Spins are an element in figure skating

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

 where the skater rotates, centered on a single point on the ice, while holding one or more body positions. The skater rotates on the part of the blade just behind the toe pick, with the weight on the ball of the foot. There are many types of spins, identified by the position of the arms, legs, and torso, the foot on which the spin is performed, and the entrance to the spin. A combination spin is a spin with a change of position or foot. Spins are a required element in most figure skating competitions.

Types of spins

There are many types of spins, identified by the foot on which the spin is performed, the entrance to the spin, and the position of the arms, legs, and torso. Spins may be performed on either foot. Figure skaters are rarely able to spin in both directions; most favor one or the other. For skaters who rotate in a counterclockwise direction, a spin on the left foot is called a forward or front spin, while a spin on the right foot is called a back spin. Spins may be entered with a step or a jump. Spins entered with a jump are referred to as Flying spins. There are 3 basic positions, for which many variations exist.

Upright spins

An upright spin

Upright spin

The Upright spin is one of the three basic figure skating spin positions. It is defined as a spin position with an extended skating leg which is not a camel position...

is a spin where the skater is in an upright position. There are many variations on it.

• A basic two-foot spin is an upright spin in which the skater rotates with both feet on the ice.

• A basic one-foot spin is an upright spin in which the skater rotates with one foot on the ice. Spins can be skated on either of the feet.

• A scratch spin is an upright spin with the free leg crossed in front of the skating leg. The arms and free leg begin in an open position, extended straight out and high. They are pulled in gradually, which accelerates the spin, and the leg is pushed down so that the feet are crossed at the ankles. This spin is performed on a very tight backward inside edge.

• A back scratch is similar to the forward scratch spin, only performed on the opposite foot and on a tight backward outside edge. This is usually learned soon after the scratch spin is mastered, and is the basic air position for jumping.

• A crossfoot spin is a back upright spin in which the free leg is crossed behind the skating foot, or the front foot on a back upright is lowered and the spin becomes a two-footed spin. When spinning counter-clockwise, the left skate spins forward while the right skate travels backwards.

• A layback spin
  Layback spin
  A layback spin is an upright figure skating spin in which the head and shoulders are dropped backwards and the back arched downwards toward the ice. A common variation has the free leg lifted toward the back, typically in an attitude position, with the arms held above the body...
  
  is an upright spin, usually performed by women, in which the back is arched and head dropped back, the free leg in an attitude position, and the arms often stretched to the ceiling. A common variation of this spin is the catch foot layback or haircutter, in which the skater grabs the free blade and pulls it toward their head while in the layback position.

• An attitude spin looks a little bit like a very shallow layback, the skater turns her head and looks to the side, instead of arching and looking up, while the free leg is held in attitude position as for a layback spin. The leg position is the feature of this variation. It is often taught as an introductory position while learning a layback.

• A Biellmann spin is a variation of the layback spin and performed by pulling the free leg from behind up and over the head. The blade of the skate may be held with either one or both hands. This requires extreme flexibility in the shoulders, back, hips, and legs. It was popularized by and named after 1981 World Champion Denise Biellmann
  Denise Biellmann
  Denise Biellmann is a Swiss professional figure skater. She is the 1981 European and World Champion. She won the Swiss Championships three times.-Amateur career:...
  
  .

• "I" spins (or upright front-grab spins) are a collection of spins when the skater pulls the free leg up in front of his or her face in a near-vertical angle (depending on the type of grab).

• A shotgun spin is a variation of the upright front-grab spins in which the free leg is held in a horizontal position.

• "Y" spins are spins in which the free leg is held with the hand and extended to the side in a near-split position. Michelle Kwan
  Michelle Kwan
  Michelle Wingshan Kwan is an American figure skater. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, a five-time World champion and a nine-time U.S...
  
   is known for doing this variation consecutively on both feet. The support can be from either or both arms, and the hold can either be on the skate or the ankle.

Sit spins

A sit spin

Sit spin

The sit spin is one of the three basic figure skating spin positions. It is defined by a squatting position in which the skater's buttocks are below the knee of the skating leg. This forms an angle of less than 90 degrees between the thigh and the calf of the skating leg...

is defined as a spin in which the buttocks are not higher than the level of the skating knee. There are many variations on it.

• A basic sit spin is a spin in which the skater is in a shoot the duck position where the skating leg bent and the free leg extended forwards.

• A broken leg sit spin is a sit spin in which the skaters free leg is turned inwards at the hip.

• The corkscrew sit spin is a back sit spin in which the skater crosses the free leg behind the skating foot, rather than extending it to the front.

• A flying sit spin is a sit spin entered from a jump; the skater attains the sit spin position in the air.
• A pancake spin is a difficulty variation on a sit spin in which the free leg is canted towards the body and upper body is bent over it, forming the illusion of the skater's body as a pancake.

• A cannonball spin is a difficulty variation similar to the pancake in which the free skate touches the thigh of the skating leg and arms are held down and touching the skating leg, giving the illusion of a cannonball. "Cannonball spin" is also commonly used to refer to a sit spin in which the skater holds the ankle of the extended free leg and lowers the chest flat to the thigh of the free leg.

• A death drop (formally known as a flying open Axel sit spin) is a flying spin performed by jumping up with a forward Axel jump
  Axel jump
  The Axel is a figure skating jump with a forward take-off. It is named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen, who first performed the jump in 1882. An Axel jump has an extra ½ rotation in the air due to its forward take-off...
  
   takeoff, kicking the same takeoff leg backwards, and landing in a back sit position. One of the major differences between a death drop and a regular flying sit spin is the position the skater attains in the air, which is almost horizontal to the ice in the death drop. Brian Boitano
  Brian Boitano
  Brian Anthony Boitano is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985-1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional following the 1988 season...
  
   was known for his death drop.

Camel spin

A camel spin is defined as a spin in which the free leg is held backwards with the knee higher than the hip level. There are many variations on it.

• A basic camel spin
  Camel spin
  A camel spin, also known in Europe as a parallel spin, is one of the three basic figure skating spins, along with the sit spin and upright spin...
  
  (also known as a parallel or arabesque spin) is performed by assuming an arabesque position (or spiral
  Spiral (figure skating)
  A spiral is an element in figure skating where the skater glides on one foot while raising the free leg above hip level. It is akin to the arabesque in ballet....
  
   position) with the free leg extended behind at hip level, parallel to the ice surface.

• A flying camel spin is a back camel spin from a jump entry.

• An illusion spin has a basic position similar to the camel, but instead of remaining "flat" throughout the duration of the spin the skater's body tilts up and down while the skater is spinning. The up-down cycle should coincide with the rotational speed so that the "low point" is always at the same point on the circle. This causes the spin to create an image that looks like a plate tilted at an angle.

• A doughnut spin is a camel spin in which the skater pulls the blade of the skate of the free leg backward with one or both arms while arching the back to create a horizontal circular shape with the body. This is sometimes known as a horizontal Biellmann, and some skaters use this to enter the Biellmann position.

• A butterfly spin is a flying spin with a near-horizontal body position and scissoring leg action in the air similar to that of the death drop, but it has a two-foot, twisting takeoff rather than an Axel-like takeoff. Butterflies can also be done as a solo move, without a spin, or in a series.

Change of edge

• Forward change-edge spins, where the skater spins on the forward outside edge when in a forward spin rather than the normal backward inside edge. This is not a change of position, but a "difficult variation" which garners supplementary points in the ISU Judging System
  ISU Judging System
  The ISU Judging System , is the scoring system on the event and on the level of competition. At the senior international level, single and pairs short programs contain eight technical elements. The actual eight elements are detailed for single skaters in ISU rule 310...
  
  . This is most commonly seen as a camel on a forward outside edge.

• Backward change-edge spins, where the skater goes on the forward inside edge when in a backward spin rather than the normal backward outside edge. This is not a change of position, but a "difficult variation" which garners supplementary points in the ISU Judging System
  ISU Judging System
  The ISU Judging System , is the scoring system on the event and on the level of competition. At the senior international level, single and pairs short programs contain eight technical elements. The actual eight elements are detailed for single skaters in ISU rule 310...
  
  . This is commonly seen in all of sit, camel, and upright positions.

Combination spins

Spin positions performed in immediate succession without checking out of the spin are referred to as combination spins. In a combination spin, a skater may change position, change foot, change edge, or any combination of the above. Combination spins are delineated with the abbeviation CoSp in ISU Judging system protocols.

Pair skating and ice dancing

In pair skating

Pair skating

Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...

, skaters perform pair spins and side by side spins. In side by side spins, the skaters perform the same solo spin next to each other on the ice. In pair spins, the skaters hold onto each other and rotate together, but may be in different positions.

In ice dancing

Ice dancing

Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....

, skaters perform dance spins, which are similar to pair spins. They do not perform side by side spins.