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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 →
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Lutz Jump – Part 2: More Insights and Tips (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation on the lutz. In Part 1 he shared many thoughts and some exercises for lutz development. He begins this video by describing an exercise he calls “jump the line” which consists of gliding backwards on two feet parallel to a line on the ice, then performing an […] Continue reading →
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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 →
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Lutz Jump – Part 1: Intro and Basics (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby begins a series of videos sharing insights and exercises for lutz development at all levels. He begins by noting that lutz coaching methods have changed over the years, as coaches have found better ways to teach the jump to help skaters learn it more efficiently (faster) and ensure proper execution […] Continue reading →
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Good Jumps are Actually Vaults – Part 2 (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues his important and overlooked discussion that good figure skating jumps are actually vaults. In Part 1 he introduced the basic concept of vaulting and explained how a good loop jump vaults up into the air. In this video, Nick begins by describing how a good salchow vaults […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Edge Class – Part 3 (Chris Conte)
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues a lutz edge class at a seminar (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here). He begins this video by demonstrating a poor lutz entry with a big free leg raise and a forward lunging body. He calls this tipping the duck forward, meaning the hips tip […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Edge Class – Part 2 (Chris Conte)
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues a lutz edge class at a seminar (see Part 1 here). He begins this video with skate balance and sliding drills. The first he refers to as a version of “walking or running man” with both feet moving front to back in opposition on the ice, and […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Edge Class – Part 1 (Chris Conte)
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte gives a lutz edge class at a seminar. After breaking the class up into smaller groups, he watches the class perform single lutz jumps. He then relates a story about a skater who was able to correct a long-standing (4 year) lutz edge issue in just 10 minutes, […] Continue reading →
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Double Lutz Follow-Up and Drills (Trevor Laak)
Trevor Laak provides a follow-up analysis video to a double lutz video published previously discussing details related to jump timing and rhythm, the active take-off edge, toe pick placement, arm and shoulder timing, and more. This video shows the skater’s progress to a clean double lutz with reasonable flow, and discusses the entry used, the […] Continue reading →
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Drill for More Height on Loop, Flip, Lutz (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna shares a drill he uses to help skaters properly lift into the air on the loop, flip, and lutz jumps. He begins by noting that many skaters struggle to achieve an h-position or 4-position on these jumps, often due to how they train rotation off the ice. The […] Continue reading →
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New Lutz Insights and Exercises – Part 3 (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues a series of videos covering new insights and exercises for the lutz jump. In Part 1, Nick shared the Pigeon Toe Walk exercise to maintain the body in the correct position to keep the skater near the front of the blade to help ensure a true outside […] Continue reading →
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Observations on Double Lutz Technique (Trevor Laak)
Trevor Laak analyzes a double lutz, discussing details related to jump timing and rhythm, the active take-off edge, toe pick placement, arm and shoulder timing, and more. The repeating power pull entrance for the lutz can be very helpful for skaters to feel the desired timing of the jump and stay on an active outside […] Continue reading →
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New Lutz Insights and Exercises – Part 2 (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues a series of videos covering new insights and exercises for the lutz jump. In Part 1, Nick shared the Pigeon Toe Walk exercise to maintain the body in the correct position to keep the skater near the front of the blade to help ensure a true outside […] Continue reading →
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New Lutz Insights and Exercises – Part 1 (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna begins a series of videos covering new insights and exercises for the lutz jump. He begins by acknowledging the added importance today of having the correct take-off edge on lutz in IJS competitions, and he introduces us to his “Pigeon Toe Walk” exercise. To better understand this video, […] Continue reading →
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Single and Double Lutz Drills (Debbie Warne-Jacobsen)
National level coach Debbie Warne-Jacobsen continues a series of videos covering a lesson for an adult skater who is working on her USFS Senior Free Skating test. In the first part of this lesson, the focus was on the double salchow-Euler-double salchow combination jump. In the second part of this lesson, they are worked on […] Continue reading →
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Important Lutz Fundamentals (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues working with a class of beginner skaters on the lutz jump. In the first part of this class, Nick focused on helping the skaters understand and see what a proper lutz is. In this video, Nick shares important fundamental concepts to begin learning to execute a proper […] Continue reading →
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Seeing the Lutz Edge (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna is working with a class of beginner skaters on the lutz jump. The focus of this video is making sure the class understands what a proper lutz is and how to see it. There isn’t much technical detail in this video. So the main value is watching each […] Continue reading →
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Split Lutz vs H-Position Lutz (Jeremy Allen)
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen compares split lutz and h-position lutz take-offs and offers opinions on which to teach. This is a continuation of his presentations on beginning lutz, 3 helpful lutz drills, different lutz entrances and reach details, lutz technique considerations. Jeremy begins this video by describing and demonstrating the split lutz. […] Continue reading →
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Lutz – Entry Steps and Pick Placement (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna teaches a double/triple lutz class to advanced skaters at a seminar. Rather than starting immediately with the lutz, Nick begins by discussing the edge for the flip jump. For those struggling with the proper inside edge on the flip, he recommends thinking about it like a salchow. He […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Technique Considerations (Jeremy Allen)
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen discusses considerations for selecting the best lutz technique for a given skater. This is a continuation of his presentations on beginning lutz, 3 helpful lutz drills and different lutz entrances and reach details. Jeremy explains that whenever he starts working with a skater on the lutz, whether it’s […] Continue reading →
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Double Lutz in Lesson (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues a jump lesson. In the first part of this lesson Nick taught axel and double salchow drills. In the second part of the lesson he worked on double toe loop, double loop, and double flip. In this part, the focus is on the double lutz. As with […] Continue reading →
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Additional Important Lutz Details (Jeremy Allen)
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen offers additional insights regarding the lutz jump. This is a continuation of his presentations on beginning lutz and 3 helpful lutz drills. Jeremy begins this video by discussing options for the lutz entrance once a skater is comfortable with the outside edge take-off. The first option he shows […] Continue reading →
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Using a Balloon for Jump Training – Part 3 (Lorie Charbonneau)
International coach Lorie Charbonneau continues her presentation on using a simple air-filled balloon as a jump training aid. In Part 1 she introduced the concept and had her skaters demonstrate single jumps as well as axel and double salchow with the balloons. In Part 2 the skaters demonstrated the other double jumps, as well as […] Continue reading →
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3 Lutz Exercises to Improve Take-off Edge (Jeremy Allen)
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen shares 3 different drills for helping skaters feel the proper outside edge lutz take-off. This is a continuation of Jeremy’s discussion of the beginning lutz here. Many skaters struggle with the outside edge, and if not caught and fixed early, a variety of methods may need to be […] Continue reading →
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Using a Balloon for Jump Training – Part 2 (Lorie Charbonneau)
International coach Lorie Charbonneau continues her presentation on using a simple air-filled balloon as a jump training aid. In Part 1 she introduced the concept and had her skaters demonstrate single jumps as well as axel and double salchow with the balloons. In this video, the skaters demonstrate the other double jumps, as well as […] Continue reading →
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Improving Beginner Skills – Part 4 (Kate Charbonneau)
Coach Kate Charbonneau continues a general lesson with a beginner level skater, using program elements as a roadmap for the lesson. Part 1 focused on footwork and spins, and Part 2 focused on some jumps. Part 3 focused on spin entries, back power three turns, and the flip jump and in this video the focus […] Continue reading →
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Tips for Beginning Lutz (Jeremy Allen)
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen shares insights related to initially teaching skaters a single lutz. It’s common for coaches to simply share a basic entry and get rotation and initially overlook the details of the edge itself, instead focusing on rotation and the entry pattern. But Jeremy notes this may be a mistake. […] Continue reading →
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Common Single Jump Errors (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna begins a lesson with a young skater and works through the single jumps. Every coach in the world who works with skaters at this level regularly sees these errors. Nick starts with a backspin and then moves from waltz jump through single lutz. On waltz jump, Nick wants […] Continue reading →
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How to Jump Higher (Michelle Leigh)
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh discusses how to increase jump air time, which is the same as jumping higher. Sufficient jump height is critical in order to have enough air time to finish the desired rotation prior to landing. (See a discussion of minimum air times required for the various jumps here.) The classic […] Continue reading →
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Flip Jump Lesson – Part 2 (Chris Conte)
International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater to improve a single flip jump. (See previous part of this lesson focusing on loop jump here and Part 1 of the flip portion of the lesson here.) A very common issue for beginner flip jumps is the tendency for skaters to lean to […] Continue reading →
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Jump Tracings – Part 3 (Michelle Leigh)
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a video series discussing the tracings left on the ice by the 6 major jumps. By understanding what the tracings should look like, it helps get a clearer picture of proper technique and common errors. In Part 1 Michelle discussed tracings for salchow, loop, toe loop, and flip. […] Continue reading →
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Jump Tracings – Part 2 (Michelle Leigh)
World and Olympic coach Michelle Leigh continues a video series discussing the tracings left on the ice by the 6 major jumps. By understanding what the tracings should look like, it helps get a clearer picture of proper technique and common errors. In Part 1 Michelle discussed tracings for salchow, loop, toe loop, and flip. […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Entry Ideas (Sheila Thelen)
Figure skating specialist coach Sheila Thelen discusses the lutz entry and offers some alternatives to the classic “lutz corner” entry. The old-school “lutz corner” entry remains popular but causes massive problems with session flow, safety, and even proper lutz execution. Instead, Sheila recommends “straight line” lutz entries that can be done anywhere on the ice, […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Drills and Insights (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna shares his updated process for developing the lutz jump. Nick briefly references his earlier iCoachSkating lutz videos which can be seen here: Introduction and Basics, Correcting the Edge, and Setups. These videos focus on the ideas of an active edge (“the cut”) with a toe flick and a […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Tip (Jeremy Allen)
International coach and jump specialist Jeremy Allen discusses the lutz jump, and how to get a consistent outside edge take-off. He begins by acknowledging that it “really depends on the skater.” But then Jeremy notes that most of the top skaters in the world “hit a slight inside edge as they’re preparing to reach for […] Continue reading →
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Champion Cords for Improved Arm Awareness (Sheila Thelen)
Figure skating specialist coach and Champion Cords inventor Sheila Thelen explains and demonstrates how to use the cords to improve arm awareness, resulting in better lines and overall upper body carriage. She begins by showing how to create a second handle/loop to place the hand through (the cords already have a loop on one end), […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Development – Part 2: Fixing Unwanted Edge Change (Chris Conte)
International coach Chris Conte continues his lesson on lutz technique and lutz development drills. In Part 1, he discussed details of the picking and foot timing and shared a useful exercise at the wall to teach the outside edge (“game of chicken”). In this video, most of the focus is spent on drills to ensure […] Continue reading →
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Double and Triple Lutz Prints and Theory (Nick Perna)
International coach and jump specialist Nick Perna continues his series of videos discussing and explaining the prints left on the ice for various jumps. In this video he discusses the double and triple lutz print. Other videos in this series: Axel Prints Part 1 Axel Prints Part 2 Salchow Prints Part 1 Salchow Prints Part […] Continue reading →
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Lutz Development – Part 1 (Chris Conte)
International coach Chris Conte discusses and demonstrates lutz technique and lutz development drills to create proper timing and edge usage. Chris encourages skaters to keep the arms narrow on lutz, or as he says, “think soldiery thoughts.” He does a “walking in place” (gliding) drill to help feel this narrowness, with the arms moving in […] Continue reading →
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Off-Ice Lutz Exercises – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby finishes his discussion and demonstration of off-ice lutz training exercises. In Part 1 he noted the importance of mastering the “left” outside edge (lutz and axel take-offs) and shared 2 foundational off-ice jump exercises. In this video Robert offers another exercise, this time a lutz-specific drill. The exercise is […] Continue reading →
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Off-Ice Lutz Exercises – Part 1 (Robert Tebby)
In this 2-part series, World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares some excellent off-ice lutz exercises. He begins by noting that the two most valuable jumps take off from the left outside edge (for CCW jumpers), the axel (forward, edge) and the lutz (backward, toe assist). The first exercise starts standing on two feet with […] Continue reading →
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Fixing Upper Body Drop on Jump Landings (Audrey Weisiger)
World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger gives a lesson where she focuses primarily on fixing one bad jump habit. The bad habit for this skater is dropping the body or wiggling with the upper body on landing. This is a very common problem, especially for skaters who lack confidence or awareness. For this skater, however, […] Continue reading →
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Single Lutz Lesson and Tips (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby gives a young skater a lesson on the single lutz jump. This is a continuation of the lesson where Robert worked with this same skater on the single flip jump. Go back and watch that video to have a clearer background for what he’s doing in this video. On […] Continue reading →
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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 →
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The Lutz Class – Part 2 (Audrey Weisiger)
In this video from a few years ago, World and Olympic figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger continues with an on-ice lutz class at one of her acclaimed Grassroots to Champions seminars. In part 1 of the lutz class, Audrey shared a lot of information including theory, print/tracing on the ice, exercises, and demonstrations. In this […] Continue reading →
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The Lutz Class – Part 1 (Audrey Weisiger)
In this video from a few years ago, World and Olympic figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger teaches an on-ice class at one of her acclaimed Grassroots to Champions seminars. The topic in the class is the lutz jump, and as you’ll see, Audrey covers a lot of ground including theory, print/tracing on the ice, exercises, […] Continue reading →
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Comparing Lutz Take-Off Techniques (Nick Perna)
Figure skating jump specialist Nick Perna compares the 2 different types of take-offs we see for the lutz jump. In the video he is comparing a triple lutz take-off by 1998 Olympic Champion Ilia Kulik and a triple lutz take-off by 2018 Olympic Silver Medalist (and 2-time World Champion) Evgenia Medvedeva. Although there is more […] Continue reading →
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Traditional Lutz Drills (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby explains how he teaches a lutz jump. This presentation is very similar to Robert’s previous presentation on the lutz, but those who use this technique will find even more helpful information in this video. A few things are explained in a slightly different way, and there’s an excellent new […] Continue reading →
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Fixing a Flutz – Exercises and Process Pt 2 (Trevor Laak)
Jump specialist Trevor Laak continues his lesson with a skater to fix a change of edge problem on the lutz (or double lutz). In the first part of the lesson, Trevor focused on timing and pick placement, using a series of backward power pulls to create some rhythm and timing and a controlled active outside […] Continue reading →
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Fixing a Flutz – Exercises and Process Pt 1 (Trevor Laak)
Jump specialist Trevor Laak works with a skater to fix a change of edge problem on the lutz (or double lutz). In the lesson, Trevor uses back power pulls and specific timing to try to help the skater get the feeling of picking during the active outside edge. If a skater can perform the pulls […] Continue reading →
