Purpose: This is a foot tracking exercise for skaters' axel. This corrective drill will help skaters who have a swingy free leg. As the skater turns the skating leg to start the take-off rotation, the band will keep the skaters free leg foot tracking behind and force the skater to keep things nar...

Purpose: This all encompassing drill will help skaters build a strong core while learning how to isolate the upper body as the leg comes behind and the knee drives through as the body rotates. Skaters should feel the upper body position maintained in a forward plank as the lower body and torso ro...

Purpose: This is a great exercise for skaters to add to their warm-up. It warms up key muscles for jumping, helps to practice spacial awareness and get their core firing. This exercise also helps skaters to practice their axel take-off. Skaters should try to do 5-6 of these in a row down the floo...

Level: Foundation
Base exercise: Axel take-off to follow through
Variation: Landing on take off leg rather than landing leg.
Purpose: This drill helps skaters practice getting their full power and vertical height on their take-off by not allowing the free side to enter into rotation before the...

Purpose: This drill helps skaters work on the awareness and stability of their skating side shoulder and arm position of the axel take-off

Focus: Axel take-off, upper body position, skating side arm, skating side check, shoulder abduction

Purpose: This drill helps skaters control their free arm on the axel take-off so that their shoulders do not release too soon before the follow-through.

Focus: Axel take-off, axel follow-through, upper body position, upper body check position, free side shoulder strength

Purpose: This drill helps skaters work on the pull back and muscle engagement of their free leg in the axel take-off
Focus: Axel take-off, glutes, hip flexors, external rotation, free hip lifted, knee turnout, free leg pathway

Purpose: This drill helps skaters build vertical height on their take-off leg of the axel without using the free side to create the vertical explosion. Skaters also need to maintain good alignment and pressure over their take-off side on the second half of the drill

Focus: Axel entry, axel take-...

Purpose: This drill helps skaters work on the turn-out of the knee and hip of the free leg on the axel take-off to follow-through.

Focus: Axel take-off, axel follow-through, free leg position, turnout, knee position

Purpose: Practicing single leg stationary axel take-offs is important so that skaters can focus on the stability and quality of their take-off position into their follow through. If skaters are practicing the jump with momentum from an entrance, they can often lose the quality of their take-off p...

Purpose: This exercise starts by skaters setting their hips so that they are leading with their take-off side on the axel. From that position, they then move through the axel take-off to the axel follow through and air position to build muscle memory.

Focus: Alignment, basic technique, skating ...

Level: Foundation
Base exercise: Axel take-off hold
Variation: Follow through into a waltz jump
Purpose: This drill has skaters check and work on the quality and stability of their axel take-off position. If the body position isn't correct and aligned over the skating side, it will be difficu...

Level: Foundation
Base exercise: Axel take-off skip
Variation: On a straight line, continuous
Purpose: This drill helps skaters learn how to fully use their skating side for vertical height by pressing up to their toepick. Doing this on a straight line helps the skater practice control of the fr...

Level: Foundation
Base exercise: Axel entry to take-off walkthrough
Variation: 1/2 turn, two foot landing, turn forwards and repeat
Purpose: This drill allows skaters to isolate the axel entry and take-off without needing to attempt the full rotation. The two foot landing allows skaters to fee...

Level: Advanced
Base exercise: Axel entry to same leg 1/2 turn lockdown
Variation: Starts on a circle, outside twizzles in lockdown position after the outside edge
Purpose: This drill helps skaters work on maintaining pressure on an outside over their take off side. It also helps condition th...

Level: Advanced
Base exercise: Axel take off to 1/2 lockdown same leg
Variation: On a straight line, back outside three turn after landing to turn forward, check, and repeat the drill
Purpose: This drill really works on the control of the axel take off side throughout all phases of the jump. By...

Level: Advanced
Base exercise: Double axel entry to take-off walkthrough
Variation: Stationary, finishes with follow through into air position
Purpose: Doing this drill from standstill allows students to work specifically on the direction of their head, arms, and free leg on the take-off of th...