Figure skating lifts

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pair skaters Eva-Maria Fitze and Rico Rex.

Figure skating lifts are a required element in pair skating and ice dancing. Pairs lifts differ from dance lifts most notably in that dancers are not allowed to lift their partners above their shoulders. Lifts are also executed by synchronized skating teams in the free program in competition as part of a movements in isolation requirement.

[edit] Dance lifts

Federica Faiella & Massimo Scali perform a reverse lift.

Dance lifts are differentiated by the skating involved. There are seven kinds of lifts approved for ISU competitions.

[edit] Short lifts

These lifts may last up to six seconds in competition on the senior level.

Stationary Lift - A lift performed "on the spot". The lifting partner does not move across the ice, but is allowed to rotate.

Straight Line Lift - The lifting partner moves in a straight line across the ice. This lift may be performed on one foot or two.

Curve Lift - The lifting partner moves along a curve across the ice. This lift may be performed on one foot or two.

Rotational Lift - The lifting partner rotates in one direction while traveling across the ice.

[edit] Long lifts

These lifts may last up to ten seconds in competition on the senior level.

Reverse Rotational Lift - The lifting partner rotates in one direction, then switches and rotates in the other direction, while traveling across the ice.

Serpentine Lift - The lifting partner moves in a serpentine pattern across the ice.

Combination Lift - A lift combining two of the four short lifts. Each part of the lift must be fully established.

[edit] Positions

Each position must be held for at least three seconds to count for levels. Each position is permitted only once a program.

[edit] For the lifting partner

One foot
Shoot the duck
Spread eagle - inside edge
Spread eagle - outside edge
Spread eagle - straight line, for the Straight Line lift only
Ina Bauer
Crouching, with both knees bent, on both feet
Crouching, with one knee bent and the other leg extended to the side
Lunge, with the free leg in any position
One hand lift.

Only two of the above spread eagle positions may be used in a single program.

[edit] For the lifted partner

Full split (180 degrees)
Full Biellmann position with the leg held above the head.
Full doughnut/ring with one or both legs held close to the head
Upside down combined with difficult hold
Vertical position with a cantilever
A horizontal position with only one point of support
Leaning forwards or backwards with the legs as the only points of support
Full layback position with no support from the other partner above the thigh.
Leaning out with the body and legs in a horizontal line with the shoulders and/or upper back as the points of support.

[edit] "Reverse" lifts

In ice dancing, the lifting partner is usually the man and the lifted partner is usually the woman. However, the rules allow for the woman to lift the man in competition. Notable couples who have performed "reverse" or "genderbending" lifts are Marina Anissina & Gwendal Peizerat and Federica Faiella & Massimo Scali.

[edit] Extended lifts & program requirements

The International Skating Union sets down length requirements for lifts in programs and skaters are penalized if a lift goes on for too long.

For the 2006-2007 season, at the senior level, the original dance required two lifts not to be longer than six seconds each. For the free dance, four lifts were required and they were separated into short and long.

[edit] Photo gallery of dance lifts

Curve lift. Lifting: Crouching, both knees bent. Lifted:	Straight line lift. Lifting: One foot. Lifted: Upside down.	Straight line lift. Lifting: Shoot the duck. Lifted:	Straight line lift. Lifting: Crouching, both knees bent. Lifted: Upside down.
Curve lift. Lifting: Crouching Lifted: Leaning	Lifting: One foot. Lifted: horizontal line	Lifting: One foot Lifted: Upside down.	Lifting: One foot. Lifted: Full Biellmann position
Lifting: Crouching, both knees bent. Lifted: Upside down.	Lifting: One foot. Lifted: Upside down.	Lifting: Crouching, both knees Lifted: Full Biellmann position	Rotational lift. Lifting: One hand. Lifted: Horizontal, one point of support
Lifting: Crouching Lifted: Upside down with difficult hold.	Lifting: Crouching. Lifted: Leaning out	Lifting: Ina bauer Lifted: Hand stand	Lifting: Lunge Lifted: Catchfoot donut position
Lifting: Crouching Lifted: Upsdie down	Lifting: Spreadeage Lifted: Upside down	Lifting: Crouching Lifted: horizontal

[edit] Pair lifts

Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, Jr perform a hand-to-hand lift.

Mari Vartmann and Florian Just perform a twist lift

Unlike dance lifts, pair lifts are grouped by the holds involved. The ISU defines five different groups of pair lifts, with an ascending difficulty level, although levels 3 and 4 are the same level of difficulty.^[1] In ISU senior level competition, the man must rotate more than one times, but fewer than three a half. Lifts that go on longer may receive deductions. The group is determined by the hold held at the moment the woman passes the man's shoulder in the lift.^[2]

Lifts are named by either their takeoff and landing edges (in which case, they are named after the jump with the same sort of takeoff), the air position, or the method in which the lady is raised into the air.^[3]

[edit] Types of lifts

[edit] Group 1: Armpit hold lifts

Lutz lift
Flip lift
Axel lift: The man and woman skate face to face, with the man going backwards. The lady lifts up from a forward outside edge (hence the axel name), and is set down again on the back outside edge.^[3]

[edit] Group 2: Waist hold lifts

Waist loop lift
Platter lift: The woman's position in the air is parallel to the ice so that she resembles a platter being held up. It is also sometimes known as a tabletop lift.^[4] Platter lifts are either forward or reverse. In reverse platter lifts, the woman is skating backwards. In forward, she is skating forwards.

[edit] Group 3: Hand to hip lifts

Cartwheel lift
Star lift: The skaters skate face to face. The man has one hand on his partner's hip and the other clasping her hand. He raises her until she is horizontal with her free hand on his shoulder. The air position for this lift is a leg variation with her legs spread in a scissor position as if they were the points on a star, where is where the lift gets its name.^[3] The lift can be made more difficult if she lets go of his shoulder, or if he lets go of her hand and she is supported only by her hip.^[3]^[4]
Toe loop hip lift: The skaters skate backwards with him holding her by the hip. The woman picks her toe-pick as if doing a toe loop jump, hence the name. The skaters turn together in the air.^[1]
Platter/swan/table top lift

[edit] Group 4: Hand to hand (press lift types)

Press lift: The skaters skate facing each other, with the man skating backwards. They clasp hands and the man pushes forward and up, "pressing" her into the lift.^[3] The man and the woman face different directions in the air.
Hand to hand loop lift: The skaters are facing in the same direction. The man raises the woman above his head and she remains facing the same direction while in a sitting position with her hands behind her. The take off for this is the back outside edge,^[1] like the loop jump.^[4]^[5]
Loop press/back press lift

[edit] Group 5: Hand to hand (lasso lift types)

Step up lasso
Toe lasso: The woman skates forward and the man skates backward. She is lifted into the air from a backward toe takeoff^[1], like a toe loop jump.
Toe overhead lift: The woman is swung behind the man's head from one side of his body to the other, into a raised position. She is in a split position and they are facing the same direction.^[4]^[5] The toe-pick is used in her take off, hence the name.^[4]
Step overhead lift: The same as the toe overhead lift, but the woman does not use a toe-assist in the take off.^[4]

In hand to hand lasso lifts, the lady's position changes in the air. The lift begins with the skaters skating facing each other, but at the top of the lift, they are facing the same direction. The term lasso comes from the way the woman's body swings around as she changes position.^[3] The woman takes off from a forward outside edge behind the man, and the take-off looks like an axel jump.^[4]

Lasso lifts are either forward or reverse. In reverse, the woman begins the lift skating backward. In forward, she is skating forward.^[3]

A notable lasso variation is the helicopter. In this variation, the skaters perform a forward lasso lift, but the woman changes position at the top of the lift, parallel to the ice, with her back arched and her legs spread in a V position, so that as the man turns, her legs look like the blades on a helicopter.^[3]