Vertical Jump Tips For Ice Skaters (Matthew Blair Davis)

Matthew Blair Davis shares some valuable off-ice workouts for figure skaters. These videos are publicly available on YouTube, but we’re publishing them here at iCoachSkating.com because they are important and very few skaters or coaches have seen them. Please watch them as soon as possible, as iCoachSkating.com does not have direct control of this video and it may be removed at any time.

In this first video, Matt shares a full workout for increasing a figure skater’s jump power. This is obviously an important topic for figure skaters, as jump air time is almost always a limiting factor when young skaters first attempt double and then triple jumps. Notice the continual focus on power and quickness in these drills and how each drill is relatively short in duration (usually not longer than 10 seconds). This allows the skater to apply 100% effort, remaining focused mentally and physically with minimal fatigue. Some of the exercises are classic plyometric drills for developing quick twitch muscle fibers, such as the drop off a small box and immediate jump onto a large box. This is a difficult and draining workout designed to build overall strength and quickness with a focus on vertical jump improvement.