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
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues working with a skater on her footwork sequence. See Part 1 here. In this part of the lesson, Doug focuses again on edge quality and power generation. He gives very specific feedback to the skater… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Laurent Depouilly shares one of his drills for developing jumping power and rhythm. The concept of the drill is simple, but skaters tend to struggle with the necessary power generation and edge quality prior to the… 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
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a step-by-step process for teaching and learning a butterfly. The butterfly is a relatively complicated skill to learn, so it’s hugely beneficial to see a presentation like this. The demonstrator in the video knows the… 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 explains how to properly use a TRX Rip Trainer. In Part 2, he… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade continues a multi-part series on jump setup patterns and jump teaching tips. In Part 1, Kori discussed patterns and setups for the axel and in Part 2 she tackled the salchow. In… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen works with a skater on an advanced spin that the skater wants to get Level 4, but it’s getting called as Level 3. In this first part of the lesson, Sheila talks about the… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire explains how she teaches a change edge camel. She begins by teaching the change edge using a forward upright spin. She explains that the hook on the original forward spin entry has a three… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire talks about spin speed, and she offers insights about why a spin might slow down. This is one of the most common issues in skating as many skaters can generate a fast spin, but… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of the flip jump. This video is a continuation of the class Robert is teaching in this video (Part 1) and this video (Part 2). Here he shares a drill at… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna continues his discussion of the stomping drill. In Part 1, he introduced the drill and showed how to use it with a variety of skating elements. In this video, he focuses on the jumps and how… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh begins a lesson with a young male skater by reviewing his single jumps. This is a great chance to see what an elite coach like Michelle looks for on single jumps after a skater… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan shares important tips for skaters who are working on change foot spins but have problems maintaining the same center for both spins. It is ideal to push into the second spin and spin in the same… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater on her footwork sequence. This is not an advanced skater, but she is also not a beginner. Skaters at this skill level usually struggle with power generation, knee and ankle… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire discusses some aspects of the sit spin, both forward sit spin and back sit spin. At the beginning of the video, she notes that skaters that make progress quickly on the sit spin are… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Laurent Depouilly offers a great jump setup drill for young skaters that allows for many repetitions in a short time and small space. The drill consists of a forward outside three turn with a back… Continue reading
National figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte gives a double axel lesson to a skater at a camp. In this first part, Chris shares insights about how he thinks about the jump. Sometimes this simple framework is the… 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 explains how to properly use a TRX Rip Trainer. In this video, he… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade continues a multi-part series on jump setup patterns and jump teaching tips. In Part 1, Kori discussed patterns and setups for the axel and in Part 2 she tackled the salchow. The… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch offers insights regarding the side layback, and how to properly transition to the square or back layback position. She has the help of two talented advanced level skaters so we can observe how different skaters create… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of the flip jump. This video is a continuation of the class Robert is teaching in this video. Here he covers the same information in more detail and he also clarifies… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna talks about “stomping” and how and why to use it in figure skating. He calls these exercises “The Stomping Drill.” Nick says, “If you can hit any edge at any time in a gliding position, whether… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a multi-part series on off-ice jumping and training. In Part 1 she focused on some basics and the axel. In Part 2, she discussed the salchow and some drills to… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen gives a lesson on the double loop, double loop combination jump. The progress this skater makes during this relatively short lesson is amazing. The first attempts have the skater spending too much time… Continue reading
Spin specialist Kim Ryan gives a layback spin lesson. At the beginning of the lesson, Kim focuses on improving the skater’s upright position before switching to the layback. This position is critical, especially during the learning process, because it… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger teaches at one of her Grassroots to Champions seminars several years ago. The information in this series is as valid and useful today as it was when it was recorded. These… Continue reading
Figure skating spin specialist Bobbe Shire shares a valuable tip on how to help skaters who are struggling to learn a correct backspin (blade gliding backward in spin). This can be incredibly frustrating for the skater and the coach.… Continue reading
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a skater a lesson on the concept of deepening edges. The concept is explained in the context of a three-turn and also in the context of back inside edges (salchow). When performing three turns, most… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Laurent Depouilly shares a jump setup drill he calls the “dragon tail” that he uses for all the major jumps except waltz jump/axel (but it can be used for that too). He primarily uses the exercise… Continue reading
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis beings a discussion about core training for figure skaters. Matthew explains that he wants to train figure skaters to have a stronger core when their body is vertical, because… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade continues a multi-part series on jump setup patterns. In Part 1, Kori discussed patterns and setups for the axel. The demonstrator for this series is Jordan Moeller and his jumps are definitely… Continue reading
Figure skating coach and choreographer Chris Conte gives a skater a lesson on a variety of jumps. This video is a continuation of the lesson in which Chris talked about tying skates properly. In the lesson, Chris covers a… Continue reading
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch explains how she teaches the upright straight spin. This spin goes by many names including the heel stretch, Y-spin, and shotgun. This is an advanced spin requiring significant flexibility. As Charyl explains, the key… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches a flip jump drill and offers important insights about the flip jump. He references his earlier discussion of the toe loop here. The first critical aspect of the drill is… Continue reading
International coach Nick Perna shares a controversial “secret” used by top coaches and top skaters. Common wisdom in skating has skaters constantly trying to point their toes. But as Nick explains, there are times where straightening the… Continue reading
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a multi-part series on off-ice jumping. In Part 1 she focused on some basics and the axel. In Part 2, she discussed the salchow and some drills to improve landings.… Continue reading
Figure skating coach Sheila Thelen teaches bounces to a skater who has never done them before. Sheila refers to bounces as “forward illusions,” and many coaches and skaters use this same terminology, even though it is not strictly correct.… Continue reading