Matthew Blair Davis

Matthew Blair Davis is the Owner of MBD Performance, LLC. He works directly with figure skaters as an off-ice training specialist at the Carolina Ice Palace in Charleston, South Carolina. He specializes in functional strength methodology, strategic performance enhancement, youth athlete development, corrective exercise techniques, fascia/recovery methods, and Kinesio taping. Matthew is also the Strength and Conditioning Coach of the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL and an off-ice trainer for the Charleston Youth Hockey Association travel teams.

Matthew has been working with figure skaters since 2006. Between 2007 and 2011 he worked regularly with dozens of figure skaters at the Fairfax Ice Arena in Fairfax, VA and the Cabin John Ice Rink in Rockville, MD, as well as visiting skaters.

Matthew has been directly involved in the fitness industry since 1997. He has a Bachelors and a Masters degree from Florida State University. He’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA and he’s a Performance Enhancement Specialist and Corrective Exercise Specialist for the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is also certified as a Sports Performance Coach from USA Weightlifting and he completed the grueling Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor training program. He is also a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner through the KTAI, a Certified Exercise Physiologist through ACSM, and a Master-Rated Personal Trainer through IDEA Health and Fitness Association.

For more information about Matthew, check out @mbdperformance on Instagram. You can contact him directly at mbd@mbdperformance.com

Here’s a short video introduction:

Most recent videos at the top…

Strength and Conditioning – Making a Plan, Part 5 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his presentation on the fundamentals of creating an off-ice training program for skaters. In Part 1, Matthew shared his background and talked at length about strengthening a skater’s core to improve stability and power. In Part 2, he discussed balance and strength, and the need for […] Continue reading →
Strength and Conditioning – Making a Plan, Part 4 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his presentation on the fundamentals of creating an off-ice training program for skaters. In Part 1, Matthew shared his background and talked at length about strengthening a skater’s core to improve stability and power. In Part 2, he discussed balance and strength, and the need for […] Continue reading →
Strength and Conditioning – Making a Plan, Part 3 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his presentation on the fundamentals of creating an off-ice training program for skaters. In Part 1, Matthew shared his background and talked at length about strengthening a skater’s core to improve stability and power. In Part 2, he discussed balance and strength, and the need for […] Continue reading →
Strength and Conditioning – Making a Plan, Part 2 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his presentation on the fundamentals of creating an off-ice training program for skaters. In Part 1, Matthew shared his background and talked at length about strengthening a skater’s core to improve stability and power. In this video, he discusses balance and strength. Balance is obviously an […] Continue reading →
Strength and Conditioning – Making a Plan, Part 1 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis begins a presentation on the fundamentals of creating an off-ice training program for skaters. Much of the strength training done by skaters lacks skating-specific training concepts. Matthew has not only worked with skaters for a very long time, he’s had tremendous success with skaters by finding out […] Continue reading →
Issues With Returning to the Ice After Pandemic – Part 2 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis finishes his presentation specifically for iCoachSkating subscribers highlighting issues that skaters and coaches may face after this long period of time off the ice, particularly for those skaters who have been doing significant off-ice training. In Part 1 Matthew explained that skaters have been developing more power […] Continue reading →
Issues With Returning to the Ice After Pandemic – Part 1 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis gives a presentation specifically for iCoachSkating subscribers highlighting issues that skaters and coaches may face after this long period of time off the ice, particularly for those skaters who have been doing significant off-ice training. Skaters (and their bodies) were used to training in certain ways, and […] Continue reading →
Middle Split Mobility and Flexibility Progression (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis shares an at-home off-ice mobility and flexibility workout that everyone can do in their homes during the coronavirus lockdown. He is joined in the video by his daughter who demonstrates the exercises. This video is focused on developing the mobility and flexibility necessary to easily perform a […] Continue reading →
Front Split Mobility and Flexibility Progression (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis shares an at-home off-ice mobility and flexibility workout that everyone can do in their homes during the coronavirus lockdown. He is joined in the video by his daughter who demonstrates the exercises. This video is focused on developing the mobility and flexibility necessary to easily perform a […] Continue reading →
Back Mobility Progression to Learn Bridge Walkover (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis shares an at-home off-ice mobility and flexibility workout that everyone can do in their homes during the coronavirus lockdown. He is joined in the video by his daughter who demonstrates the exercises. This video is focused on developing the back mobility necessary to easily perform a bridge […] Continue reading →
At Home Off-Ice Mobility Workout – Part 3 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis shares an at-home off-ice mobility and flexibility workout that everyone can do in their homes during the coronavirus lockdown. He is joined in the video by his daughter who demonstrates the exercises. Together they show 4 exercises and Matthew recommends doing this entire workout 4 times for […] Continue reading →
At Home Off-Ice Strength Workout – Part 2 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis shares an at-home off-ice balance and core workout that everyone can do in their homes during the coronavirus lockdown. He is joined in the video by his daughter who demonstrates the exercises. In Part 1, they showed a basic strength workout with common objects around the house. […] Continue reading →
At Home Off-Ice Strength Workout (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis shares an at-home off-ice strength workout that everyone can do in their homes during the coronavirus lockdown. He is joined in the video by his daughter who demonstrates the exercises. The video shows 4 exercises and the first is a leg strengthening and stability exercise using a […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Jump Power – TRX Trainer Suspended Lunge (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 exercise for developing jump power on one leg using a TRX Suspension Trainer. There are a huge […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Jump Power – Dead Stop Snatch Part 2 (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 his discussion of the dead stop snatch with kettlebell. In this video, Matthew shows a new variation […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Jump Power – Dead Stop Snatch With Kettlebell (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 providing motivation. In the second video, Matthew shared a low tech off-ice drill to help develop jumping […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Jump Power Exercise – More (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 motivation. In the second video, Matthew shared a low tech off-ice drill to help develop jumping power. […] Continue reading →
Another Off-Ice Jump Power Exercise (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 motivation. In the second video, Matthew shared a low tech off-ice drill to help develop jumping power. […] Continue reading →
More Off-Ice Jump Power Training (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 motivation. In this video, Matthew shares a low tech off-ice drill to help develop jumping power. All […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Jump Power Training With Feedback (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 wearing a waist belt that is attached to a Kaiser Infinity Series Functional Trainer with 5 pounds […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Core Strength Training – Part 6 (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 explained a ball slam exercise. In Part 3, he shared an excellent training exercise using a TRX […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Core Strength Training – Part 5 (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 explained a ball slam exercise. In Part 3, he shared an excellent training exercise using a TRX […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Core Strength Training – Part 4 (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 explained a ball slam exercise. In Part 3, he shared an excellent training exercise using a TRX […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Core Strength Training – Part 3 (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 explained a ball slam exercise. And in this video, he shares an excellent training exercise using a […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Core Strength Training – Part 2 (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 explains a ball slam exercise. The basic setup of this exercise is to have the skater stand […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Core Strength Training – Part 1 (Matthew Blair Davis)

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 that’s how skaters need to be stronger. He says, “I’m a huge believer that when you train core on […] Continue reading →
Improve Sit Spin Strength – Part 4: Adults vs. Kids (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his discussion on techniques for improving a skater’s strength for the sit spin. In Part 1, he shared a progression of exercises that develop the necessary basic strength, balance, and awareness. In Part 2, he continued with more insights and more difficult drills. In Part 3, Matthew continued […] Continue reading →
Improve Sit Spin Strength – Part 3 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his discussion on techniques for improving a skater’s strength for the sit spin. In Part 1, he shared a progression of exercises that develop the necessary basic strength, balance, and awareness. In Part 2, he continued with more insights and more difficult drills. In this video, Matthew continues […] Continue reading →
Improve Sit Spin Strength – Part 2 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis continues his discussion on techniques for improving a skater’s strength for the sit spin. In Part 1, he shared a progression of exercises that develop the necessary basic strength, balance, and awareness. In this video, he continues with more insights and more difficult drills. By using a smaller […] Continue reading →
Improve Sit Spin Strength – Part 1 (Matthew Blair Davis)

Matthew Blair Davis shares tips and techniques for improving a skater’s strength for the sit spin. The sit spin requires significant strength in the legs and torso. A lack of strength is a common limitation for skaters learning the sit spin, as expected in young skaters but also true for many adult skaters. After a brief […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Training for Figure Skaters (Matthew Blair Davis)

Matthew Blair Davis shares some valuable off-ice workouts for figure skaters. You can see similar videos focusing on vertical jump improvement here. The three videos on this page are off-ice workouts for 3 separate skaters. These videos are publicly available on YouTube, but we’re publishing them here at iCoachSkating.com because they are important and very few […] Continue reading →
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 […] Continue reading →
Off Ice Training Figure Skating Exercises: Supersetting For Strength And Power (Matthew Blair Davis)

Matthew Blair Davis describes the third step in the 3-step process he uses to improve a skater’s vertical jump. Continue reading →
Off Ice Training Figure Skating Exercises: Powerful Jumping – Decelerated Landing (Matthew Blair Davis)

Matthew Blair Davis describes the second step in the 3-step process he uses to improve a skater’s vertical jump. Continue reading →
Figure Skating Vertical Jump Exercises (Matthew Blair Davis)

Matthew Blair Davis describes the first step in the 3-step process he uses to improve a skater’s vertical jump. After an evaluation, Matthew always focuses on the skater’s squat. In this video he explains what makes a perfect squat. Continue reading →