Tom Zakrajsek

Tom Zakrajsek (pronounced Za-cry-sheck) is an Olympic Team Coach and he’s coached in numerous World and National championships. His skaters regularly place on the top of the podium at the US National Championships, and he’s coached at least one US National Champion at each level (Novice, Junior, Senior, Men and Ladies). Tom has been coaching since 1999 and he has a PSA Master rating in Freestyle and a PSA Level VII ranking. He was the 2009 PSA Coach of the Year and the 1999 USFS Developmental Coach of the Year.

Tom coaches at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He’s well known for coaching 2022 World Bronze medalist Vincent Zhou, 2021 US Ladies Champion Bradie Tennell and 2018 Olympian Mirai Nagasu, the first US woman to land a triple axel at the Olympic Games. He’s also worked with the following list of notable skaters: Rachel Flatt, Ryan Bradley, Agnes Zawadzki, Joshua Farris, Alexe Gilles, Ann Patrice McDonough, Marissa Secundy, Max Aaron, and Brandon Mroz.

In his coaching he emphasizes goal setting, hard work, discipline and the acquisition of life skills. He is an esteemed jump technician and much of his coaching focuses on training his skaters for competition performance. For low level coaches and skaters wondering how an Olympic coach of Tom’s stature can help them, he developed Jeremy Abbott, Ryan Bradley and Rachael Flatt from the beginning levels of skating all the way to their National titles and the World Team; and with Flatt, the Olympic Games.

Recently, Tom has been using various social media platforms to share information about skating and coaching. His goal is to share useful information and foster an online environment of sharing among coaches and skaters. Please check out Tom’s Facebook page, his Twitter feed, and his Instagram page for more information. Tom shares even more information at his paid membership website http://coacht o mz.com/.

Most recent videos at the top…

Fundamental Skating and Jumping Concepts (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek discusses helpful and important concepts that rarely get discussed by coaches. He begins by discussing body awareness by thinking about the belly button and spine. This is a fantastic way for skaters to sense their core and understand more clearly how the hips and shoulders work together or in opposition. […] Continue reading →
Combined Flip and Lutz Exercise (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek explains an exercise that combines both the flip and lutz, where the focus is on rotational control and edge quality of the entrances. The basic exercise is simple in concept and uses a hockey line across the rink as an axis. The exercise consists of 3 consecutive forward outside three […] Continue reading →
Mental Rehearsal (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek has a seminar class perform some basic mental training methods before stepping onto the ice for training. Tom starts by asking the class, which is already on the ice, if they had done any “review” before stepping onto the ice and they say no. To highlight the importance of such […] Continue reading →
Triple-Three-Turn Flip Jump Exercise (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches the details for a classic flip jump exercise or entry consisting of 3 three turns prior to the singe/double/triple flip. The exercise starts with a forward outside three turn on the non-picking foot, followed by a back inside three turn and another forward outside three turn on that foot […] Continue reading →
Backspin Double Loop – Part 2 (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek continues his presentation on “backspin double loop” jump exercises. In Part 1 he introduced the exercise and explained it in detail, and he also showed some advanced variations. In this video Tom shares two more variations of the exercise that are particularly appropriate in the developmental process. He begins […] Continue reading →
Big Muscle Backspin – More (Tom Zakrajsek)

In this short video, World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek returns to his discussion of the “big muscle backspin” as a tool for improving jump air position. In a previous video, Tom introduced the concept and shared his ideas about how to make a basic backspin into a more useful jump training tool. In this […] Continue reading →
On-Ice Warm-Up for Jumping – Part 3 The Zhou Jump (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek continues his presentation of some on-ice exercises he uses with his skaters as a warm-up for jumping. In Part 1 he introduced the concept and shared exercises such as “heel clicks,” “edge ups,” and “air brackets.” In Part 2 he shared the “one rotation jump on the diagonal” and […] Continue reading →
On-Ice Warm-Up for Jumping – Part 2 (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek continues his presentation of some on-ice exercises he uses with his skaters as a warm-up for jumping. In Part 1 he introduced the concept and shared exercises such as “heel clicks,” “edge ups,” and “air brackets.” He begins this video by combining edge ups with air brackets, and he […] Continue reading →
On-Ice Warm-Up for Jumping – Part 1 (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek shares some on-ice exercises he uses with his skaters as a warm-up for jumping. This entire warm-up takes roughly 10 minutes, and a major goal is to activate the skaters’ posterior chain which is critical for good jumping. Tom begins with an ankle and calf activation exercise that has […] Continue reading →
Exercise and Insights for Double and Triple Loop – Part 2 (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek continues his discussion of the double and triple loop, including more detail on the exercise and movements discussed in Part 1. Here he begins by addressing probably the most common problem skaters face on double and triple loop. He says, “Having the skater understand how to stay checked in […] Continue reading →
Exercise and Insights for Double and Triple Loop (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek shares an exercise intended to help skaters “understand the hairpin turn moment on a triple loop.” Tom notes that the exercise is also helpful for double loop combos too. The speed and timing of the deepening edge on a triple loop can cause all kinds of core and upper […] Continue reading →
Double Axel Development – Part 2 (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek continues his discussion of the drills and exercises he uses when developing a double or triple axel. In Part 1 he taught a “progression exercise” in detail. This video begins with one of his demonstrators doing the progression exercise with double axels as a way to build towards a […] Continue reading →
Double Axel Development – Part 1 (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek begins a series of videos discussing some of the drills and exercises he uses when developing a double or triple axel. There are a ton of insights about the axel (and double and triple) in these videos, and he guides us through the process of making the jump more […] Continue reading →
Introducing Double Jumps, Double Loop Details (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek shares thoughts on the most fundamental or foundational jump in skating, the double loop. Tom begins by by saying, “It is an important jump, number one to learn properly, and number two to learn as soon as possible.” He then shares his philosophy for skaters learning double jumps after […] Continue reading →
Head Anchoring for Jumps (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek discusses the important of head anchoring on jumps, as well as a great way to describe it to skaters. He begins by saying, “If your head is not anchored over your jumping side it’s going to be really hard to straighten that leg on the take-off.” Tom’s favorite description […] Continue reading →
Cha Cha Cha Exercise for Double/Triple/Quad Loop (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek shares an exercise he uses for developing the necessary tightness in the feet on double loop, triple loop, and even quad loop. Tom calls this exercise “cha cha cha” as this is a memorable name that also conveys the importance of rhythm and tempo within the exercise. Tom begins […] Continue reading →
Barrier Step Up Exercise – Part 2 (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek continues his explanation of the “barrier step up exercise.” In Part 1 Tom taught the first phase of the exercise, and in this video he teaches the second phase which he calls the “merry-go-round.” After the skater can do the basic exercise taught in Part 1, the “merry-go-round” adds […] Continue reading →
Barrier Step Up Exercise – Part 1 (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches what he calls the “barrier step up exercise” which is important for learning proper jump air position and landing movements. This kind of exercise is important because it helps skaters learn these positions and movements in an accurate way, without the risk/distraction of actually jumping. The “barrier step […] Continue reading →
First Up, Second Up, Third Up (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek explains what he means by the terms “first up,” “second up,” and “third up” as these terms continue to be used more and more commonly among coaches and skaters. Tom says, “When I’m coaching jumping I’m always queuing the skater by saying ‘up, up, up.’ I really feel there […] Continue reading →
Big Muscle Backspin (Tom Zakrajsek)

World and Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek discusses the importance of a “big muscle backspin” as a tool for improving jump air position. This is essentially a regular backspin with details that make it more valuable as a jump training tool. Tom explains, “The idea of the big muscle backspin is that skaters have to pull […] Continue reading →
Figure Skating Axel Jump: How to Axel Part 7 (Tom Zakrajsek)

Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches an axel class at the Grassroots to Champions Supercamp held in Faribault, MN in July/August 2013. This video is the seventh and final video in a multi-part series by Tom sharing the information he covered in his classes at camp. In the first video of the axel class, he discussed […] Continue reading →
Figure Skating Axel Jump: More Axel Tips Part 6 (Tom Zakrajsek)

Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches an axel class at the Grassroots to Champions Supercamp held in Faribault, MN in July/August 2013. This video is the fifth in a multi-part series by Tom sharing the information he covered in his classes at camp. In the first video of the axel class, he discussed warming up properly […] Continue reading →
How To Do An Axel – Axel Class Part 5 (Tom Zakrajsek)

Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches an axel class at the Grassroots to Champions Supercamp held in Faribault, MN in July/August 2013. This video is the fifth in a multi-part series by Tom sharing the information he covered in his classes at camp. In the first video of the axel class, he discussed warming up properly […] Continue reading →
How To Do An Axel – Axel Class Part 4 (Tom Zakrajsek)

Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches an axel class at the Grassroots to Champions Supercamp held in Faribault, MN in July/August 2013. This video is the third in a multi-part series by Tom sharing the information he covered in his classes at camp. In the first video of the axel class, he discussed warming up properly […] Continue reading →
How To Do An Axel – Axel Class Part 3 (Tom Zakrajsek)

Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches an axel class at the Grassroots to Champions Supercamp held in Faribault, MN in July/August 2013. This video is the third in a multi-part series by Tom sharing the information he covered in his classes at camp. In the first video of the axel class, he discussed warming up properly […] Continue reading →
Learning an Axel Jump – Axel Class Part 2 (Tom Zakrajsek)

Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches an axel class at the Grassroots to Champions Supercamp held in Faribault, MN in July/August 2013. This video is the second in a multi-part series by Tom sharing the information he covered in his classes at camp. In this first video of the axel class, he discussed warming up properly […] Continue reading →
Learning an Axel Jump – Axel Class Part 1 (Tom Zakrajsek)

Olympic coach Tom Zakrajsek teaches an axel class at the Grassroots to Champions Supercamp held in Faribault, MN in July/August 2013. This video is the first in a multi-part series by Tom sharing the information he covered in his classes at camp. All parts of this series: Axel Class – Part 1 Axel Class – […] Continue reading →