World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh discusses the challenges of helping skaters work through fear issues associated with certain aspects of skating. She mentions the common fears of skating fast, jumping high, falling, and the fear of not succeeding. As… Continue reading
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson continues her discussion of hip mobility. In the previous video, she explained the importance of hip mobility and offered a series of exercises to warm up and engage the… Continue reading
International figure skating coach Page Lipe continues her discussion of the salchow. In the previous video, she discussed free leg and skating leg movements, as well as where the skater’s center of mass needs to be relative to the skating… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade continues a double axel lesson. The first part of this lesson is here. In this video, Kori uses a wide variety of coaching techniques and teaching methods to help this skater. She begins… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a camel spin lesson with a young male skater. In the previous videos of this lesson, Kim worked on a forward upright scratch spin and the basics of the camel spin. There is not a… Continue reading
In this video, International coach Chris Conte gives a power lesson to a skater at a seminar. Chris begins this lesson having the skater press away from the barrier with just the hands and arms, first with lots of bending… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson talks at length about blade usage in turns, and she demonstrates drills to help skaters master the necessary rocking on the blade. Few skaters have complete mastery of their blades,… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen describes in detail what happens during a jump landing and shares drills to help skaters land correctly. He starts by explaining that skaters need to have forward body lean when landing their jumps… Continue reading
Coach Amy Brolsma shares a sequence of warm-up drills that she uses as an on-ice warmup with her skaters. The primary goal is to get the skaters moving and fully warmed up, but coaches can also monitor the warm-up to… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger gives a fast-paced double flip lesson to a skater who can land the jump but is having problems with consistency and air position. Audrey covers a lot of ground and touches on jump direction,… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna talks about jump landing prints and what they mean. This video is related to Nick’s other presentations on jump prints such as axel prints. Nick begins this discussion with typical landing prints for under-rotated and down-graded… Continue reading
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue share a valuable exercise for improving power and stability. This exercise is simple and well-known, but Zach and Madison offer insights on how to do it well. The idea is… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau continues her discussion of an on-ice warm-up routine and additional warm-up exercises that she covered in Part 1. In this video, she discusses the importance of pressing the shoulders against the hips (twisting). Skaters that… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen continues her series on using a stationary off-ice harness for air position and rotation training for figure skating jumps. In Part 1, Sheila discussed basic setup and safety issues. [NOTE: Sheila is the President… Continue reading
In this short video, spin specialist Charyl Brusch talks about a variety of toe concepts for spins. She begins the video by addressing where to step into a backspin from a forward spin and noting that she does not typically… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh talks about the very common problem of skaters who avoid working on certain skills that they really need to work on for overall success in their skating. Michelle notes that coaches can really help… Continue reading
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson offers exercises and insights regarding hip mobility for figure skaters. She begins by explaining why hip mobility (strength and range of motion) is so important. It helps prevent injury… Continue reading
International figure skating coach Page Lipe offers some tips and insights for salchow jump development. One very common problem with the salchow is when skaters balance on the backward entry/take-off edge with their head outside the circle or tracing the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade gives a skater a double axel lesson and begins by having the skater draw the entry and take-off pattern on the ice. Here Kori is using a forward edge where the skater steps directly… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a camel spin lesson to a young male skater. In a previous video, Kim worked with this same skater on upright forward scratch spin. We begin this video with a camel spin attempt… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson discusses the backward outside three turn. This is a continuation of Karen’s series of videos focused on issues faced by adult skaters, but the information in this video is applicable… Continue reading
International coach and choreographer Chris Conte continues his series of videos where he shares a process of off-ice training techniques for developing the double axel. In the first video of this series, he shared drills and concepts to develop the… Continue reading
Coach Amy Brolsma continues her discussion of the butterfly. In the first part of this discussion, Amy shared a detailed step by step approach to learning/teaching the butterfly. In this video, she offers more insights, covering a wide range of… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen offers more insights about jump air position as used by elite skaters. In two previous videos Jeremy talked about jumping with arms above the head and core positioning and head anchoring. In… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues her series of videos on the topic of competition preparation. In the first video of the series, Audrey addressed the competition planning process. In the second video, she focused on determining “the purpose… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau shares an on-ice warm-up routine and additional warm-up exercises. Skaters can use this to warm-up the body and joints and build edge control, deeper knee bend, and range of motion prior to jumping and spinning.… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna continues his discussion of the axel jump. In a related video, Nick described in detail an axel setup he uses and the print left on the ice from a good axel take-off. In this video,… Continue reading
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class on the foundational details of partner skating, and in particular, basic stroking with a partner. For those interested in partner skating (pairs or ice dance), there is… Continue reading
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen begins a series of videos on using a stationary off-ice harness for air position and rotation training for figure skating jumps. Sheila is the President of Champion Skating Harness which offers some of the… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch offers a short discussion on dizziness and spinning. As Charyl notes, basically EVERYONE gets dizzy while spinning. So the goal isn’t to try not to get dizzy, but figure out ways to deal with it after… Continue reading
This follow-up video on the walley jump is presented by International figure skating coach Page Lipe. In Part 1 she explained how she introduces and teaches the walley, with important insights and demonstrations. In this video, she continues with additional… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh offers valuable insights for coaches on how to handle the last moments before a skater takes their starting pose at a competition. She explains that this is one of her favorite coaching moments in… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson shares a short off-ice warm-up intended to be used prior to on-ice training. The purpose of this kind of warm-up is to have the skater’s muscles go through a range-of-motion and get… Continue reading
During a triple toe loop lesson, World and Olympic coach Kori Ade offers insights that will help coaches and skaters with some of the mental aspects of landing difficult jumps. The skater in the video is not yet consistent with… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby gives a young skater a lesson on the single lutz jump. This is a continuation of the lesson where Robert worked with this same skater on the single flip jump. Go back and watch… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a lesson on the upright forward scratch spin. The young male skater is just learning to control the basics of this spin, and it gives Kim a chance to explain in some detail… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson continues her explanation of some important details about learning the backward inside three turn, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by adult skaters with this skill. As Karen notes,… Continue reading
International coach and choreographer Chris Conte continues his series of videos where he shares a process of off-ice training techniques for developing the double axel. In the first video of this series, he shared drills and concepts to develop the… Continue reading
International coach and choreographer Chris Conte begins a series of videos where he shares a process of off-ice training techniques for developing the double axel. Obviously these methods also work for single axel development (as well as the triple axel).… Continue reading
Coach Amy Brolsma shares a process for teaching and learning the butterfly flying spin entrance. This step-by-step guide starts assuming the skater has no knowledge or experience with the butterfly, and by the end a skater should be able to… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen talks about important jumping principles. He begins by addressing the concept of anchoring the head during a jump take-off. As Jeremy notes, a high percentage of elite skaters anchor the head (to the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues her series of videos on the topic of competition preparation. In the first video of the series, Audrey addressed the competition planning process. In this video, she turns her attention to determining “the… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna explains in detail what the print or tracing looks like for an axel based on how he teaches the jump. A good axel needs to have flow on the jump entry and flow on the landing… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his series on off-ice jump power training. (All of Matthew’s videos on this topic can be found on his biography page here.) In this video, Matthew shares a lunge… Continue reading
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue work with a class of skaters on a single exercise for learning to generate power. In this video, Madison and Zach explore this exercise in detail, and explain the concepts… Continue reading
Spin specialist Sheila Thelen offers some feedback to a young skater who is working on a combination spin on one foot. The combination spin starts with a bounce spin (technically not an illusion), then transitions into a shotgun sit position,… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a short series of videos discussing adult skaters and their specific issues in terms of spinning. This is a continuation of the previous video in the series on the camel spin (Part 4). In the… Continue reading
International figure skating coach Page Lipe explains how she teaches a walley. She starts by drawing a tracing on the ice and describing what a walley is. Then she explains the first step of the learning process as simply… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh shares her thoughts on how to help skaters excel under pressure. First and foremost, Michelle recommends having specific, realistic, and achievable goals that are within the skater’s control (winning a competition is almost never… Continue reading
Strength and conditioning specialist and figure skating coach Kristina Anderson shares a complete off-ice warm-up sequence that anyone can do, even with little space and no equipment. Kristina uses “painters tape” to create an “agility ladder” as well as a… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby gives a young skater a lesson on the single flip jump. For most of the lesson, Robert is focused on helping the skater avoid the toe pick scratching she is doing as she picks… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster teaches a class of skaters a warm-up sequence. He begins with some breathing exercises, followed by a simple relaxation exercise that includes an exhale and bending of the ankles, knees, and hips. Next he does a… Continue reading
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson explains important details about learning the backward inside three turn, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by adult skaters with this skill. As Karen notes, this is a challenging… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma shares a process for teaching and learning the walley jump. A walley is a jump from a backward inside edge, with rotation in the non-natural direction, to a standard landing position on the outside edge… Continue reading
International coach Jeremy Allen discusses the benefits of jumping with one arm up and both arms up, and he also provides details on how to do it effectively. Jeremy states that jumping with one or both arms over the head… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger begins a series of videos on the topic of competition preparation. This series covers a lot of ideas and a wide time frame leading up to the competition under consideration. Audrey recommends starting “at… Continue reading
Trevor Laak analyzes an excellent single axel, sharing insights about what makes this jump so good. This axel was performed by Madison Xaphakdy and was entered in the iCoachSkating Axel Contest held in November of 2018. Madison’s axel won the… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue work on acceleration with a class of skaters at a seminar. Zach initially shows an exercise intended to allow skaters to feel acceleration and deceleration while on a flat… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna talks about speed and power and offers some tips for developing more speed and power. To begin the video, he stresses the need to encourage skaters to “crunch” the ice on every push. He says, “If… Continue reading
In this video, International coach Chris Conte continues a lesson with a male skater who he had worked with earlier on skating skills. You can watch those videos here Part 1 – Tips on Forward Stroking and here Part 2… Continue reading
Spin specialist Sheila Thelen continues a layback lesson with a skater. In the first part of the lesson, Sheila worked on improving this skater’s standard haircutter (forward spin). In this video, Sheila helps the skater learn a haircutter from a… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a short series of videos discussing adult skaters and their specific issues in terms of spinning. In the previous 3 videos of the series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) Charyl covered general helpful tips… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade gives a double axel lesson to one of her skaters. Kori begins by noting that for skaters who have roughly the same technical skills in their programs, details are what separate the competitors in… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh offers insights and advice to skating parents. Many coaches wish that skating parents would have minimal involvement in the development of a skater, but as you’ll learn in this video, Michelle wants knowledgeable parents… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a class on ways to generate more power from basic pushes. Many of these concepts are similar to those Doug has already shared here at iCoachSkating. To begin this class, Doug explains that skaters… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a young skater a lesson on some sit spin variations. The first variation is a sit forward which is known as the pancake. After the skater attempts one, Kim takes the skater to sit in… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby gives a young skater a lesson on the single loop jump and the loop-loop combination. After having the skater perform a single, Robert suggests getting more h-position (knee up) and more arm drive to… Continue reading
In this video from a few years ago, World and Olympic figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger talks about walleys during an on-ice lutz class at one of her acclaimed Grassroots to Champions seminars. (The earlier parts of this class are… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his series on off-ice jump power training. (All of Matthew’s videos on this topic can be found on his biography page here.) This video is a follow up to… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters a couple more partner skating drills. This video builds on the earlier videos in the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.… Continue reading
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna shares a simple drill or jump concept for properly “turning over” the axel jump. The drill is done at the wall to provide something for the skater to hang on to. Nick explains… Continue reading
National coach Chris Conte continues a lesson with a male skater that is focused on skating skills. In the previous video, Chris helped him develop long and powerful forward strokes or pushes. In this video, Chris focuses on forward crossovers… Continue reading
In this video, coach Sheila Thelen is working with a skater on the haircutter layback variation position. The skater has a good start on the position, but Sheila offers some helpful tips regarding where to position the arms and head,… Continue reading
This video is the final installment in this series of an off-ice training class for figure skaters at an indoor trampoline park. The skaters shown are at varying levels, and they were training at the time with World and Olympic… Continue reading
This video is a continuation of an off-ice training class for figure skaters at an indoor trampoline park. The skaters shown are at varying levels, and they were training at the time with World and Olympic coach Kori Ade. Some… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a short series of videos discussing adult skaters and their specific issues in terms of spinning. She offers many tips for working with adult skaters to help them improve their spins. See Part 1 here… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh talks about the process of determining whether a skater is ready to move on and learn a new jump. This discussion is similar to that of Audrey Weisiger here, and coaches who struggle with… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a young skater a lesson on her broken leg sit spin. Kim starts the lesson by analyzing and improving the skater’s forward sit spin before working on the broken leg transition and position. To improve… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby offers sage advice regarding learning to skate and perform under pressure. In the video, Robert is teaching a class on the double toe loop at a local seminar. One of the skaters was asked… Continue reading
In this video from a few years ago, World and Olympic figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger continues with an on-ice lutz class at one of her acclaimed Grassroots to Champions seminars. In part 1 of the lutz class, Audrey shared… Continue reading
In this video from a few years ago, World and Olympic figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger teaches an on-ice class at one of her acclaimed Grassroots to Champions seminars. The topic in the class is the lutz jump, and as… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his series on off-ice jump power training. In the first video of the series, he demonstrated a fancy setup for gathering detailed data for monitoring a skater’s progress and… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters backward crossovers with a partner. The video builds on a repeating series of back inside edges in the previous video and another video discussing… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna shares a drill he calls the “knuckle drill” to help skaters work on their jump air position for multi-rotation jumps. The drill can also be effective as a training tool for the backspin. To do the… Continue reading
National coach (and entertainment expert) Chris Conte does a nice analysis of a waltz jump performed by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This is fun stuff, but the information in the video is actually technically outstanding, so please take this video seriously.… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster teaches a class of young skaters some basic skills concepts and drills. He starts by stating “always bend before you push” and he makes it clear that skaters need to bend from their ankles, knees and… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a short series of videos discussing adult skaters and their specific issues in terms of spinning. She offers many tips for working with adult skaters to help them improve their spins. See Part 1 here.… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh shows a simple but very effective off-ice drill for helping with weak air positions. Many skaters suffer from a “pike” air position where the body is forward and the hips are pressed back in… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a young skater a lesson on the beginner backspin. The real value in this video is not only the process that Kim uses, but the coaching along the way. This skater is struggling… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby talks about the triple salchow and offers helpful tips that apply to all skaters, as well as individual feedback for each of the skaters in the class he’s teaching. This video is a continuation… Continue reading
World and Olympic figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger discusses at length the issues associated with determining when a skater is ready to try new elements, particularly new jumps. One factor to take into account is jump air time. If a… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his series on jump power training. In the first video of the series, he demonstrated a fancy setup for gathering detailed data for monitoring a skater’s progress and providing… Continue reading
Spin specialist Sheila Thelen works with a skater on the upright forward I-spin. In particular, Sheila offers some tips for the foot grab and second arm assist. Also, the discussion about rising up to straighten the skating knee is very… Continue reading
This video is a continuation of an off-ice training class for figure skaters at an indoor trampoline park. The skaters shown are at varying levels, and they were training at the time with World and Olympic coach Kori Ade. Some… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna continues his explanation of the “3 Statues Drill” that he uses to help skaters develop the proper timing necessary for stepping up strongly into a waltz jump or axel. One of the most common errors with… Continue reading
National coach Chris Conte begins a lesson with a skater that is focused on skating skills. In this video, Chris is helping a skater develop long and powerful forward strokes or pushes. He describes what he wants as a “push… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters backward crossovers, and particularly, how to do them with power. The video builds on a repeating series of back inside edges in the previous… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch begins a short series of videos discussing adult skaters and their specific issues in terms of spinning. She offers many tips for working with adult skaters to help them improve their spins. Charyl notes that in… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his step sequence lesson with a skater. In the first part of the lesson, Doug focused on the mechanics of the step sequence itself, and in this part, he shares insights about performing and improving… Continue reading