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Improving a Combination Spin – Part 2 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a spin lesson with a skater working on improving a combination spin. In Part 1 the focus was on the camel spin position and lunge entry. This part of the lesson focuses on the A-frame and suggested alternate spin that follows the camel in the combination. Kim begins by testing the […] Continue reading →
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Back Camel Tips (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues working with a skater on a variety of spins. In the previous videos the focus was on sit spin and camel spin and layback spin. In this video, Charyl tackles the back camel. She has the skater start at a standstill and she holds on so the skater rides the […] Continue reading →
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Improving a Combination Spin – Part 1 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan begins a spin lesson with a skater working on improving a combination spin. We begin by watching the skater’s combination spin before any changes. Kim then focuses on just the lunge entry into the camel. To get the call for the lunge entry to camel, “You’ve got to get the lunge really […] Continue reading →
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Layback Spin Improvements (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues working with a skater on a variety of spins. In the previous videos the focus was on sit spin and camel spin. In this video, Charyl is working on the layback spin. She begins by having the skater get more comfortable pushing the hips forward while hanging on to the […] Continue reading →
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Off Ice Spin Class – Part 6, Sit Spin and Intro to Combos (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a class on off-ice spin training. In Part 1 she explained and demonstrated in detail how to get started spinning off the ice in a repeatable and safe way. In Part 2 the class continued working on upright spins, advancing to forward and backward scratch spins with arm variations. In […] Continue reading →
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Back Sit Jump to Front Sit (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a lesson with an advanced spinner, focusing here on unusual combinations and flies. (See the earlier parts of this lesson here: Part 1, Part 2, Part3, Part 4 and Part 5) In this part of the lesson, Charyl teaches a back sit spin jump to front sit spin. […] Continue reading →
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More Advanced Spins – Adding Difficulty (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a lesson with an advanced spinner. In the previous part of this lesson, Charyl worked on this skater’s jump within a spin, going from a forward camel to a flying sit spin. That base is the foundation for the additional difficulty added in this part of the lesson. […] Continue reading →
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Some Advanced Spins – Jump Within a Spin Options (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch works through a variety of change foot spins, focusing on the change from forward spins to back spins, including “jump within a spin” options. She begins with camel change camel, and Charyl explains the process of placing the free toe into the ice (“almost pigeon toed”) and performing a […] Continue reading →
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Sit to Up Camel – Why? IJS Considerations (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a spin class (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here and Part 3 here) with more advanced spinners, with the emphasis on the sit to up camel difficult transition (worth a level!). In the previous parts of the class Kim focused on the nuts and bolts of HOW to […] Continue reading →
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Back Spin to Forward Spin Transition (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch explains how she teaches the backspin to forward spin change of foot transition. This discussion results from a skater missing this transition on a repeating front sit to back sit to front sit spin. Charyl then has the skater demonstrate the desired step and push. To do this change […] Continue reading →
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Sit to Up Camel – More Tips (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a spin class (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here) with more advanced spinners, with the emphasis on the sit to up camel difficult transition (worth a level!). In the previous parts of the class Kim explained how to do this difficult transition, and this video offers more insights […] Continue reading →
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Beginning Death Drop (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson (see first part of lesson here and second part of lesson here) by teaching the beginning stages of a death drop. She begins with what she calls a “kick turn” which simulates the entry edge and take-off movements, including an exaggerated kick with the free […] Continue reading →
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Spin Class – Sit to Up Camel Difficult Transition (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a spin class (see Part 1 here) with more advanced spinners, with the emphasis on the sit to up camel difficult transition (worth a level!). She begins with the basic camel spin, and she shares a wide range of tips in her verbal description. When giving feedback to one of […] Continue reading →
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Spin Lesson With Emphasis on Upright Forward Position (Charyl Brusch)
In this short video, figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson (see earlier part of lesson here) by improving a combination spin which includes an upright forward variation (which Charyl calls a “shotgun” position). After one attempt at the full combination, Charyl works with the skater at the wall on the position […] Continue reading →
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Spin Class – Sit Forward, Cannonball (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan begins a spin class with more advanced spinners, with the focus on the sit forward “cannonball” or “Fratianne” position. She begins the class with a basic forward upright scratch spin, going from spin entry to the skinny-v to the fast scratch position and then returning back to the skinny-v and then […] Continue reading →
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IJS Spin Gateways – Opposite Direction – Part 4 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her presentation on opposite direction spins. In Part 1 she explained the concept of spin gateways in IJS and worked with the class on basic spinning technique, and in Part 2 she taught an exercise that allows skaters to repeatedly perform opposite direction upright spins without stopping. In Part 3 […] Continue reading →
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Advanced Skater Spin Lesson – Part 2 (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson with an advanced skater. In Part 1 the focus was on foundational spins in preparation for the more advanced spins in this video. The video starts with the skater performing a back layover camel spin before then attempting the “Hamel camel” which is a back […] Continue reading →
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IJS Spin Gateways – Opposite Direction – Part 3 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her presentation on opposite direction spins. In Part 1 she explained the concept of spin gateways in IJS and worked with the class on basic spinning technique, and in Part 2 she taught an exercise that allows skaters to repeatedly perform opposite direction upright spins without stopping. In this video, […] Continue reading →
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Advanced Skater Spin Lesson – Part 1 (Charyl Brusch)
In this short video, figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch begins a spin lesson with an advanced skater. All of the spins in this video are relatively basic spins which this skater has already mastered so we don’t get too much feedback from Charyl. But there are a few comments that also apply to many […] Continue reading →
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IJS Spin Gateways – Opposite Direction – Part 2 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her presentation on opposite direction spins. In Part 1 she explained the concept of spin gateways in IJS and worked with the class on basic spinning technique. In this video, Kim teaches an exercise that allows skaters to repeatedly perform opposite direction spins without stopping. This helps skaters get high […] Continue reading →
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IJS Spin Gateways – Opposite Direction – Part 1 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches a class opposite direction spins. She begins by explaining the new concept of spin gateways in IJS and notes that opposite direction is a gateway. [Editor’s note: We do not in general have videos detailing IJS rules at iCoachSkating, as the rules are constantly changing. This video was recorded in […] Continue reading →
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A-Frame Spin or Upright Forward Spin – Part 2 (Kate Charbonneau)
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues her presentation and demonstration of how to perform and teach an A-frame or upright forward spin (see Part 1 here). She begins this video by explaining that the A-frame spin “feels very different than the three basic positions – upright, sit, and camel.” It requires a high level of core strength […] Continue reading →
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Flying Reverse Sit Spin (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches the flying reverse sit spin to a class of advanced skaters. She begins by having the skaters perform the basic movements at the wall. These movements start with a jump and a straight kick through in front, followed by “kick yourself in the butt” with the take-off foot (the tuck) […] Continue reading →
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A-Frame Spin or Upright Forward Spin – Part 1 (Kate Charbonneau)
Coach Kate Charbonneau explains how she teaches the A-frame or upright forward spin. She begins by noting that she uses a wide variety of entrances, and the primary goal is to choose an entrance where the skater will hold the entry edge and be patient in order to generate rotational energy and center the spin. […] Continue reading →
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Death Drop – Part 2 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues working with an advanced class of skaters on the death drop. In Part 1 Kim taught the class a basic exercise at the wall to learn the necessary movements, as well as an illusion exercise to get used to the movements on the ice away from the wall. In this […] Continue reading →
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Death Drop – Part 1 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches an advanced class of skaters her approach to the death drop. Even though this a class of advanced skaters, Kim teaches the skill “from the beginning,” initially focusing on fundamentals and exercises. She explains that a death drop has “3 axises” or basic positions. She also contrasts the scissors-like motion […] Continue reading →
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Helpful Spin Tips (Charyl Brusch)
In this very short video, figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a lesson with tips on the bullet sit spin (also called cannonball or Fratianne) and overhead arms in upright spins. (See Part 1 of this lesson here.) To improve the bullet spin position, Charyl has the skater reach further toward the ankles, put […] Continue reading →
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Flying Camel – Part 3 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her seminar class on flying camels (see Part 1 here and see Part 2 here). In this video, Kim troubleshoots some specific issues and offers some very helpful tips. After watching some attempts, Kim focuses on arm details, particularly the need to land and spin initially in a standard or […] Continue reading →
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Flying Camel – Part 2 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues her seminar class on flying camels (see Part 1 here). She continues with the walk-through at the wall that she introduced briefly in Part 1. This is one of the best ways to learn to fan the take-off leg after simulating the take-off. Kim warns against the common errors of […] Continue reading →
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Advanced Spin Examples and Program Strategy (Rohene Ward, Kori Ade)
Coach and choreographer Rohene Ward (with insights from coach Kori Ade) gives an advanced skater a spin lesson, focusing on the spins in the skater’s program. Rohene makes some comments during the spins, and there are technical details to be found from analyzing these quality spins. One important tip is remaining on the “sweet spot” […] Continue reading →
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Camel Spin Lesson – Camel Catch Foot (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues her lesson working with a skater on a relatively new camel spin. See the initial part of this camel spin lesson here. In this video, the initial focus is on the camel catch foot, but throughout the lesson Charyl corrects the issue with the skater’s left arm on […] Continue reading →
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Flying Camel – Part 1 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan teaches flying camel spin in a class at a seminar. She begins by explaining that a skater really needs to have a good camel spin and a good back camel spin before they’ll create a good flying camel. She demonstrates and explains what happens throughout the entry and fly part of […] Continue reading →
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How to Practice Spinning (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan explains how to practice spinning, including how much to practice. Kim recommends training spins 15 minutes during every 45 minute to 1 hour on-ice practice. The 15 minutes should be focused and continuous, and not just a bunch of random spins throughout the practice that totals 15 minutes. For skaters that […] Continue reading →
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Layback Spin – Part 3 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a group class on layback spins. In Part 1 the focus was on proper upright spin entrance and spin centering. In Part 2 Kim started teaching the straight leg layback, and she continues with that in this video. She reviews the entire process, starting with “inviting the audience in” and […] Continue reading →
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Layback Spin – Part 2 (Kim Ryan)
Spin specialist Kim Ryan continues a group class on layback spins. In Part 1 the focus was on proper upright spin entrance and spin centering. This video starts there and discusses the place on the blade we need to balance the spin, between the ball of the foot and the bottom toe pick. The video […] Continue reading →
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Various Sit Spin Tips (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a sit spin lesson covering the pancake, bullet (or shotgun), basic sit, and back sit (from sit change sit). They begin with the pancake and Charyl wants the skater to maintain a stronger back position when moving into the final position, and this skater does a great job […] Continue reading →
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Introducing Back Sit and Back Camel (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here) and Part 3 here) by introducing a back camel and back sit spin. In the previous parts of the lesson, this skater worked on the basic sit spin, mushroom and camel positions, and upright attitude and hair […] Continue reading →
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Attitude and Hair Cutter Spins (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here) with emphasis on an upright attitude position as well as the hair cutter position. In the previous parts of the lesson, this skater worked on the basic sit spin as well as mushroom and camel positions. This […] Continue reading →
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Spin Tips for Mushroom and Camel (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson (see Part 1 here) with emphasis on a sit back position or mushroom and the basic camel spin. In the previous part of the lesson, this skater worked on the basic sit spin. The sit back variation or mushroom is new to this skater, so […] Continue reading →
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Sit Spin Variations – Bullet, Mushroom (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a spin lesson, covering one sit forward variation she calls the bullet and one sit back variation she calls the mushroom. This video is the final part of this lesson, and the previous parts can be found at Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4, although […] Continue reading →
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Champion Cords for Various Camel Spins (Sheila Thelen)
Figure skating specialist coach and Champion Cords inventor Sheila Thelen demonstrates the benefits and uses of Champion Cords for 4 different camel spins: the regular forward camel, the back camel, the flying camel, and an inside camel. The Champion Cord creates a helpful sensation of pulling the opposite hand and foot (free foot) together, which […] Continue reading →
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Spin Lesson: Camel Sit Change Sit Combo, Pancake (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a spin lesson, covering a combination spin and the pancake. The combo spin is a camel sit change sit, and the focus is on improving the sit and back sit positions. For sit spins that don’t get down very low, Charyl asks, “Are you in a hurry? Did […] Continue reading →
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Lesson: Layback, Side Layback, Haircutter, Biellmann (Kim Ryan)
In this lesson, spin specialist Kim Ryan works with a flexible and talented skater on an advanced upright layback type spin combination. The skater is starting this spin combo with a side layback, but Kim notes that it is still important to begin the regular layback process to get both hips pressed forward and the […] Continue reading →
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Layback Spin Development Lesson (Charyl Brusch)
Figure skating spin specialist Charyl Brusch gives a skater a lesson on the layback spin. Charyl shares a lot of information in this video, and coaches can see how she explains it to a skater and what exercises she uses to develop the necessary movements and positions. After an initial attempt, Charyl focuses on the […] Continue reading →
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I-Spin Tips (Sheila Thelen)
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen shares helpful tips for learning and teaching I-spins. Sheila notes that skaters need a very strong upright backspin before working on I-spins. Next she discusses the preferred foot grab, which automatically creates the desired internal rotation of the raised leg. Skaters should grab the free foot with the opposite […] Continue reading →
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On-Ice Flexibility Exercises (Kate Charbonneau)
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau demonstrates a series of on-ice flexibility exercises. These are all front catch foot positions with different hand grabs. These have obvious application to the I-spin (also called the needle) but also enhance overall flexibility for spirals and spin positions in general. The exercises are same side toe grab, same side […] Continue reading →
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Spin Tips During Lesson (Charyl Brusch)
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson with a young skater. In the first video from this lesson, Charyl covered upright spins and sit spins and in the second video she focused on the forward camel spin and a catch foot camel. In this video, they work on camel catch foot to back sit […] Continue reading →
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Camel, Catch Foot Camel Tips (Charyl Brusch)
Spin specialist Charyl Brusch continues a spin lesson with a young skater. In the previous videos from this lesson, Charyl covered upright spins and sit spins. In this video, the focus is on the basic forward camel spin and a catch foot camel. In terms of this skater’s basic camel spin, Charyl tries to correct […] Continue reading →
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Off-Ice Camel Spins (Kate Charbonneau)
This is the final of three videos from Kate Charbonneau on her personal experience with off-ice spinning during the worldwide pandemic. In the first video in this series Kate focused on some general concepts an then on upright off-ice spins. In the second video, Kate shared details of off-ice sit spin development. (Kate is using […] Continue reading →
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Off-Ice Upright Spins (Kate Charbonneau)
This is the first of three videos from Kate Charbonneau on her personal experience with off-ice spinning during the worldwide pandemic. Kate is using a Spinergy Spinboard and she emphasizes proper foot placement on the spinboard as critical to success, although she notes that other spinners may also work just as well with equivalent practice […] Continue reading →
