues are more common with the lutz jump, but many skaters struggle with performing a flip jump off of a clear inside edge. Unfortunately,… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach and Champion Cords inventor Sheila Thelen demonstrates the benefits and uses of Champion Cords for 4 different camel spins: the regular forward camel, the back camel, the flying camel, and an inside camel. The Champion Cord… Continue reading