Chris Conte gives a double axel lesson in the stationary harness.  There are so many gems of wisdom in this video!  Chris uses a tremendous amount of imagery with his skaters to get the result he's looking for.  He refers to Cat and Mouse repeatedly and also talks about "boxes," "podiums," "jumping out of a well," "drinking straw," and "knee in the house."

He also explains some critical concepts that are not as well understood as they should be.  For example, Chris uses a drill where the skater skates directly into the barrier to feel the correct foot and hip positions on the step.  He also talks about keeping the the take-off "tight and close."  Perhaps most importantly, he briefly explains that the hips open slightly during the take-off (that's major!) with the skating foot turning on the ice but the free leg continuing in the direction of the flight path.  The demonstrator has a problem in this video with the free leg swinging around to create rotation and you'll hear how Chris deals with it.

These kind of "sitting in on lessons" have a different feel than the more traditional "here's how to teach this element" approach to sharing information.  But if you watch and listen carefully, it can be more effective because the coach has to react to what the skater is doing and will cover more material faster.

Leave a comment for Chris below.

Please leave a comment below.  Chris is a member of this website and would love to hear from you.  (Also, please mention whether you like this "sitting in on a lesson" video format.)