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
In this short video, World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh talks about one of the most important but commonly-ignored topics for good jumping. Good jumps simply cannot happen if the skater has excessive body tension during the execution of the… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her lesson with a skater just learning a layback spin (see part 1 here). In this part of the lesson, Kim challenges the skater to learn the haircutter variation. As you’ll see, Kim uses a… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares some ideas regarding position and timing for the salchow jump. He begins on two feet with the axis arm up and to the side and the non-axis arm in front. The movement begins… Continue reading
In this very short video, World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger shares a very simple but powerful method for motivating skaters and for addressing one of the most common issues facing skaters who train regularly. Day-to-day progress can be brutally… 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
International coach Nick Perna explains the “3 Statues Drill” 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 the waltz jump or… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire shares insights about how to fix a flying sit spin that spins too much at take-off so the skater cannot get proper lift. It is very common for skaters to either create too much… Continue reading
Figure skating jump specialist Sheila Thelen works with a skater on her axel take-off. In this short video, Sheila uses Champion Cords in what she calls “handcuffs” to constrain the potential movement of the arms and hands. By using the… Continue reading
National coach Chris Conte continues his triple loop lesson with a skater who is building a triple loop from the double. In the first part, he observed that this skater’s jump lacks quickness, particularly in the hook. In the second… 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
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters a repeating series of back inside edges. This exercise is performed on two feet, although the skater’s weight is nearly 100% on the inside… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch discusses the strategy and processes she uses to help her skaters develop spins to maximize IJS points in competition. This process focuses on quality over quantity, and Charyl builds upon the inherent strengths the skater already… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna talks about the importance of learning to balance at a standstill on one foot. To help skaters master the control of the exit edges of turns, Nick uses a drill he calls the hitchy coo which… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater to improve the step sequence in her program. The focus is on deepening her edges, generating more power, moving smoothly from one movement to the next, improving the look of turns, and… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh explains how to fix a 2-foot toe loop take-off. First, she draws a tracing for the toe loop on the ice and explains what’s supposed to happen on a correct toe loop. As she… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a skater on the basics of the layback spin. She says, “The number one most important thing about a layback spin is you have to find your balance, and you have to find the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby offers a skating or footwork drill intended to help improve the setup for axel. When you watch the video, you’ll notice that the exercise is not a rigid set of turns and steps, but… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire continues her discussion of the layback spin. During the first part of this video, Bobbe talks at length about how to make a layback spin faster or spin longer. She talks about arm and… Continue reading
National coach Chris Conte continues his triple loop lesson with a skater who is building a triple loop from the double. In the first part, he observed that this skater’s jump lacks quickness, particularly in the hook. In this video,… Continue reading
Figure skating jump specialist Nick Perna compares the 2 different types of take-offs we see for the lutz jump. In the video he is comparing a triple lutz take-off by 1998 Olympic Champion Ilia Kulik and a triple lutz take-off… 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. Coach… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a lesson where he explains exactly how to generate power during a turn in skating. In this case, the turn is a 3-turn, but the concept applies to any turn (3-turns, brackets, rockers, and counters).… Continue reading
Figure skating jump specialist Sheila Thelen works with a skater having a solid single axel on building a double axel. To begin the session, she tries to understand the skater’s level of confidence with the double. Early in the lesson,… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a fun exercise for generating momentum with a partner. This exercise is a simplification of the always-fun “slingshot” pass-by and it teaches important partnering skills in a very… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch explains how she teaches the upright spin variation called the Y-spin (sometimes also called the “heel stretch spin”). This video contains tons of important observations and insights to help anyone working on this upright… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak continues his lesson with a skater who is working on the triple salchow. The skater has a solid double but lacks consistently high enough air times to land the triple. In the first part of this… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak gives a lesson to a skater who is working on the triple salchow. The skater has a solid double but lacks consistently high enough air times to land the triple. This video is closely related to… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh explains one of the most important concepts related to doing good salchows. To create the rotational energy and jump height necessary to do triples and quads, skaters must generate large rotational and vertical forces… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues with a layback spin lesson. You can view part 1 of this lesson here. In this part, Kim works with the skater to integrate a haircutter position into the spin and a stronger exit.… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger shares some of her tried and true motivational methods she uses to constantly push her skaters to train harder and to break through training plateaus.
2011 US Men’s Champion Ryan Bradley gives a skater a lesson on axel and double salchow. The value in sharing this video is in seeing how a coach like Ryan patiently demands more control from the skater. There are many… 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
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby explains how he teaches a lutz jump. This presentation is very similar to Robert’s previous presentation on the lutz, but those who use this technique will find even more helpful information in this video.… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna offers important insights regarding jump walk-throughs. Nick begins by explaining the importance of doing walkthroughs, and cites examples of elite skaters repeatedly doing walkthroughs just before competing. But just doing walkthroughs is not enough. They need… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire shares some thoughts about spin training. To start the video, she finishes up a discussion of the backspin layback she covered here. She suggests using a running 3-turn sequence to get into the spin.… Continue reading
This video is a continuation of a lesson Sheila Thelen is giving a skater on the double loop. In Part 1 Sheila focused on proper air position and quick landings. In this part of the lesson, she focuses on head… Continue reading
National coach Chris Conte works on the triple loop with a skater who has a solid and consistent double loop. To begin the lesson, Chris immediately observes that the “hook” and rotation is slow on both the double loop and… Continue reading
In the very short video below, National coach Chris Conte explains that skaters in pain almost always lack the ability to train through the pain successfully when they are attempting skills they have never mastered or had success with. The… Continue reading
In this video, we get to see some off-ice training exercises for figure skaters at an indoor trampoline park. This video shows skaters of varying levels who were training at the time with World and Olympic coach Kori Ade. Coach… Continue reading
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue offer two exercises for generating power and flow in the context of skating with a partner. The first exercise is just a repeating series of dance swing rolls. The… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch explains and demonstrates how she would teach a front layover camel to a proficient spinner. Obviously, skaters need a consistent front camel spin before they can really work on this. Charyl describes an initial… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his lesson on cross strokes. In the earlier part of the lesson, Doug focused on leg and hip position. In this video, he focuses more on the actual push and movements to create power. As… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh shares some important insights regarding how to properly create edge pressure for a loop jump. As Michelle notes, elite skaters typically do not bend their axis (take-off) leg very much when performing a triple… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a skater to improve a layback spin. Kim starts the lesson by discussing the details of centering the upright spin before entering the layback position. This provides a great summary of Kim’s basic spin… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger offers insights and discussion regarding distractions during competition, and how to train and prepare for them. The simple fact is, most distractions at competition are impossible to predict in advance, so coaches and skaters… Continue reading
2011 US Men’s Champion Ryan Bradley shares a series of drills for developing the toe loop. In the video, Ryan is working with a class that already has double toe, so the emphasis is on technique and quickness for the… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis talks about one of the methods he uses to train his skaters for jump power. In the video, Matthew has his skater standing on a jump mat and she is… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna begins a jump lesson with some h-position and d-position drills. The skater in the lesson is a relatively high level skater, and she makes the drills look easy. But for younger and less advanced skaters, there… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen works with a skater on the landing details of the double loop. This skater still has a slightly inconsistent take-off with varying air times, and some attempts are clearly a bit short of rotation.… Continue reading
Olympians and 2018 US National Ice Dance Champions Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue share partnering wisdom with a class of non-elite skaters. There is only one skating exercise in this video, but there’s a large volume of teaching by Madison… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire offers insights about the layback spin and also explains the tricks for learning a layback backspin. One important tip for a forward layback or a backspin layback is to stop the free leg from… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade continues with a lesson for two young skaters. Part 1 of the basic skills lesson focused on blade awareness and usage, and some introduction to jumping. In Part 2, Kori focused on fundamental… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak continues his lesson with a skater to fix a change of edge problem on the lutz (or double lutz). In the first part of the lesson, Trevor focused on timing and pick placement, using a series… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak works with a skater to fix a change of edge problem on the lutz (or double lutz). In the lesson, Trevor uses back power pulls and specific timing to try to help the skater get the… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch shares how she teaches a change edge camel spin. This is a forward camel spin (blade skating backward, technically on an inside edge) that switches edge and skating direction (blade skating forward, technically on… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby talks about single, double, and triple toe as the second or third jump of a combination. Several concepts Robert explains will be surprising to many coaches and skaters, as there are many misunderstandings about… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a skater a lesson on cross strokes. Doug focuses almost entirely on the free leg and hip position on the preparation of the entry edge of the cross stroke. This information is rarely discussed in… Continue reading
In this figure skating video, World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh is giving a lesson to skater who is just starting to develop the double axel. This short video focuses on one exercise, the “cheated loop.” This exercise is… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches a skater how to do a layover camel spin. Going into this lesson, the skater had never attempted a layover, so we get to see how Kim introduces it and builds it up. We also… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger talks about some of the uncertainties of competition and how coaches can help skaters prepare for it. In particular, the competition warm-up can be very stressful. Audrey says, “Competition is always semi-chaotic if not… Continue reading
2011 US Men’s Champion Ryan Bradley teaches a class on how to improve the quickness of jump landings. In the US this is usually talked about as “checking out” of jumps. The context of this video is: the class is… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his discussion of core strength training for figure skaters. In Part 1 of the series, Matthew described how to properly use a TRX Rip Trainer. In Part 2, he… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna continues a double axel lesson. In Part 1, Nick focused on quickness drills and used the double loop to work on quickness, alignment, and air position. In this video, Nick starts with a double axel attempt… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen gives a skater a lesson the layback spin. As you’ll see, this skater’s base layback is actually more like a side layback. She has a very hard time going straight back. Sheila addresses this… Continue reading
National figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte is giving a triple toe loop lesson as a guest coach. This video is a continuation of the same lesson where Chris worked with this skater on the triple salchow. In this… Continue reading
2018 US National Ice Dance Champions Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters some basics of partnering. Maddie and Zach are teaching the skaters basic shadow skating without holding on. This is also called side-by-side skating. This… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade continues with a lesson for two young skaters. Part 1 of the basic skills lesson focused on blade awareness and usage, and some introduction to jumping. In this part of the lesson, Kori… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire talks about using the layback spin to maximize IJS points and simply to have fun with. At the beginning, Bobbe discusses trying to get a level 4 call for a layback as a spin… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch explains and demonstrates the process of teaching a Hamill camel to a skater who can already spin well. The move was popularized by 1976 Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill and it’s not so much a… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation on how he teaches a butterfly flying spin entrance. In Part 1, Robert shared a detailed, step-by-step process to learn the butterfly. Here in Part 2, Robert addresses two of the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shows how he teaches a butterfly flying spin entrance to a group of skaters. This is an excellent presentation that offers a large number of tips that allow a skater to learn this difficult… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his work with a skater on her footwork. The first part of this lesson is here. In this part, the primary focus is on improving the illusion and getting the exit direction correct to improve… Continue reading
In this figure skating video, World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh gives an advanced skater a lesson on the triple flip and triple loop. The skater is clearly an excellent athlete as can be seen from the air time on… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan shares a drill she uses to help skaters with the basics of a “victory spin” which is also known as a Y-spin. This spin is an upright spin with the free leg held up to roughly… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger continues with a discussion of how to motivate skaters. This video is a continuation of Audrey’s presentation on The LRP Game and you should watch that video prior to this one to fully understand… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his discussion of core strength training for figure skaters. In Part 1 of the series, Matthew described how to properly use a TRX Rip Trainer. In Part 2, he… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna gives a double axel lesson. To begin the lesson, he “learns about” the skater by observing a backspin, several waltz jumps, a single axel, and then some double loops. In this first part of the lesson,… Continue reading
National figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte is giving a triple salchow lesson as a guest coach. At the time this video was recorded, Chris had worked very little with this skater, if at all (maybe on double axel).… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade gives a lesson to two young skaters. This basic skills lesson focuses on blade awareness and usage, and some introduction to jumping. To start the lesson, Kori has the skaters do a series of… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch teaches an illusion. The illusion falls under the “windmill” type spin in IJS language and is performed as part of a backspin. (A similar-looking spin done using the forward spin is called “bounces.”) Charyl… Continue reading
In this short figure skating video, World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares an excellent warm-up drill for jumping. The drill is a series of 4 twizzles, performed in a “box” pattern. Each twizzle rotates in the skaters jump rotation… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen works with a skater to improve the twist of the shoulders to get the core change on a back sit. The skater is not leveraging the arms and skating side elbow to help create… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh is working with a male skater on building a double flip from a solid single. This skater has not yet landed the double at the time this video was recorded, and Michelle covers some… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater on a footwork sequence. This process of fine tuning is usually necessary to create a more advanced footwork sequence with better edge quality and overall presentation. Doug focuses on a wide range… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a skater on her side layback. In the desired position for this spin, the shoulders should be vertically stacked. But even many skaters who have good flexibility to the side may have problems getting… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Laurent Depouilly offers some helpful coaching ideas related to beginner spins and using a trampoline for jump training. At the beginning of the video, Laurent has the skater do a sit spin and then a camel… Continue reading
National figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte continues with a double axel lesson for a skater at a camp. In Part 1, Chris analyzed the skater’s jump and talked about how he thinks about the jump, including the “how… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his discussion of core strength training for figure skaters. In Part 1 of the series, Matthew described how to properly use a TRX Rip Trainer. In Part 2, he… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade uses the split jump as a teaching tool for developing flow and rotation and proper jump/pick timing on flip and lutz jumps. She uses the split flip and split lutz all the time with… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues her presentation on the butterfly spin entrance. This video clarifies some of the concepts covered in Part 1. Charyl discusses leg fanning, second leg timing (starts up before second leg drops), a strong back, the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares his approach to teaching the lutz jump. This is a relatively traditional approach to the lutz, and those that teach this jump from a shallow outside edge setup will find much to use… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna is giving a skater a lesson on the double toe loop, and trying to get the skater to cross her feet in the air. This is a common problem, so seeing the process that Nick uses… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen continues her lesson with a skater on an advanced spin that the skater wants to get Level 4, but it’s getting called as Level 3. In Part 1, Sheila focused on the spin entry… Continue reading
In this figure skating video, World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh is working with a skater to improve a relatively new double salchow. The focus is on control and timing. The skater is using a forward inside three turn entrance… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a skater who is struggling to center a forward upright scratch spin. There are many reasons that skaters may struggle with centering, and throughout this lesson the skater exhibits a variety of problems. This… Continue reading