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Figure Skating Spiral – Off-Ice Training for Strength and Flexibility (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson explains how to properly train the spiral position off the ice. This is an outstanding video, both for the detail of the instruction and for the quality of the demonstrated positions. For low level skaters struggling with the spiral position or the position of a camel spin, […] Continue reading →
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Advanced Figure Skating Stops and Skids – Part 2 (Nick Perna)
In the video below, Nick Perna continues his discussion of figure skating stops and skids and covers a whole range of advanced stops and skids. He demonstrates a back two foot stop and again recommends that all skaters learn this stop on both feet. He does not allow his skaters to stop using the toe […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Stops and Skids – Part 1 (Nick Perna)
In the video below, Nick Perna begins a discussion of stops and skids. Nick starts by noting the importance of learning a variety of stops and skids. But he also acknowledges that beyond the very basic stops taught at the lowest levels of figure skating, stops and skids get very little formal attention. Many high […] Continue reading →
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Teaching Beginning Ice Skating – Forward Crossovers (Nick Perna)
Nick Perna shares his thoughts and insights on crossovers (also called crosscuts). This is an in-depth video covering details which are generally glossed over by many coaches. As Nick says, “To me, forward crossovers and back crossovers, really to do them correctly, it involved a lot of skill and a lot of skating basics that have […] Continue reading →
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How To Properly Tie Figure Skates (Chris Conte)
Chris Conte discusses how to properly tie figure skates. In particular, Chris discusses how to properly tie very stiff skates such as the Edea carbon fiber boot. But this information also applies to almost any stiff skating boot. The method Chris shares ensures the skate is tight and provides proper support but also allows the skater […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Backward Cross Strokes (Karen Olson)
Karen Olson explains and demonstrates how she teaches backward cross strokes. This video is a continuation of her video on forward cross strokes. Backward cross strokes are an important skating skill but they’re often performed incorrectly, especially at the lower skating levels. These are part of the US Figure Skating Juvenile Moves in the Field […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Forward Cross Strokes (Karen Olson)
Karen Olson explains and demonstrates how she teaches forward cross strokes. This is an important skating skill, and it first appears in the US Figure Skating Juvenile Moves in the Field Test. Karen starts these with an exercise to work on shoulder positioning and hip-against-shoulder movement. The drill is simple, but very helpful in developing […] Continue reading →
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Learn Better Figure Skating Edges – Passive Edges and Active Edges (Nick Perna)
Nick Perna discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of passive edges and active edges. He initially defines what each is and offers a demonstration of each type. As Nick notes, a passive edge “is just coasting on a curve” and is balanced. Nick continues, “An active edge is an edge producing power.” An important insight that […] Continue reading →
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Skating Edge Power Tip: The Blurb Drill (Nick Perna)
Nick Perna gets back to first principles and provides more detail about what he calls the “blurb.” Nick uses the term “blurb” in many of his videos here at iCoachSkating.com. (He also calls it the “dip.”) In this video, Nick explains: “Essentially what we’re doing is we’re going to be bringing ourselves from a state of […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Edges: Backward Circle Eights Pattern – Pre-Juvenile Moves (Karen Heng Olson)
Karen Heng Olson explains the Backward Circle Eights pattern for the U.S. Figure Skating Pre-Juvenile Moves in the Field test. Karen demonstrates the moves and talks about it as she demonstrates it. Notice the technique used and strength of the pushes. Karen discusses the order of movements and how the movements should be narrow and controlled. […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Jump Tip – Foundation Skills For Jumping – Part 4 (Audrey Weisiger)
Audrey Weisiger continues her multiple part series on important foundational concepts she has developed during her coaching career. In Part 1, Audrey introduced the “h and d system” and covered the neutral alignment she wants as a pre-requisite for the drill in the video below. In Part 2, Audrey introduced goes into more detail about the “h position” […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Tips: Jump Class – Part 4 (Michelle Leigh)
Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues with the fourth part of her multi-video on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. (On-ice jumps Part 1, On-ice jumps Part 2, On-ice jumps Part 3) In this video, Michelle focuses on axel with the class. She returns to a “twist” drill she used previously with the class on waltz jumps. Here Michelle adds […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Tips: Jump Class – Part 3 (Michelle Leigh)
This is the third video in a multi-video series from Olympic coach Michelle Leigh as she teaches an on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. (On-ice jumps Part 1, On-ice jumps Part 2) In this video, Michelle starts with salchow drills. Notice that Michelle uses the “stomach ache drill” or “one arm salchow” for all of her skaters […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Edge Tips: Mr. Bill Drill (Nick Perna)
Nick Perna continues a series of videos covering drills and exercises he uses to help his skaters develop power, agility, coordination, and edge control and awareness. In the first three videos in this series, Nick taught the Bread Drill, the Banana Drill, the Inside Crab Walk Drill, the Outside Crab Walk Drill, and the Propeller Drill. In this video, Nick teaches […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Figures: Figure Eight Pattern – Preliminary Moves (Karen Heng Olson)
Karen Heng Olson discusses the Figure Eight pattern for the U.S. Figure Skating Preliminary Moves in the Field test. When starting this move, Karen reviews the Pre-Pre moves edges patterns. She also draws the circles for the skater. Karen recommends using a “landmark” on the ice for the skater to return to center. Karen discusses the […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Jump Tip – Foundation Skills For Jumping – Part 2 (Audrey Weisiger)
Audrey Weisiger continues her multiple part series on important foundational concepts she has developed during her coaching career. In Part 1, Audrey introduced the “h and d system” and covered the neutral alignment she wants as a pre-requisite for the drill in the video below. In this video, Audrey explains the development of the “h-position.” Audrey gives […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Jump Tip – Foundation Skills For Jumping – Part 1 (Audrey Weisiger)
Audrey Weisiger begins a multiple part series on important foundational concepts she has developed during her coaching career. In this presentation, Audrey discusses her “h and d system” or the “alignment system.” The system is a series of drills used to develop body awareness, proper movement, and correct muscle memory of both moving and static positions. […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Tips: Jump Class – Part 2 (Michelle Leigh)
This is the second video in a multi-video series from Olympic coach Michelle Leigh as she teaches an on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. (On-ice jumps Part 1) At the beginning of this video, Michelle works on head position, control and movement in the waltz jump. Notice how she has the skaters look “in the glass.” […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Tips: Jump Class – Part 1 (Michelle Leigh)
This is the first video in a multi-video series from Olympic coach Michelle Leigh as she teaches an on-ice jumps class to some young skaters. It’s pretty rare to see just how an Olympic coach teaches low level skaters, and this class will be eye-opening for many coaches. At the time this video was recorded, the students […] Continue reading →
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Champion Cords To Improve Body Lean (Sheila Thelen)
In this very short video, Sheila Thelen offers a way to use Champion Cords to get a skater to lean into the circle they are skating on. Sheila shows how to attach the cords to the skater and she demonstrates how the coach can stand in the center of the circle and help create skater […] Continue reading →
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Improving Figure Skating: Learn To Skate – Part 7 (Chris Conte)
Chris Conte finishes his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction (Part 7). You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6). In this video, Chris discusses how hockey lunges can be used to create spins, jumps, and turns. Notice […] Continue reading →
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Improving Figure Skating: Learn To Skate – Part 6 (Chris Conte)
Chris Conte continues with Part 6 of his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction. You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5). In this video, Chris teaches back hockey lunges, encourages alternate arm positions, and shows how to use lunges […] Continue reading →
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Improving Figure Skating: Learn To Skate – Part 5 (Chris Conte)
Chris Conte continues with Part 5 of his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction. You can see the previous parts of this series here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4). In this video, Chris discusses hockey lunges, including why they are valuable to teach at the lowest skating levels and […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating – Balancing Exercises (Page Lipe)
Page Lipe shares three valuable exercises to increase body awareness. These drills are very effective in bringing out issues with alignment and core stability. Not surprisingly, these drills are harder than they look. The purpose of the first drill is to help skaters find their axis and it applies to all jumps. In this drill, […] Continue reading →
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Champion Cords Figure Skating Training Tools Improve Posture (Sheila Thelen)
Sheila Thelen offers a great tip to help skaters keep their head up while skating. In this video, Sheila explains and demonstrates exactly how to attach Champion Cords to a skater to apply tension to help the skater remember to keep the chin up. As Sheila notes, this is a powerful drill and does not […] Continue reading →
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Improving Figure Skating: Learn To Skate – Part 3 (Chris Conte)
Chris Conte continues with Part 3 of his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction. In Part 1, Chris discussed marching, swizzles, rocking horses, and rotating swizzles with some discussion of arm positions and posture. In Part 2, Chris discussed basic spinning, internal hip rotation, and jump air position issues. In this video, Chris […] Continue reading →
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Improving Figure Skating: Learn To Skate – Part 2 (Chris Conte)
Chris Conte continues with Part 2 of his discussion of suggested improvements to basic skills instruction. In Part 1, Chris discussed marching, swizzles, rocking horses, and rotating swizzles with some discussion of arm positions and posture. In this video, Chris begins by noting that rotating swizzles are a perfect way to teach basic spinning. He notes that […] Continue reading →
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Improving Figure Skating: Learn To Skate – Part 1 (Chris Conte)
Chris Conte offers insights into ways coaches can speed the learning process by focusing on skills that emphasize basic jump rotation and developing power out of edges. Continue reading →
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Power Pulls Ice Skating (Amy Brolsma)
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches power pulls. Notice that Amy is focused on the mechanics of how a skater generates power from a continuous edge. Continue reading →
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3 Turns Figure Skating: Tracing (Amy Brolsma)
Amy Brolsma gives a three-turn theory lesson with diagrams on the ice. This presentation is important and EVERY skater and coach should understand this information thoroughly. Continue reading →
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Ice Skating Turns: Body Lean On 3 Turns (Amy Brolsma)
Amy Brolsma talks about body lean on edges and turns. This is a short video but a great reminder for coaches and an important concept for skaters. Continue reading →
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Ice Skating Turns: Back Inside Three Turns (Amy Brolsma)
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches back inside three turns. Continue reading →
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Ice Skating Turns: Back Outside Three Turns – Part 2 (Amy Brolsma)
In this video, Amy Brolsma continues her discussion of the back outside three turn. This short video covers an incredibly important point which is why it’s a stand-alone video on the site. Continue reading →
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Ice Skating Turns: Back Outside Three Turns – Part 1 (Amy Brolsma)
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches back outside three turns. Continue reading →
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Ice Skating Turns: Forward Inside Three Turns (Amy Brolsma)
Amy Brolsma explains how she teaches forward inside three turns. Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Training Tools: Skate Spinner For Footwork And Spins (Tom Hickey)
In this video, Tom Hickey continues his explanation of how to use a Skate Spinner effectively for training. In this video, Tom discusses spins and footwork. Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Training Tools: Skate Spinner For Jumps (Tom Hickey)
In this video, Tom Hickey shows how to use a Skate Spinner for jump development. Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Rotation Training For Beginners (Tom Hickey)
Tom Hickey describes some basic on-ice drills he uses to help very beginners learn to rotate. As in aprevious clip, he is assisted by his daughter Maddie. Continue reading →
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Waltz Jump Tips For Beginners (Tom Hickey)
Tom Hickey has help from his daughter Maddie showing how to introduce a young beginner skater to the waltz jump. Continue reading →
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Waltz Jump Tips – Part 4 (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis finishes her four part description of the waltz jump. Continue reading →
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Waltz Jump Tips – Part 3 (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis continues her multi-part description of the waltz jump. Continue reading →
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Waltz Jump Tips – Part 2 (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis continues her description of the waltz jump. Continue reading →
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Waltz Jump Tips – Part 1 (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis explains how she introduces the waltz jump. Notice the emphasis on the proper use of edges and ankle pressure. Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Edges: Ankle Pressure And Edge Pressure (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis offers important insights about edges in figure skating. With the move away from school figures in the 1990’s, more than a generation of skaters has now grown up without them. Continue reading →
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Ice Skating Figures: Double Three Turns (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis continues her discussion of school figures by covering double three turns. Continue reading →
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Ice Skating Figures: Forward Inside And Outside Edges (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis introduces one of the most basic school figures pattern. In this video, she focuses on the forward inside and forward outside edges. Continue reading →
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Ice Skating Turns: Forward Three Turns (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis explains forward outside and inside 3-turns. She starts with the left forward outside 3-turn because many skaters use it for flip and salchow. Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Power And Speed Drills (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis discusses how to generate power and maintain speed. This is a short video but it includes information that is a good reminder to all of us. Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Edge Control: Common Mistakes Forward Edges (Joan Orvis)
Joan Orvis discusses some common mistakes that skaters make when learning forward inside and outside edges. Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Basics Video: Life And Death Balance (Sheila Thelen)
Sheila Thelen offers a clever if not slightly diabolical concept to help skaters clearly remember their proper alignment side for jump air positions (as well as most take-offs and landings). Continue reading →
