From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of figure skating terms, sorted alphabetically.
- 4CC
- An abbreviation for the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The attitude position in ballet
- Age Eligible
- Either "old enough" or "young enough" to compete internationally at a certain level. A Junior-age-eligible skater is one currently under the age of 19 (21 for the man in pairs and ice dancing), whereas a Senior-age-eligible skater is over the age of 16. The overlap in age eligibility allows for some Senior-age-eligible skaters to compete at Junior-level events, and vise versa. One example was Mao Asada, who won the 2005-2006 Grand Prix Final and the silver medal at the 2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in the 2005-2006 season.
- Attitude
- A leg position in which the free leg is lifted behind the body with the knee bent at an approximately 120-degree angle. This is the leg position often used for the Layback spin.
- Arabesque
- A leg position in which the free leg is extended behind the body in a straight line. See also: Camel spin
- Arakawa Type/Way
- A name used in Japanese media to refer to the Ina Bauer position. After Shizuka Arakawa.
- Axel
- The only jump counted as a jump element that starts from skating forward. An axel jump has an extra half rotation (180 degrees), and as all jumps is landed with the skater gliding backwards. See Axel jump.
A backflip done in exhibition
- Backflip
- A reverse somersault in the air. They are banned in competition, but play a role in show skating and exhibitions.
- Biellmann
- A catch-foot position where the free leg is pulled above the head from behind. Can be either a spin or a spiral position. By regulation, a spin becomes a Biellmann at the moment the skate passes over the level of the head. It is named after Denise Biellmann, who popularized the position.
- Boards
- The vertical barrier between the ice and the ground at the point where the ice ends. In non-Olympic competitions, they are usually covered with advertisements for the sponsors. At the Olympics, they are usually covered by designs or the Olympic logo.
- Bracket
- A one foot turn with a change of edge that results in a '}' shape traced on the ice. See Bracket turn
- Butterfly jump
- A flying spin with a two-foot takeoff. The body goes almost parallel to the ice in the air, with a scissoring leg motion. See: Figure skating spins
- Bye
- Permission to compete in the a higher level of competition without having competed in the requisite qualifying competition.
- COP
- Code of Points, an informal name for the ISU Judging System.
- Camel
- A spin position during which the free leg is extended in the air in an arabesque position parallel to the ice. See Camel spin.
- Cantilever
- An element in which the knees are bent and the back is bent backwards, parallel to the ice. See cantilever (figure skating).
A catch-foot position that is not a Biellmann
- Catch-foot
- A spin or spiral position in which the free leg is held by one or both hands. The most notable catch-foot position is the Biellmann.
- Centered
- A spin that that stays in one spot on the ice. The opposite of traveling.
- Chack, Chacked, Chacking
- When a medal-winning or otherwise noteworthy program is not shown on television. This term is named after Michael Chack, whose bronze medal winning performance at U.S. Nationals was not aired on television.
- Check
- Stopping the rotation of a jump or a spin.
- Cheated
- A jump that was not fully rotated in midair, with either the first rotation starting on the ice or the final rotation finishing after the landing.
- Choctaw
- A two foot turn with a change of edge that results in a change of lobe. See Choctaw turn.
- Choke
- To perform badly under competition pressure.
- Charlotte
- A spiral position in which the torso is bent down towards the skating leg, with the free leg held in a 180 degree vertical split position. Also known as a candlestick spiral. See Charlotte spiral.
- Clean Program
- A skating program without falls, hands on the ground in jumps and spins, or illegal use of toe picks in edge jumps that can all result in point deductions.
- Combination
- Two or more elements (jumps, spin positions) performed in succession.
- Compulsory Dance
- The first of the three programs in ice dance. All teams perform the same dance to the standard music. See Compulsory dance.
- Compulsory Figures
- Specific patterns traced in the ice by a skater's blade. While originally a major part of a skating competition, figures were removed entirely from international competition in 1990. See: Compulsory figures.
- Counter
- A one foot turn on the same edge but results in a change of lobe with the rotation outside the original lobe. See Counter turn.
- Crossovers
- Crossing one foot over the other as a way of gaining speed and turning corners. See Crossover.
- Discipline
- A part of skating governed by unique rules. Currently, the four disciplines that compete at the Olympic Games are men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
- Double
- A jump with two full rotations (720 degrees) in the air (two and a half rotations for double Axel).
- Draw
- The act of choosing the starting order before the event. Can be either open (public) or closed (private).
A male ice dancer achieves a
deep outside edge while performing a lift.
- Element
- An identifiable component of a program. Includes spins, spirals, jumps, footwork, lifts, etc.
- Eligible
- Skaters who earn money only from ISU-approved competitions and exhibitions. Only eligible skaters may compete in the Olympic Games.
- Edge
- Can refer either to part of the skate blade, or the result of skating on that part. Can be either inside (towards the body) or outside (away from the body), and forward or backward, for a total for four different edges. A "deep edge" is a deep lean on the edge of the skate.
- Europeans
- An informal name for the European Figure Skating Championships.
- Exhibition
- Non-competition skating or a show. Exhibitions often feature elements banned in competition as well as spotlights and show lighting. Also: the gala after a competition in which the highest placing skaters perform a show program.
- Extension
- The way a body part is held in a stretched position.
A flying sit spin in mid-air
- Figures
- See compulsory figures.
- Flight
- A grouping of skaters at a competition who warm up together immediately prior to competing. The final flight of the free skating in single skating is made up of the highest-scoring six skaters from the short program who are usually the main medal contenders.
- Flood (v)
- Resurface the ice.
- Flutz
- A portmanteau of "flip" and "Lutz", for an improperly executed lutz jump, where the outside take-off edge is mistakenly changed to an inside edge, making it a flip jump.
- Flying spin
- A jump that lands in a spinning position. Commonly performed flying spins include flying camel spins and flying sit spins.
- Free Dance
- The third and final program in an ice dance competition.
- Free Leg
- The leg that is not on the ice.
- Free Skating
- Originally a term for the part of the skating competition that was not compulsory figures. Now the official name of the long program. Also: free skate. See: Free skating
- GOE
- Grade of execution. See ISU Judging System
- Gold medalist
- In addition to referring to the winner of a particular figure skating competition, all skaters who have passed the USFSA's highest-level skill tests are called "gold medalists"; the latter usage is especially common on coaches' resumes.
- Grapevines
- Figures performed on two feet.
A "haircutter" spin variation
- Haircutter
- A catch-foot layback spin where the free leg is brought up to head level, but not above. In some cases, the head is dropped back and it appears that the skate blade is in a position to cut the hair of the skater performing the spin. This position is often performed as a segue between a layback spin and a Biellmann spin.
- Hollow
- The groove in the middle of a blade between the inside and outside edges.
- Ice Dancing
- The skating discipline in which two skaters perform a choreographed dance. See Ice dancing.
- IJS
- ISU Judging System
- Ina Bauer
- An element in which the skater skates with the blades parallel, with one blade on an outside edge, this leg bent, the other leg behind the skater with the blade on an inside edge. See Ina Bauer (element)
- Ineligible
- "Professional" skaters; skaters who receive money from sources not approved by the ISU.
- Inside edge
- The edge of a skate blade facing towards the body.
- I-spin
- An upright spin position in which the skater pulls the free leg up in front of the body, creating an I position.
- ISU
- The International Skating Union.
- Jump
- A skating move where a skater pushes off the ice into the air, rotates, and typically lands on one foot going backwards. See figure skating jump.
- Jump combination
- Two or more jumps performed one right after the other, without intervening steps or turns. Jump combinations most commonly involve the toe loop or loop jump as the final jump, because they start from the back outside edge, which is the normal landing edge for all 6 jumps.
- Jump sequence
- Two or more jumps connected by turns or hops.
- Junior level
- The level below Senior (Olympic) level competition. International competitions for Juniors include the ISU Junior Grand Prix and the World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
- Junior Worlds
- An informal name for the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Also: World Juniors.
- Kiss and Cry
- The area next to the rink at major competitions where the skaters wait to get their results. See: Kiss and cry.
A leg wrap position in midair
- Ladies
- The official term for female competitors.
- Landing Leg
- The leg on which a skater lands a jump. Opposite of free leg.
- Layback
- A spin position in which the back is arched and head dropped back, the free leg bent behind, and the arms often stretched to the ceiling or arched overhead. See Layback spin.
- Leg Wrap
- An air position in jumps where the free leg is held at a right angle to the landing leg, crossing it above the knee, so that it appears to be "wrapped" around the other. Most skaters keep their legs more vertical and crossed at the ankles when they jump.
- Level (judging)
- The assigned difficulty of an element under the ISU Judging System. The highest difficulty level is Level 4.
- Level (skating)
- The division by competitive level of skill. International ISU competitions currently take place at the Novice, Junior, Senior, and Adult levels.
- Lift
- A pairs and ice dance element in which one skater lifts his or her partner while rotating. Pairs lifts, unlike dance, go over the head. Some dancers perform genderbending or "reverse" lifts, in which the woman lifts the man. See figure skating lifts.
- Lip
- A portmanteau of "lutz" and "flip", for an improperly executed flip jump, where the inside take-off edge is mistakenly changed to an outside edge, making it a lutz jump.
- Lobe
- A semi-circle created on the ice
- Long program
- An unofficial, but widely-used, name for the second and longer of the two programs performed by singles and pair skaters at a competition. The time limit is 4.5 minutes for men's singles and pairs and 4 minutes for ladies' singles at the senior (Olympic) level.
- Lunge
- A skating move in which one leg is bent sharply at the knee and the other is extended backwards in a straight line.
- Lutz jump
- A toepick-assisted jump with an entrance from a back outside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. See Lutz jump.
- Mirror Skating
- Two or more skaters skating in such a way that they are mirroring each other. The opposite of unison skating.
- Mohawk
- A two foot turn on the same edge that continues along the same lobe. See Mohawk turn.
- Nationals
- A country's national championships, used to decide their national champion. The highest-level competition on the national level. See: List of national championships in figure skating.
- NJS
- "New Judging System." See ISU Judging System.
- Ordinal
- Under the 6.0 system, the skater's ranking within the group of skaters by a specific judge. Ordinals were what counted, not the specific marks.
- Original Dance
- The second program of an ice dance competition.
- Outside edge
- The edge of a skate blade facing away from the body.
- Overrotated
- A jump in which the skater rotates past the position for landing the jump in the air, or fails to check the rotation on landing.
- Pair spin
- A spin in which two skaters rotate around a single axis while holding on to each other.
- Pair skating
- The skating discipline where two skaters perform overhead lifts, side-by-side spins and jumps. Usually refers to a man and a woman skating together. Two men or two women together are called a similar pair. See Pair skating.
- Personal best
- The highest score a skater has earned in ISU competition. Scores from national championships do not count as personal bests.
- Popping (a jump)
- When a jumps "opens up" in mid-air, resulting in the skater performing fewer than the desired rotations.
- Presentation
- The second set of scores in the old 6.0 judging system, otherwise known as "Artistic Impression".
- Professional
- Skaters who are not eligible to compete in ISU events. See: Ineligible.
- Program
- Skating elements set to music performed by a skater in a defined length of time. There are usually two programs for pairs and single skaters and three for ice dancers in ISU competitions.
- Quad
- A quadruple jump; a jump with four full rotations (1440 degrees) in the air. The only quadruple jumps to have been completed in competition are the toe loop and salchow by men, and just the salchow for ladies. If a quad Axel is made, the skater would have done 4.5 revolutions (1620 degrees).
- Rocker
- A one foot turn on the same edge but results in a change of lobe with the rotation inside the original lobe. See Rocker turn
A basic sit spin in a shoot-the-duck position
- Sanction
- Permission to hold a competition or show, granted by the ISU or national governing body. Eligible skaters may only compete in sanctioned events.
- SBS
- See side by side.
- School figures
- See compulsory figures.
- Scratch spin
- An upright spin in which the skater has the free leg crossed over the ankle of the spinning leg.
- Senior level
- Olympic-level competition.
- Shoot-the-duck
- A skating position in which the skater bends low to the ice on their skating leg with the free leg extended in front. This is the basic position for a sit spin.
- Short program
- The first and shorter of the two programs performed by singles and pair skaters at a competition. This program has certain required elements that must be completed. The program lasts two minutes and fifty seconds. See: short program (figure skating)
- Side by side
- Pair skating elements such as spins and jumps that are performed with the skaters next to each other, as opposed to pair spins or throw jumps, which are performed as a team.
- Signature move
- A move that a skater is known for and frequently performs, sometimes performed in a unique or unusual way.
A similar pair performing a throw jump.
- Similar pair
- A pair team made up of two men or two women.
- Single (jump)
- A jump with one full rotation (360 degrees) in the air (one and a half rotations for a single axel)
- Single (discipline)
- The skating discipline where one skater performs alone on the ice. Can be men's or ladies. See Single skating.
- Sit spin
- A spin position with the spinning leg bent at the knee and the free leg extended forward.
- Spin
- A rotation upon the ice surface. Spins are performed on the round part of the blade, just behind the toe pick. See Figure skating spins.
- Spiral
- An edge skated with the free leg extended at or above hip level. Spirals are a required element for ladies' and pairs competitions. A good spiral depends on edge control and speed across the ice, not necessarily leg position. See Spiral (figure skating).
- Spread eagle
- An element performed with both feet on the ice, the blades turned out with the heels pointing towards each other. It can be performed on inside edges or outside edges. See spread eagle (figure skating).
- Step-out
- When a skater either under- or over-rotates a jump so that he or she does not land cleanly and must put the free leg down prematurely.
- Step Sequence
- A series of footwork and field moves performed during a program. Can be circular, straight line, or serpentine in pattern.
- Stroking
- A way of moving across the ice and gaining speed by using the edges of the blades.
- Soldatova Rule
- Unofficial name of the rule stating that a skater must wait out a certain amount of time from international competition when changing the country they represent. The nickname refers to Julia Soldatova.
- Swizzle
- A way of moving across the ice on two feet by pushing the feet outwards from a 90 degree angle V and then pulling them together again, forming an oval on the ice. Also known as scissors, fishes, or sculling.
- Synchro
- Synchronized skating.
- 'Tano jump
- A jump arm position variation made famous by Brian Boitano (hence 'Tano) where one arm is extended overhead instead of folded at the chest during a jump. This increases the difficulty of a jump.
- Throw jump
- A pair element in which one skater throws the other into the air, where she completes a normal skating jump. Throw jumps usually have more height and power than normal jumps because of the extra help involved. See: figure skating jumps.
- Toe pick
- The teeth at the front of a skate blade that assists a skater in jumps and spins. See Figure skate.
- Traveling
- When a spinning skater moves across the ice while spinning instead of centering the spin in one spot.
- Triple
- A jump with three full rotations (1080 degrees) in the air (3 and a half rotations for the triple axel)
- Three turn
- A one foot turn with a change of edge that results in a '3' shaped tracing on the ice. See 3 turn
- Two-footed landing
- The landing of a jump where both feet touch the ice. A proper landing is on one foot.
- Twizzle
- A quick multirotational turn on one foot while moving forwards or backwards. See: Twizzle.
- Underrotated
- A jump that does not complete the expected number of rotations.
- Unison Skating
- Two or more skaters performing the same steps or elements at the same time.
- Warm-up group
- See Flight.
- Worlds
- Informal name for the World Figure Skating Championships
- World Juniors
- Informal name for the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Also: Junior Worlds.
- Y-spin
- An upright spin position in which a skater pulls the free leg up into a vertical split towards the side of the body, creating a Y shape. See figure skating spins.
- Y-spiral
- A spiral position in which the free leg is held up in a vertical split towards the side of the body, creating a Y position. See: figure skating spirals.
- Zayak Rule
- A rule stating that skaters are only allowed to perform a jump once in a program, twice if the jump is in combination with another jump. This rule applies only to triple jumps in senior level competition. See Elaine Zayak.
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Spins
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Moves in the field
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Connecting elements
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