FAQs

I’m a beginning adult skater. Is this a good program for me?

We have a new platform with classes & content made just for you! Check out the Balanced Skaters Program for Skaters at bsp-skaters.com.

Can I share my login info or subscription with anyone else?

No- your subscription only grants access for you to use the app. While you’re encouraged to use our lessons to teach your classes and to print & share worksheets, we don’t allow sharing of usernames & passwords. However, if you’d like to make the Balanced Skaters Platform available to multiple coaches at your facility, contact us and we’ll be happy to share our discounted volume licensing options.

The rink(s) I coach at don’t have a training room. Will this program still work? 

The Balanced Skaters team intentionally created exercises that don't require fancy props or equipment. All you need is a mat, 2 yoga blocks, and open space (locker room or lobby). Pop-up off ice conditioning can be a fun way to facilitate classes every week. We want to make this as convenient as possible for coaches while having the maximum impact for skaters. 

My skaters take off-ice classes from a local trainer. Do I need this program?  

While having an outside trainer isn’t necessarily ineffective, outside trainers don’t typically have a skating background. Without a deep subject matter knowledge of figure skating, it’s hard to choose techniques that actually complement the skills your students are learning on the ice. Our programs were developed to address the unique demands that ice skating places on your students’ bodies, apply techniques that translate into better on-ice movement, and improve strength & injury resistance without sacrificing flexibility. We actually encourage local trainers to join the Balanced Skaters Platform to use our programs as guidance & reference our exercises when planning their own off-ice training sessions.

My skaters are all very busy with school, family, skating, and other extracurricular activities. How can I expect them to do add more to their plate?

The beauty of Balanced Skaters programs is that they’re flexible enough that you can adapt them as you see fit. You could follow the recommended training plans for the season, only focus on coaching a specific track (e.g. strength), or create conditioning classes around your skaters schedules. Balanced Skaters offers worksheets for skaters to help keep them on track between lessons.

How do level progressions work?

Our training programs are designed for real-world teaching scenarios where skaters are taught off-ice conditioning exercises in mixed-level classes. Our programs are grouped into Pre-Preliminary--Juvenile and Junior—Senior levels. The exercises in each lesson include coaching cues and expectations for specific levels, and we include “easier” and “harder” progressions for most exercises. *Note these levels will vary from country to country. Please contact us with leveling questions.

Although classes are often taught at mixed levels, we do recommend assessing skaters at the end of each 12-week training program using our level-specific exams.

Each level exam has 26 exercises that are merely benchmarks - similar to MITF, freestyle tests, and compulsory dances. These exercises are split between two exams: Strength & Mobility. You can expect your skater to be working on their 26 exercises for the full season. Skaters can move up to the next level once they demonstrate proficiency in ALL exercises.

What if my skater gets stuck on a skill? Can they still move on to the next level?

Our program’s level progressions are carefully designed and systematic. Success is based on attention to detail, and requires a trained eye to monitor each progression to be done well.

It's understandable if your skater excels more in one category than in another. In fact, it’s often more realistic for a group of skaters to be working on different levels than their competing skating level. In these situations, they can level up or down in a specific category of exercises without changing their overall level.

For example: Riley is competing at a Juvenile level. She has exceptional strength and excels in most strength drills. However, the Juvenile-level Balanced Skaters assessment reveals that Riley's weakness is her flexibility. 

Since Riley's strength surpasses her flexibility, she shows proficiency with plyometrics and rotational exercises. She moves up to Intermediate-level strength & rotation exercises for this reason. She stays at the Juvenile level for balance exercises, since increased stability will help improve her flexibility. Continued work in Pre-Juvenile and Juvenile flexibility should eventually get her up to speed. 

Riley will work on Intermediate-level strength & rotation exercises, Juvenile-level balance exercises, and Pre-Juvenile-level flexibility drills for the duration of the season. When she repeats this assessment at the end of the season, the goal is for her to be a balanced skater in all categories.

Will your programs help my skaters get their Biellmann spins?

Yes, but it should be followed carefully and methodically to avoid injury. Our team of experts worked hard to develop our unique approach to introducing the movement patterns in each level and category.

The full Biellmann position is only introduced in the Intermediate level. This is because without a basic square split and a 180-degree overhead shoulder line, this skill, when repeatedly done on one side, will eventually lead to injuries or poor habits.

To prevent the imbalances that skating inevitably creates in young developing bodies, we start thinking about these common patterns beginning at the Pre-Preliminary level.

As a coach, you should strive to close the gaps so your skater can align with a consistent level and category. If you have a skater starting from Pre-preliminary, we recommend moving them up level by level, not category.  

What if my skater needs extra help with a particular drill? 

We recommend taking a video of your student attempting the exercise, then using the video comparison feature in the app to play their video side-by-side with the exercise demonstration. This is a great visual way to help them understand the nuances of different exercises, and often skaters are able to spot the things they need to improve on their own.

We also have a collection of supplementary exercises you can add to each class. There are plenty of modifications and variations in the supplementary exercises either seen in “Alternate Exercises” or in the “Easier” or “Harder” progressions. You can also browse the exercise library by category to find additional exercises.

If you’re looking for more ideas & inspiration on how to teach an exercise, our coaches-only Facebook group is a great place to look for advice.