Robert Tebby is a 5-time Olympic Team Coach with over 35 years of coaching experience with skaters of every skill level, from beginners through the World and Olympic level. He is a Level 4 certified coach in Canada and has coached at 18 World Championships.
Robert is or has been a national team coach or consultant for skaters from Canada, USA, Germany, Great Britain, Finland, Republic of Korea, The Netherlands, Turkey, Australia, and Hong Kong. The list of elite skaters he has worked with is literally a who’s who of top skaters in the sport.
As a coach and consultant, Robert enjoys developing and implementing training and competition plans tailored to enable skaters to realize their full potential. He also takes pride in providing athletes with a positive training environment. Robert is perhaps best known as a jump specialist all way through the quads. He coaches primarily at the Mariposa Skating School in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.
Most recent videos at the top…
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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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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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Triple Axel (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares insights and observations about triple axel development. This video is a continuation of Robert’s discussion of waltz jump (here), single axel development (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), and double axel development (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). He begins this presentation by noting that typically when a skater […] Continue reading →
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Double Axel Development – Part 3 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of some aspects of the process he uses to move from a single axel to the double axel. In Part 1 he outlined a general process with recommended drills and in Part 2 he discussed the important question of when to start working on the double […] Continue reading →
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Double Axel Development – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of some aspects of the process he uses to move from a single axel to the double axel. In Part 1 he outlined a general process with recommended drills. In this short video, he discusses the important question of when to start working on the double […] Continue reading →
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Axel Development – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of single axel development. Part 1 offered a ton of detail, from the overall process Robert uses to the specifics of that process. In this video, he begins by noting some common errors. He explains that because we’re asking skaters to create rotational energy (which Robert […] Continue reading →
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Axel Development – Part 1 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby explains and demonstrates how he begins developing the axel. He starts this video by noting that he draws on the ice and has very clear instructions and targets for the skater. Learning an axel is challenging and it helps the skater to know how to start and “what they’re […] Continue reading →
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Waltz Jump (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares some thoughts on how to teach a good waltz jump. Although a waltz jump is a basic and easy jump to learn, Robert says “There’s a few things you want to try to incorporate into your waltz jump that are going to help you down the road on […] Continue reading →
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Triple Salchow Lesson – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues a lesson on the triple salchow (see Part 1 here). For the first attempt in this video, Robert asks for just keeping the non-axis arm low on the entry as discussed in Part 1 to keep the upper body forward and pressing over the take-off leg. This low […] Continue reading →
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Triple Salchow Lesson – Part 1 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby is giving a lesson on the triple salchow. He begins by asking for a double salchow and filling us in on the work they’ve been doing prior to this video. He notes that many skaters put a ton of energy into the take-off but then lack the necessary energy […] Continue reading →
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More Insights on Jump Landings (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of jump landings (see previous video here). Robert says this about landings, “We want to separate what’s technically correct and what’s going to help us actually land a jump, and then what actually looks good.” In terms of aesthetics of the landing position, he likes a […] Continue reading →
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Jump Landings (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby explains and demonstrates important fundamental concepts for jump landings. He begins by noting that our understanding of jump landings continues to evolve, which means our teaching methods also need to change and improve. As coaches we need to remain humble and open-minded and be willing to adapt. He then […] Continue reading →
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Head Anchoring And Head Position in Jumps (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby discusses the position and movement of the head in jumps and jump development. Robert says, “Everyone has come to the conclusion that keeping your head straight (on take-offs) is a good thing, and something that all of the high level skaters do.” He explains that your sense of balance […] Continue reading →
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Toe Loop as Second Jump in Combination – Part 3 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here) on the toe loop as a second jump (toe loop in combination). He begins here by explaining that even if the first jump in the combination is not ideal (or even quite poor), the skater should try the […] Continue reading →
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Toe Loop as Second Jump in Combination – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation (see Part 1 here) on the toe loop as a second jump (toe loop in combination), both with clarifications on ideas in the previous video as well as helpful information for basic toe loop and double toe loop development. He begins by reiterating the need for […] Continue reading →
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Toe Loop as Second Jump in Combination – Part 1 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches toe loop as a second jump (toe loop in combination). He begins by drawing a circle on the ice near the boards, and then dividing the circle into thirds. One radial line points towards the boards, and the other two radial lines point into the rink at an […] 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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Short Story About Overcoming Adversity (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby tells a short story about Steven Cousins, a British figure skater in the 1990’s who trained at Mariposa in Barrie, ON (Canada). Steven was an 8-time British national champion, and a 3-time Olympian, earning 6th at the 1998 Olympics. Rather than summarize the story here, simply listen to Robert […] Continue reading →
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Off-Ice Axel and Double Axel (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby explains how to correctly perform off-ice axels and off-ice double axels. This video was provided by Robert during the coronavirus pandemic, and it offers lots of examples and insights about this important skill. The first skater gives a nice explanation of the walkthrough she uses. Notice the landing, and […] 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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Single Flip Jump Tips, Stop Scratching (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby gives a young skater a lesson on the single flip jump. For most of the lesson, Robert is focused on helping the skater avoid the toe pick scratching she is doing as she picks and pivots up into the jump. But first he address the “hammer toe” or “wood […] Continue reading →
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Single Loop Jump Tips, Loop Loop Combo (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby gives a young skater a lesson on the single loop jump and the loop-loop combination. After having the skater perform a single, Robert suggests getting more h-position (knee up) and more arm drive to help the jump get more height. This can also help fix timing issues. After the […] Continue reading →
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Learning to Handle Pressure Situations (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby offers sage advice regarding learning to skate and perform under pressure. In the video, Robert is teaching a class on the double toe loop at a local seminar. One of the skaters was asked to do a double toe but didn’t execute it well (not shown in the video). […] Continue reading →
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Triple Salchow: Tips and Fixes (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby talks about the triple salchow and offers helpful tips that apply to all skaters, as well as individual feedback for each of the skaters in the class he’s teaching. This video is a continuation of his previous salchow presentation here. In that previous video, he shared some ideas regarding […] Continue reading →
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Salchow Concepts (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares some ideas regarding position and timing for the salchow jump. He begins on two feet with the axis arm up and to the side and the non-axis arm in front. The movement begins with a slight bending of the knees and the axis arm coming in front, and […] Continue reading →
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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 →
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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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Double Toe Loop in Combination (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby talks about single, double, and triple toe as the second or third jump of a combination. Several concepts Robert explains will be surprising to many coaches and skaters, as there are many misunderstandings about this skill. The two most common misunderstandings are the perceived need to twist the shoulders […] Continue reading →
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Building a Butterfly – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation on how he teaches a butterfly flying spin entrance. In Part 1, Robert shared a detailed, step-by-step process to learn the butterfly. Here in Part 2, Robert addresses two of the most common issues skaters face when learning a butterfly, namely the challenge of creating enough […] Continue reading →
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Building a Butterfly – Part 1 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shows how he teaches a butterfly flying spin entrance to a group of skaters. This is an excellent presentation that offers a large number of tips that allow a skater to learn this difficult skill relatively quickly. As Robert notes, the butterfly is considered a “difficult fly” in the […] Continue reading →
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Twizzle Warm-up for Jumping (Robert Tebby)
In this short figure skating video, World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares an excellent warm-up drill for jumping. The drill is a series of 4 twizzles, performed in a “box” pattern. Each twizzle rotates in the skaters jump rotation direction and makes up one side of the box. The first twizzle is the forward […] Continue reading →
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The Lutz (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares his approach to teaching the lutz jump. This is a relatively traditional approach to the lutz, and those that teach this jump from a shallow outside edge setup will find much to use in this video. Robert doesn’t like “gimmicks” for trying to get on the outside edge. […] Continue reading →
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Flip Jump Insights – Part 3 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of the flip jump. This video is a continuation of the class Robert is teaching in this video (Part 1) and this video (Part 2). Here he shares a drill at the wall to help with timing and head control. He asks the skaters to place […] Continue reading →
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Flip Jump Drill – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of the flip jump. This video is a continuation of the class Robert is teaching in this video. Here he covers the same information in more detail and he also clarifies some aspects of the technique. There is a complete review of the “touch, toe, turn” […] Continue reading →
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Flip Jump Drill and Insights (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches a flip jump drill and offers important insights about the flip jump. He references his earlier discussion of the toe loop here. The first critical aspect of the drill is the arms. Robert wants the axis-side arm to start moving early to the front and make connection with the […] Continue reading →
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Common Loop Jump Error, Moving To Triple (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his discussion of loop jump mechanics (see Part 1 here). In the video below, Robert addresses an extremely common problem with the loop jump. Many skaters actually lose proper alignment when they reach back with their skating side arm. They typically reach back so far without twisting from the […] Continue reading →
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Loop Jump Technique (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby provides a relatively thorough discussion of proper loop jump mechanics. In the process, he builds a walk-through for the jump. The details covered here are applicable to single loop, double loop, and triple loop as well as the quad. He begins with the “single loop with the tap” exercise which […] Continue reading →
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Using “Big Muscles” to Pull In on Jumps (Robert Tebby)
In this short video, World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby offers a valuable drill for developing the feeling of using “big muscles” to pull in on jumps (and spins). One of the most common jump errors is when skaters simply “pull in” by just focusing on their hands and feet without maintaining tension in the […] Continue reading →
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3 Parts of Jumping (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby shares some simple but important concepts to help skaters and coaches address jump issues. He begins by explaining there are “3 big parts” which are pattern, position, and timing. Pattern is related to where the jump is done on the ice and how much curve there is on the setup […] Continue reading →
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Toe Loop Basics (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby explains how he teaches a toe loop jump. He begins by acknowledging there are lots of ways to set up the jump, but once backward and reaching, the position should be the same regardless of the entry used. He also mentions that he teaches the arms exactly the same as […] Continue reading →
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Axel Head Control – Part 3 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation to a class on waltz jump and axel. In the first part he focused primarily on the setup and the landing. In second part, he shared a walk-through for the axel with some important tips. In the third part he added more detail to the walk-through. In […] Continue reading →
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Axel Walk-Through Exercise – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation to a class on waltz jump and axel. In the first part he focused primarily on the setup and the landing. In second part, he shared a walk-through for the axel with some important tips. In this video he builds on the walk-through. Hanging on to the […] Continue reading →
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Axel Walk-Through Exercise (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues his presentation to a class on waltz jump and axel. In the first part he focused primarily on the setup and the landing. In this part, he begins the axel with the class and focuses on a walk-through of the entry edge and movements into the air position. When first […] Continue reading →
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The Waltz Jump (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches a class some important details about the waltz jump, particularly as it relates to axel and double axel. Robert starts with a discussion of the setup and he encourages getting stable on 2 feet on the back outside edge setup. From back crossovers, he moves to a set position with […] Continue reading →
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Flying Sit Spin: The Tuck – Part 2 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby continues teaching a class the flying sit spin. In Part 1 he focused entirely on “the fly” or the jump. In this part he talks mostly about the tuck and the rest of the spin. He begins by noting that a flying sit spin does not spin much in […] Continue reading →
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Flying Sit Spin: The Fly – Part 1 (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches a class the first part of a flying sit spin. He begins by explaining that the element happens just the like the name implies. He says, “You have to fly first, you have to sit second, and you have to spin third.” To teach the fly, Robert wants […] Continue reading →
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Death Drop (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches a class the death drop flying spin entrance. As Robert notes, a good death drop briefly gives the illusion that the skater is in danger of falling on her/his head. In reality, the dynamics of the movements associated with the death drop make it a very safe element, […] Continue reading →
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Warming Up On-Ice For Jumping (Robert Tebby)
World and Olympic coach Robert Tebby teaches important on-ice warm-up exercises for preparing to jump. These exercises focus on core jumping principles such as head position and movements, proper alignment and timing for the air position, and head position on jump landing. The first drill is an alternating twizzle drill, with the primary focus being […] Continue reading →