Trevor Laak
Trevor Laak has been coaching since 1999. He lives in Madison, WI and coaches throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. Trevor specializes in on-ice jump technique, with emphasis on computer video analysis and pole harness techniques. He works primarily as a consultant to other skating coaches.
Trevor is on the staff of Audrey Weisiger’s Grassroots to Champions seminar series. He has also presented at many PSA workshops and the PSA World Conference in 2011. He has worked with National and International level skaters and he has international coaching experience.
Trevor is also the founder of iCoachSkating.com as well as SkatingJumpSecrets.com and SkatingCoachQuiz.com. He also offers some research insights on his figure skating coaching blog. Trevor has a Masters Degree in Engineering and he worked for over a decade in the engineering field, accumulating 6 US Patents. Based on his technical background and through his interactions with top coaches around the world, Trevor is uniquely positioned to collect and organize teaching ideas and methods into overall coaching systems.
Most recent videos at the top…
Trevor Laak provides a follow-up analysis video to a double lutz video published previously discussing details related to jump timing and rhythm, the active take-off edge, toe pick placement, arm and shoulder timing, and more. This video shows the skater’s… Continue reading
Trevor Laak analyzes a double lutz, discussing details related to jump timing and rhythm, the active take-off edge, toe pick placement, arm and shoulder timing, and more. The repeating power pull entrance for the lutz can be very helpful for… Continue reading
Below is a revised and updated version (2022) of an article originally published in 2007 by Trevor Laak on his SkateCoach/wordpress.com blog which details jump height estimates based on jump air times. That article can be found at this link.… Continue reading
For more information about iCoachSkating’s plan to address the lack of ice and issues associated with social distancing and community-wide and nation-wide lockdowns resulting from the coronavirus, please click on the appropriate link below. COACHES: Coaches, Please Click Here… 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
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
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
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
Trevor Laak explains and shows how the loop jump CAN indeed be thought of as a vaulting jump. Historically, the toe jumps in skating (toe loop, flip, and lutz) have been compared to a pole vault, where the picking… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak analyzes the following double lutz jump: This skater was in a couple previous videos on iCoachSkating about the double lutz. Those videos were part of a lesson that Page Lipe was giving the skater.… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak continues a multiple part series on the loop jump. Please see Part 1 for a summary of when and how the survey was conducted. Responses from coaches and skaters were separated, and… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak begins a multiple part series on the loop jump. A few months prior to posting this video, Trevor asked iCoachSkating subscribers to take a survey about the loop jump. The survey consisted of… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak offers 4 examples of double and triple axels showing how elite skaters use a pole-vaulting method to maximize jump height and create maximum rotational energy for the jump. This is a follow-up or clarification video… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak comments on a quad toe loop performed by US National Champion Jason Brown. Trevor discusses how much rotation actually occurs “in the air” and addresses the rarely understood aspect of different amounts of rotation for… Continue reading
Jump specialist and video analyst Trevor Laak discusses how and why he uses the split jump and split flip as a development tool for double flip. This is the second follow-up to the analysis video Trevor recorded on a… Continue reading
Jump specialist and video analyst Trevor Laak shares 2 drills for improving the timing and flow of the flip jump. This is a follow-up to the analysis video Trevor recorded on a single flip with excessive shoulder rotation (see… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak analyzes a single flip for a skater interested in working on the double. Trevor provides a full analysis of the jump, but focuses on the “rotational jerkiness” caused by excessive shoulder pre-rotation. This is… Continue reading
In this follow-up video, figure skating jump specialist Trevor Laak continues his analysis of a triple axel attempt by Mirai Nagasu at the 2014 Grassroots to Champions Supercamp in Lansing, MI on July 9, 2014. To see the… Continue reading
In this follow-up video, figure skating jump specialist Trevor Laak continues his analysis of a triple axel attempt by Mirai Nagasu at the 2014 Grassroots to Champions Supercamp in Lansing, MI on July 9, 2014. To see the… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak analyzes a triple axel attempt by Mirai Nagasu at the 2014 Grassroots to Champions Supercamp in Lansing, MI on July 9, 2014. This jump was performed during G2C’s “Just Jump” contest which is a contest… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak continues his comments (see Part 1 here) on a monster double axel performed by Mirai Nagasu at the 2014 Grassroots to Champions Supercamp in Lansing, MI on July 9, 2014. The jump was performed during… Continue reading
Jump specialist Trevor Laak comments on a monster double axel performed by Mirai Nagasu at the 2014 Grassroots to Champions Supercamp in Lansing, MI on July 9, 2014. This jump was performed during G2C’s “Just Jump” contest which is… Continue reading
Trevor Laak offers a short computer video analysis. Historically these analysis videos have become known as Dartfish analysis, but with the prevalence of inexpensive apps for mobile phones and tablets, expensive PC software like Dartfish is no longer required. This… Continue reading
With so many coaches now using smartphones and tablet computers, air time measurements are easy for everyone to make. As discussed in the article below, minimum jump air time estimates are incredibly important. But it is necessary to… Continue reading
Trevor Laak provides a computer analysis of 3 different triple lutz jumps. The skaters performing the jumps are Ryan Bradley, Brandon Mroz, and Max Aaron who were on a practice session at the 2013 Grassroots to Champions Supercamp in… Continue reading
Trevor Laak provides clarification using video examples for a recent video by Audrey Weisiger on toe loop myths. In this video, Trevor addresses these myths and shows they are not true. Myth 1: On a toe… Continue reading
Trevor Laak analyzes a double axel as a way to identify key aspects for single axel instruction. You can see a full video of the jump being analyzed below in real time and slow motion on Trevor’s… Continue reading
Trevor Laak offers a checklist of insights for axel. This page shows an axel attempt in real time, once as the original video and once zoomed in. The video is then shown again in slow motion for… Continue reading
Trevor Laak responds to an email sent by a coach with questions about the recent survey of iCoachSkating.com subscribers on the details at the moment of take-off for the axel, salchow, and toe loop jumps. Here… Continue reading
Trevor Laak shares the results of the second part of a survey of iCoachSkating.com subscribers on the details at the moment of take-off for the axel, salchow, and toe loop jumps. Here are the survey questions covered in… Continue reading
Trevor Laak shares the results of the first part of a survey of iCoachSkating.com subscribers on the details at the moment of take-off for the axel, salchow, and toe loop jumps. Here is a copy of the quiz… Continue reading
Competitive figure skaters are subjected to high acceleration impacts on a regular basis, making it likely that they will be more prone to concussive injuries than the broader population. Most ice rinks do not have medical personnel on staff,… Continue reading
There’s a great deal of interest at this time in concussive injuries to young athletes. Particularly with recent lawsuits by former professional football players, concussion type injuries and their long term effects are getting a lot of attention. As… Continue reading
Trevor Laak provides some video examples to demonstrate what actually happens with the free leg on a jump landing. This video is a follow-up to a jump landings video by Michelle Leigh and is intended to clarify the important… Continue reading
Trevor Laak discusses the camel spin, particularly as it relates to adult skaters. Trevor covers three important issues for camel spin. The first is the lack of a long and controlled entrance edge. Trevor discusses the two… Continue reading
Trevor Laak shares some video to demonstrate the reach and toe pick placement on a flip jump. This video is a follow-up to a flip jump video by Audrey Weisiger and is intended to clarify the important concepts. Using… Continue reading
Trevor Laak discusses the loop jump, particularly as it relates to adult skaters. There are two key issues for loop jump that are often misunderstood by skaters and coaches, and just understanding these can cause a breakthrough for the… Continue reading
Trevor Laak discusses the backspin, particularly as it relates to adult skaters. The backspin is generally a very challenging spin for low level skaters, and many adult skaters have a particularly hard time with the spin. Trevor explains… Continue reading
How many different female skaters have you taught to do a double axel? These survey results suggest it's pretty rare to have much success with this.
Watch example double loop jump. Answer these questions. 1. Is this a clean double loop? In other words, would this skater get credit for a double loop in competition? (a. Yes, it’s a clean double, or b. No, it would be downgraded to a single) 2. What Grade of Execution (GOE) would you give this double loop? (-3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3) Compare your results with those who took the survey.
Trevor coaches in Madison, Wisconsin. See his video analysis setup. More information will be available shortly regarding software.
Trevor Laak teaches Viktors Ayele how to use the pole harness.
Click the video below to watch an analysis of a successful and
unsuccessful axel by the same skater. Analysis by Trevor Laak.
Play the top video first to see two axel attempts that are being analyzed.
Then play the second video to the see the analysis by Trevor Laak.
Play the top video first to see the jump being analyzed.
Play the top video first to see the jump being analyzed.
Play the top video first to see the jump being analyzed.
