-
USFS Junior Rocker Patterns (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson begins a discussion of rockers, and especially how she teaches rockers leading up to and including the USFS Junior Rocker moves in the field tests (Forward and Backward Outside Rockers, Forward and Backward Inside Rockers). As Karen notes, the connecting steps in the USFS Junior […] Continue reading →
-
4 Statues Balance Drill (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna shares an off-ice drill whose purpose is to improve balance and control of the 4 main skating positions. The demonstrating skater has a large asterisk on the floor to help with visualizing the desired placement of the free leg, and skaters can easily create this on the floor […] Continue reading →
-
Choctaw Development – USFS Junior Choctaw Sequence Part 3 (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson continues her presentation on choctaws and in particular, the Junior USFS Moves in the Field Choctaw Sequence. Some of the information in this video is independent of the moves pattern and is applicable to every skater learning choctaws. In Part 1 of this series, Karen […] Continue reading →
-
20 Minute Warm-Up Edge Class – Part 4 (Kate Charbonneau)
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau continues a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for the class. This warm-up is done to music. In Part 1 she shared initial exercises […] Continue reading →
-
Using Objects/Toys for Twizzle Development (Amy Brolsma)
Coach Amy Brolsma shares a valuable tip for skaters working on advanced turns and twizzles. Many skaters struggle with core stability when learning advanced turns like rockers and counters as well as twizzles. Having objects or toys to hold with both hands either in front of the body or over the head help skaters engage […] Continue reading →
-
Choctaw Development – USFS Junior Choctaw Sequence Part 2 (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson continues her presentation on choctaws and in particular, the Junior USFS Moves in the Field Choctaw Sequence. The information in this video is independent of the moves pattern and is applicable to every skater learning choctaws. In Part 1 of this series, Karen introduced the […] Continue reading →
-
20 Minute Warm-Up Edge Class – Part 3 (Kate Charbonneau)
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau shares a helpful exercise to develop stopping skills (on both feet), knee action and rhythm, and upper body control. As Kate notes, this exercise is fun and skaters will enjoy learning it and performing it regularly. The forward exercise is slightly different than the backward exercise, so there’s really two […] Continue reading →
-
Using Objects/Toys to Improve Basic Skating (Amy Brolsma)
Coach Amy Brolsma shares a valuable tip for helping skaters at every level improve their skating skills and their turns. By using objects or toys that the skater can hold with both hands, the coach can reduce the uncontrolled arm movements and help skaters feel their movements and stabilize with their core. Amy likes to […] Continue reading →
-
Choctaw Development – USFS Junior Choctaw Sequence Part 1 (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson begins a presentation on choctaws and in particular, the Junior USFS Moves in the Field Choctaw Sequence. As we’ve come to expect from Karen, she begins by breaking down more basic skills to build up the basic choctaws themselves and then the moves pattern. As […] Continue reading →
-
On-Ice Warmup Sequence – Part 3 (Amy Brolsma)
Coach Amy Brolsma continues her presentation on a sequence of warm-up drills that she uses as an on-ice warmup with her skaters. The primary goal is to get the skaters moving and fully warmed up, but coaches can also monitor the warm-up to better understand the focus and motivation level of a skater on a […] Continue reading →
-
Program Sections, Choreography, Program Development (Kori Ade)
World and Olympic coach Kori Ade is working with one of her skaters. She begins the lesson by analyzing the skater’s daily skating diary to identify problems with the program that might need to be fixed. For this kind of a diary, the skater keeps accurate records of each program run-through, with notes about each […] Continue reading →
-
Backward Rocker Choctaw Sequence: Novice Moves (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson offers insights and tips for the Backward Rocker Choctaw Sequence pattern from the USFS Novice Moves in the Field test. She begins acknowledging that many skaters struggle on this move with flow and speed. She recommends simply repeatedly practicing the undercut push to the back […] Continue reading →
-
On-Ice Warmup Sequence – Part 2 (Amy Brolsma)
Coach Amy Brolsma continues her presentation on a sequence of warm-up drills that she uses as an on-ice warmup with her skaters. The primary goal is to get the skaters moving and fully warmed up, but coaches can also monitor the warm-up to better understand the focus and motivation level of a skater on a […] Continue reading →
-
Push Pull Partner Exercise (Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue)
Two-time World Ice Dance Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue share a fun and helpful partner exercise intended to build partner connection and control while also demonstrating how speed and power can be achieved with and without push with a partner. The initial drill is very simple. Two skaters simply grab right hands (thumbs up, […] Continue reading →
-
20 Minute Warm-Up Edge Class – Part 1 (Kate Charbonneau)
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau begins a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for the class. All videos in the series: Part 1 – intro, initial exercises emphasizing slow […] Continue reading →
-
Blade Usage and Drills for Turns (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson talks at length about blade usage in turns, and she demonstrates drills to help skaters master the necessary rocking on the blade. Few skaters have complete mastery of their blades, and even improving this skill a small amount can have huge benefits for turns and […] Continue reading →
-
On-Ice Warmup Sequence – Part 1 (Amy Brolsma)
Coach Amy Brolsma shares a sequence of warm-up drills that she uses as an on-ice warmup with her skaters. The primary goal is to get the skaters moving and fully warmed up, but coaches can also monitor the warm-up to better understand the focus and motivation level of a skater on a given day. Amy […] Continue reading →
-
On-Ice Warm-Up Routine and Exercises – Part 2 (Kate Charbonneau)
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau continues her discussion of an on-ice warm-up routine and additional warm-up exercises that she covered in Part 1. In this video, she discusses the importance of pressing the shoulders against the hips (twisting). Skaters that can get good twist through the core as well as a strong knee bend with […] Continue reading →
-
Backward Outside Three Turns (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson discusses the backward outside three turn. This is a continuation of Karen’s series of videos focused on issues faced by adult skaters, but the information in this video is applicable to skaters of all ages. Right from the beginning, Karen focuses on proper alignment for […] Continue reading →
-
On-Ice Warm-Up Routine and Exercises (Kate Charbonneau)
Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau shares an on-ice warm-up routine and additional warm-up exercises. Skaters can use this to warm-up the body and joints and build edge control, deeper knee bend, and range of motion prior to jumping and spinning. Kate has her skaters start with a full lap on two feet with forward power […] Continue reading →
-
Backward Inside Three Turns, Especially for Adults – Part 2 (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson continues her explanation of some important details about learning the backward inside three turn, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by adult skaters with this skill. As Karen notes, this is a challenging skill because it requires good blade usage and initially uncomfortable (and […] Continue reading →
-
Backward Inside Three Turns, Especially for Adults – Part 1 (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field and skating skills expert Karen Olson explains important details about learning the backward inside three turn, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by adult skaters with this skill. As Karen notes, this is a challenging skill because it requires good blade usage and initially uncomfortable (and vulnerable) positions. Karen recommends […] Continue reading →
-
Building Powerful Pushes (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a class on ways to generate more power from basic pushes. Many of these concepts are similar to those Doug has already shared here at iCoachSkating. To begin this class, Doug explains that skaters can move across the ice without doing correct pushes. This is somewhat unfortunate, as many […] Continue reading →
-
Importance of Walleys (Audrey Weisiger)
In this video from a few years ago, World and Olympic figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger talks about walleys during an on-ice lutz class at one of her acclaimed Grassroots to Champions seminars. (The earlier parts of this class are here: Part 1, Part 2) Audrey’s goal in this video is to get the class […] Continue reading →
-
Advanced Concepts For Improving Expression (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his step sequence lesson with a skater. In the first part of the lesson, Doug focused on the mechanics of the step sequence itself, and in this part, he shares insights about performing and improving expression. In the initial discussion, it’s clear that Doug has “developed a story” for this […] Continue reading →
-
Inside Edge Weight Shift Exercise (Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue)
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters a repeating series of back inside edges. This exercise is performed on two feet, although the skater’s weight is nearly 100% on the inside edge of the outer skate on the lobe. This exercise is almost always challenging for […] Continue reading →
-
Skating Fundamentals: One Foot Balance (Nick Perna)
International coach Nick Perna talks about the importance of learning to balance at a standstill on one foot. To help skaters master the control of the exit edges of turns, Nick uses a drill he calls the hitchy coo which he explaines in detail in another video. But part of the hitchy coo drill has […] Continue reading →
-
Deep Edges in Steps and Footwork (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater to improve the step sequence in her program. The focus is on deepening her edges, generating more power, moving smoothly from one movement to the next, improving the look of turns, and using the eyes to project to the audience. Doug makes a point of addressing the […] Continue reading →
-
Axel Tip: Footwork Drill (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby offers a skating or footwork drill intended to help improve the setup for axel. When you watch the video, you’ll notice that the exercise is not a rigid set of turns and steps, but rather a framework of movements to improve alignment and rotational control and also feel rhythm. […] Continue reading →
-
Creating Power In Turns (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a lesson where he explains exactly how to generate power during a turn in skating. In this case, the turn is a 3-turn, but the concept applies to any turn (3-turns, brackets, rockers, and counters). This is the missing ingredient when it comes to lower level skaters simply lacking power […] Continue reading →
-
Power Generation Exercises and Skating With a Partner (Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue)
2018 World Ice Dance Silver Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue offer two exercises for generating power and flow in the context of skating with a partner. The first exercise is just a repeating series of dance swing rolls. The secret to generating power with this exercise is the timing of the knee action. This […] Continue reading →
-
More Details About Cross Strokes (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues his lesson on cross strokes. In the earlier part of the lesson, Doug focused on leg and hip position. In this video, he focuses more on the actual push and movements to create power. As Doug notes, “The push is the key to pretty much everything in skating.” He offers […] Continue reading →
-
Some Fundamentals of Cross Strokes or Cross Rolls (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a skater a lesson on cross strokes. Doug focuses almost entirely on the free leg and hip position on the preparation of the entry edge of the cross stroke. This information is rarely discussed in this kind of detail, and Doug does a nice job of correcting the skater so […] Continue reading →
-
Shadow Skating With a Partner (Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue)
2018 US National Ice Dance Champions Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue teach a class of skaters some basics of partnering. Maddie and Zach are teaching the skaters basic shadow skating without holding on. This is also called side-by-side skating. This form of partner skating is supposed to be easy, but it never is. For some […] Continue reading →
-
Footwork Sequence Fine Tuning (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater on a footwork sequence. This process of fine tuning is usually necessary to create a more advanced footwork sequence with better edge quality and overall presentation. Doug focuses on a wide range of issues in this video, including head position, knee bend and rhythm, pattern and edge […] Continue reading →
-
Improving the Execution of a Footwork Sequence – Part 2 (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster continues working with a skater on her footwork sequence. See Part 1 here. In this part of the lesson, Doug focuses again on edge quality and power generation. He gives very specific feedback to the skater to improve the knee and ankle bend, including detailed instruction on exactly when to bend. […] Continue reading →
-
Improving the Execution of a Footwork Sequence (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater on her footwork sequence. This is not an advanced skater, but she is also not a beginner. Skaters at this skill level usually struggle with power generation, knee and ankle bend depth and timing, overall edge quality, as well as slowing the tempo of movements to properly […] Continue reading →
-
The Stomping Drill (Nick Perna)
International coach Nick Perna talks about “stomping” and how and why to use it in figure skating. He calls these exercises “The Stomping Drill.” Nick says, “If you can hit any edge at any time in a gliding position, whether it’s an active edge or a passive edge, you should be able to stomp.” Nick […] Continue reading →
-
Using a Jump Rope to Train for Skating (Michelle Leigh)
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a multi-part series on off-ice jumping and training. In Part 1 she focused on some basics and the axel. In Part 2, she discussed the salchow and some drills to improve landings. In Part 3, she addressed issues with the off-ice toe loop, and in Part 4 she covered […] Continue reading →
-
Deepening Edges for Skating (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster gives a skater a lesson on the concept of deepening edges. The concept is explained in the context of a three-turn and also in the context of back inside edges (salchow). When performing three turns, most skaters simply glide above the ice and initiate the turn and check the turn with […] Continue reading →
-
Mastering The “Scotty Turn” (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater to improve a section of her program. The focus of this video is an unnamed turn or step that is sometimes called the Scott Hamilton turn, the Scotty turn, the flip-flop, or the helicopter in the USA. Doug offers some excellent tips to help master this skill. First […] Continue reading →
-
Figure Skating Tips: Spread Eagles and Ina Bauers (Page Lipe)
International figure skating coach Page Lipe shares some great tips for developing and improving spread eagles and Ina Bauers. These elements can be very challenging to learn and require good drills and lots of persistence and patience. For the spread eagle, Page shows a drill where the skater leans with their back against the boards (where […] Continue reading →
-
Using Moves in the Field to Improve Free Skating (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson explains how some aspects of Moves in the Field can be used to address issues when teaching free skating, including jumping. She begins by saying, “I like to take some of the things the kids have learned in moves in the field and use them to fix things in […] Continue reading →
-
Backward Loop Pattern – USFS Junior Moves (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson offers tips, advice, and exercises to help skaters and coaches master the Backward Loop Pattern from the USFS Junior Moves in the Field test. At the beginning of the video, Karen notes that doing loops in isolation is a bit different than doing them as part of a pattern […] Continue reading →
-
Choreography – Polishing a Footwork Sequence (Douglas Webster)
Professional choreographer Douglas Webster works with a skater to improve a circular step sequence in her program. In this video we see Doug teaching and offering insights about a program put together by a different choreographer. The value in this video is mostly a result of how Doug teaches the skater to improve the execution of […] Continue reading →
-
Serpentine Step Sequence – USFS Senior Moves Pt 5 (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson continues a discussion of the Serpentine Step Sequence from the USFS Senior Moves in the Field test. Make sure to watch Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 before watching this part of the presentation. In this video, Karen talks about pulling it all together. She re-emphasizes the need to […] Continue reading →
-
Serpentine Step Sequence – USFS Senior Moves Pt 4 (Karen Olson)
Moves in the field expert Karen Olson continues a discussion of the Serpentine Step Sequence from the USFS Senior Moves in the Field test. Make sure to watch Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 before watching this part of the presentation. In this video, Karen works on a challenging section of the pattern requiring excellent turn and […] Continue reading →
-
Choreography – Part 4: Adding Arms (Pasquale Camerlengo)
World and Olympic figure skating coach and choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo continues his presentation on choreography (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here). In Part 3 he discussed the idea of “polishing” a program, and he continues in the video below with an example of adding arm movements as a form of polishing. In this example, Pasquale […] Continue reading →
-
Fun Skids and Letting Skaters Play (Audrey Weisiger)
This is a short video follow-up to World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger‘s previous video on pivots and skids. Here Audrey recommends teaching a backward snowplow stop and skids in spirals. She highlights the need for figure skaters to play and she encourages coaches to let them play occasionally. Continue reading →
-
Specialty Figures – Crosscut Loop Clover (Kirsten Olson)
Specialty figures expert Kirsten Olson teaches another specialty figure that uses crosscuts, edge changes, and forward outside loops to create a clover pattern on the ice. You can see Kirsten’s other videos on specialty figures here: Fishtails/Crosscuts, Maltese Cross, Maltese Cross – Group, and Angel Wings. In this video, Kirsten draws part of the pattern on […] Continue reading →
