Chris Conte

Chris Conte has been coaching and choreographing since 1992. One of the first U.S. coaches to utilize Dartfish video analysis software, he is renowned as one of the foremost specialists in video analysis, feedback, and jump analysis. He holds a PSA Level 5 ranking (International Coach) and is the Director of Technical Development at the new Go4Gold Skating Academy in Bloomington, MN.

Chris has served as team coach and/or consultant to four different World and Olympic coaches. He has worked directly with several World and Olympic medalists as well as multiple ISU medalists from USA, Japan, Russia, Canada, and South Korea. He has head-coached skaters to medals in Intermediate, Novice, and Junior levels at the US National Championships.

Chris is also a well-known choreographer. He has choreographed and created full professional ice shows as well as solos for skaters in Stars On Ice and other NBC telecasts. He was a principle performer with Disney On Ice and Ice Capades, and has performed with Ice Theater of New York and The Next Ice Age. He has also created innovative competitive programs for ISU skaters from USA, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and India.

Chris is a popular seminar presenter for Grassroots to Champions, Champion Development Seminars, and his own “Perfect Practice” seminars. He has also been a regular presenter on iCoachSkating since the site was founded in 2008. One of our most popular presenters, Chris has had the top video 3 times in the iCoachSkating Annual Top Rated Video Countdown. For more info or to connect with Chris directly, please visit his website at www.ChrisConte.com.

Most recent videos at the top…

Triple Jump Lesson – Part 1 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte begins a jump lesson with one of his skaters, focusing on triples. He has the skater do a double axel just to get the feeling of air position and landing which will be necessary for the triples. (He had previously given this skater a harness lesson for triple axel.) […] Continue reading →
More Axel and Double Axel Development – Part 3 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues a series of videos focusing on development ideas for single, double, and triple axel. In Part 1 he focused on the single axel and some exercises and details to build a double axel. In Part 2 he worked with two skaters on double axel, using the pole harness to […] Continue reading →
Triple Axel Insights and Lesson (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues a series of videos focusing on development ideas for single, double, and triple axel. In Part 1 he focused on the single axel and some exercises and details to build a double axel. In Part 2 he worked with two skaters on double axel, using the pole harness to […] Continue reading →
More Axel and Double Axel Development – Part 2 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues a series of videos focusing on development ideas for single, double, and triple axel. In Part 1 he focused on the single axel and some exercises and details to build a double axel. In this video, Chris works with two skaters on double axel, using the pole harness […] Continue reading →
On-Ice Jump Class, Part 2 – Swizzle Hops (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues an on-ice jump class. In Part 1 he introduced power swizzles, and in this video he shares swizzle hops and a variety of insights about power on the ice. Chris begins by discussing power versus speed. In skating force is often equated with energy, and Chris defines […] Continue reading →
On-Ice Jump Class, Part 1 – Backward Power Swizzles (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte begins an on-ice jump class by doing simple knee bounces on two feet with the body remaining vertical. He spends some time explaining the need to be back on the blade, as so many skaters are taught to be too far forward on the blade when skating backward. […] Continue reading →
Short Double Axel Class (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte shares insights about double axel development with a seminar class. He begins the class by having them do a single axel and then a walkthrough of a double axel. Next he has them do one backward swizzle, set on the back outside edge, step forward into single axel, […] Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Boots and Lacing Reminders (Chris Conte)

Before an on-ice seminar class International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte checks the skates of the skaters in the class. This video is a reminder to coaches to periodically check their skater’s boots and blades, and make sure they are tying their skates correctly. One of the skaters in the class has very loose laces […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Seminar Class – Part 7 Pirouette (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues an off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. In Part 1 Chris taught some basic walking and skipping drills which served both as a warm-up and as an introduction to fundamental movements. In Part 2 Chris worked on the basic concepts of small stationary and non-rotating off-ice […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Seminar Class – Part 6 Jump Landings (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues an off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. In Part 1 Chris taught some basic walking and skipping drills which served both as a warm-up and as an introduction to fundamental movements. In Part 2 Chris worked on the basic concepts of small stationary and non-rotating off-ice […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Seminar Class – Part 5 Jump Landings (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues an off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. In Part 1 Chris taught some basic walking and skipping drills which served both as a warm-up and as an introduction to fundamental movements. In Part 2 Chris worked on the basic concepts of small stationary and non-rotating off-ice […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Seminar Class – Part 4 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues an off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. In Part 1 Chris taught some basic walking and skipping drills which served both as a warm-up and as an introduction to fundamental movements. In Part 2 Chris worked on the basic concepts of small stationary and non-rotating off-ice […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Seminar Class – Part 3 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues an off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. In Part 1 Chris taught some basic walking and skipping drills which served both as a warm-up and as an introduction to fundamental movements. In Part 2 Chris worked on the basic concepts of small stationary and non-rotating off-ice […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Seminar Class – Part 2 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues an off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. In Part 1 Chris taught some basic walking and skipping drills which served both as a warm-up and as an introduction to fundamental movements. In this video, the focus is on the basic concepts of small stationary and non-rotating […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Seminar Class – Part 1 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte teaches and off-ice jump class for skaters at a seminar. He begins with a series of moving exercises to warm up the skaters, and this process also allows him to see their natural tendencies and issues. The first exercise is simply race walking, or walking as fast as […] Continue reading →
Jumping Fundamentals – Part 2 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues a presentation on the fundamentals of good jumping and good jump technique. In Part 1 he discussed the idea of less complicated movements and he introduced the “sideways moment” concept. In this video, Chris begins by teaching a basic two-foot off-ice jump with both hands on the […] Continue reading →
Jumping Fundamentals – Part 1 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte begins a presentation on the fundamentals of good jumping and good jump technique. He starts by explaining what he will focus on, which is the part of the 5 primary backward jumps (toe loop, salchow, loop, flip, lutz) where the skater transitions from backward on the ice to […] Continue reading →
Building a Triple Toe – Part 3 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues his lesson with a skater who wants to learn a triple toe loop. In Part 1 Chris analyzed the double and decided to work on improving the double rather than trying triples. He discussed air time and the need for more reach and more back angle. In […] Continue reading →
Building a Triple Toe – Part 2 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte continues his lesson with a skater who wants to learn a triple toe loop. In Part 1 Chris analyzed the double and decided to work on improving the double rather than trying triples. He discussed air time and the need for more reach and more back angle. In […] Continue reading →
Building a Triple Toe – Part 1 (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater who wants to learn a triple toe loop. This entire portion of the lesson is a discussion of what it takes to create a triple, and all skaters need to go through these stages of development. And although this skater wants to work on […] Continue reading →
Double Flip Development Ideas (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater on double flip development. This skater suffers from common issues, and Chris offers some helpful insights and drills. When initially learning the double flip, many skaters lack air time due to entrance control issues and pick placement. The first drill Chris shares is just […] Continue reading →
Common Waltz Jump and Axel Issues (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte gives a lesson at a seminar, and this portion of the lesson focuses on the waltz jump and the axel. Chris begins by asking for three waltz jumps in a row with nice rhythm. He then encourages this skater to lunge less with the upper body on each […] Continue reading →
Single Flip Head Anchoring (Chris Conte)

In this short video, International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte helps a young skater understand and perform proper head anchoring on single flip jump. He initially describes it as, “Everything comes under the chin before the head turns.” In the context of the traffic light, it’s likely that Chris is calling the hips the […] Continue reading →
Pivot Jump Drill Development (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte takes some time during a jump lesson to work on the forward pivot jump drill. He begins by simply having the skater do a forward pivot and then spin in a “forward” h-position. This is a good initial drill for skaters to learn to close the hips to […] Continue reading →
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 →
Flip Jump Lesson (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.) Chris begins by noting that a flip is basically a “loop jump through your toe pick.” He draws a desired tracing on the ice, explaining that the […] Continue reading →
Single Loop Jump Lesson (Chris Conte)

International coach and jump specialist Chris Conte works with a skater to improve a single loop jump. Once a skater learns the basics of the jump, it is necessary to reduce scratching, increase entry speed and jump flow, and improve jump height. Chris begins this lesson by drawing the desired pattern with a marker on […] Continue reading →
Double and Triple Flip Common Errors (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues his description of the physical processes of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). In the previous videos, Chris discussed the theory of how skaters create lift and how they create rotation and some specifics of flip jump theory as well as how to […] Continue reading →
Jump Theory: Creating Triples and Quads (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues his description of the physical processes of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). In the previous videos, Chris discussed the theory of how skaters create lift and how they create rotation and some specifics of flip jump theory. In this video, Chris focuses […] Continue reading →
Jump Theory: Creating Proper Alignment for Flip (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues his description of the physical processes of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). In the previous videos, Chris discussed the theory of how skaters create lift and how they create rotation. This video is from a more advanced class at the same seminar/camp, […] Continue reading →
Jump Theory: How Elite Skaters Create Rotation (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues his description of the physical processes of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). In the previous video, Chris discussed the theory of how skaters create lift. In this video, he focuses instead on rotation. He begins this video by explaining the need for […] Continue reading →
Jump Theory: How Elite Skaters Create Lift (Chris Conte)

In this important video, International coach Chris Conte describes the physical process of jumping, especially for toe jumps (although the concepts also apply to edge jumps). Chris uses imagery of a car hitting a speed bump as a way to better understand how the best and most athletic skaters create lift. In essence, Chris is […] Continue reading →
More Flip Jump Insights (Chris Conte)

In a class setting at a seminar, International coach Chris Conte offers helpful insights about the flip jump. He begins by addressing the position after the 3-turn or mohawk and just before the reach and pick. Chris wants the “toe behind the heel” or the free toe stretched behind the skating foot heel. The skaters […] Continue reading →
Naming the Jumps: Flip (Chris Conte)

In this short video, International coach Chris Conte quizzes a class of skaters on jump names. All of the skaters in this class can do all of the jumps discussed, but notice how challenging it is for the skaters to think about how each jump is defined. The point of the discussion is Chris is […] Continue reading →
Common Flip Jump Errors and Fixes (Chris Conte)

In a class setting, International coach Chris Conte offers insights about common flip jump errors and how to fix them. He begins by demonstrating a single flip with a massive head turn problem. This is often caused by skaters attempting to create rotational energy for the jump with their head, but Chris explains that hip […] Continue reading →
Great On-Ice Jump Warm-Up Exercise (Chris Conte)

In this short video, International coach Chris Conte has a class do a simple but effective on-ice jump warm up. Most coaches call these swizzle jumps and they consist of a backward basic swizzle preparation followed by a press up into the air off the inside edges and toes (full blade) of both feet. The […] Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
Another Approach to Jump Air Position Training (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte works with a young male skater on exercises meant to improve jump air position and rotational control for improved landings. This video is a continuation of a double salchow lesson. To start, Chris teaches a version of a “snap drill” at the boards intended to help the skater with the initial […] Continue reading →
Similarity of Skating Jumps to the Golf Swing – Part 2 (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues his discussion of his “infamous golf swing video” and describes how the golf swing is similar to figure skating jumps. In Part 1, Chris gave the history of the video and concept, and compared a golf swing to a triple toe loop. In this video, Chris compares a golf swing […] Continue reading →
Similarity of Skating Jumps to the Golf Swing – Part 1 (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte walks us through the history of the “infamous golf swing video” and describes how the golf swing is similar to figure skating jumps. Obviously both sports rely on rotational energy and power, and Chris discovered some very interesting similarities well over a decade ago. Chris has been sharing this video at […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Jump Training: Warm-Up – Part 5 (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues a comprehensive discussion and demonstration of his approach to remote off-ice teaching during the coronavirus lockdown. This series is a continuation of the previous 3 part discussion with Chris and International head coach Lorie Charbonneau regarding ramping up an off-ice program during the isolation period, with more emphasis on the […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Jump Training: Warm-Up – Part 4 (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues a comprehensive discussion and demonstration of his approach to remote off-ice teaching during the coronavirus lockdown. This series is a continuation of the previous 3 part discussion with Chris and International head coach Lorie Charbonneau regarding ramping up an off-ice program during the isolation period, with more emphasis on the […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Jump Training: Warm-Up – Part 3 (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues a comprehensive discussion and demonstration of his approach to remote off-ice teaching during the coronavirus lockdown. This series is a continuation of the previous 3 part discussion with Chris and International head coach Lorie Charbonneau regarding ramping up an off-ice program during the isolation period, with more emphasis on the […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Training During Pandemic – Part 2 (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte continues a comprehensive discussion of his approach to remote off-ice teaching during the coronavirus lockdown. This series is a continuation of the previous 3 part discussion with Chris and International head coach Lorie Charbonneau regarding ramping up an off-ice program during the isolation period, with more emphasis on the technical details. […] Continue reading →
Off-Ice Training During Pandemic – Part 1 (Chris Conte)

International coach Chris Conte begins a comprehensive discussion of his approach to remote off-ice teaching during the coronavirus lockdown. This is a continuation of the previous 3 part discussion with Chris and International head coach Lorie Charbonneau regarding ramping up an off-ice program during the isolation period, with more emphasis on the technical details. Chris […] Continue reading →
Running a Remote Off-Ice Program – Part 3 (Lorie Charbonneau)

This is Part 3 of iCoachSkating founder Trevor Laak’s interview with International coach Lorie Charbonneau about the remote off-ice program she has set up for her skaters and coaches during the coronavirus lockdown. International coach Chris Conte who is part of Lorie’s team also offers insights during this chat. Proactive coaches like Lorie and Chris […] Continue reading →