Why is figure skating so important

A properly fitted pair of skates is a must. Aside from skates, make sure you bring a pair of gloves to protect your hands during falls, dress in warm clothing you can move in and bring pads and a helmet if they make you feel more comfortable. These classes teach important skills like how to stop and how to fall! Starting out by learning the right way is a lot more fun than struggling, clutching the rink wall and possibly getting hurt. View the activities guide for information on current ice arena programs and lessons!

Healthline Editorial Team. Peggy Pletcher, ed. This includes exercise to support stability during the high G-force actions of figure skating competition.

Flexibility- to maintain a larger-than-normal range of motion in particular at the hip and lumbar spine. This requires specific training to ensure the maintenance of controlled, functional ranges. Video courtesy of Paige Larson. Demonstrates a skater undertaking some figure skating-specific rehabilitation. The rehabilitation focuses on exercises that replicate the demands of on-ice training using a combination of the three core elements.

It will often include dynamic resisted movements incorporating bands, weights, and high repetitions of landing positions, take-off positions, spin positions, lift positions, rotations, and other specific movements required by the athlete. Skills are broken down into their component parts e. Progression through the exercises to the next level of difficulty occurs as soon as the athlete is able to correctly execute the movement and hold the positions under control for up to about five seconds.

The above video demonstrates an example of an elite level figure skater going through an exercise progression to a double axel. This progression could be used for essentially all injury rehabilitation as it requires full-body conditioning, flexibility, and strength. Figure skating is an innovative and ever-evolving sport that demands athletic, technical and artistic excellence.

We hope this article has given you an insight into the physical demands placed upon Figure Skating athletes, their common injuries and shown you how you might further support these athletes in you practice.

Thanks to Agnes Makowski and Paige Larson from Skate Canada for providing the valuable insight to develop this article. To follow or contact either Paige or Agnes see the links below. Ice skating did not develop as an organized competitive sport until the introduction of steel skate blades permanently attached to leather boots. The earlier iron blades dulled quickly, and street shoes, to which they were tied with straps, lacked ankle support.

Using the steel skates, a U. Ice speed skating, which had developed in the Netherlands in the 17th century, was given a boost by the innovations in skate construction. Figure skating became an Olympic event in Speed skating for men was part of the Olympic Games, but it was not until that women's speed skating was placed on the Olympic agenda. Skate Design The figure-skate blade differs from the ice-hockey or speed-skate blade because it is slightly concave, or "hollow ground.

The forward part of the blade, the toe-rake, is saw-toothed and is used for jumps and spins on the toes. The figure-skate boots, which are traditionally black for men and white for women, are made of sturdy leather and have stiffening supports at the heel and under the arch. They are tightly laced up over the ankle to help prevent the foot from rolling from one side or the other.

Speed skates have a considerably longer blade and a single, thin edge. The toe of the blade is smooth and turned up. The boot is made of lighter leather than the figure-skate boot and is lower, coming just to the top of the ankles. Beginning with the —97 season of international competition an innovation called the clap skate made its appearance in speed skating. In this skate, the blade is not attached to the back of boot but is spring-hinged at the front.

This makes a clapping noise when used for skating, hence the name. Clap skates require a change in technique for the speed skater, who now must push off with the front of the foot rather than the heel.

The advantage of these skates is that the skater maintains contact with the ice longer, producing faster times. By the time of the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, clap skates were the norm, and world records tumbled, sometimes several times in a single race. Figure Skating. Figure skating is primarily a sport of amateurs. Competitions are held for men's and women's singles, pairs, and ice dancing.

For years the singles competitors were judged on compulsory figures and two free skating programs. The compulsory-figures category required each skater to perform repetitions of 3 figures drawn from a possible 41 patterns, which were judged according to a skater's precision, balance, control, and gracefulness in retracing the figure.

In the International Skating Union eliminated the compulsory figures from singles competition. Both men and women skaters must perform a shorter technical program with specific required moves, and a longer, more creative free skate. The skaters are judged on their ability to perform jumps, spins, spirals, and to skate a program coordinated with music.

There has been a trend toward more athleticism in free-skating events, adding more complicated and daring jumps.