Compulsory figures

Black and white photo of a young woman, dressed in a short dress and white ice skates, executing figures on ice, while three people, two men and one woman, look on behind her
Sonja Morgenstern skates a compulsory figure.

Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly a segment of figure skating, and gave the sport its name. They are the "circular patterns which skaters trace on the ice to demonstrate skill in placing clean turns evenly on round circles".[1] For approximately the first 50 years of figure skating as a sport, until 1947, compulsory figures made up 60 percent of the total score at most competitions around the world. These figures continued to dominate the sport, although they steadily declined in importance, until the International Skating Union (ISU) voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions in 1990. Learning and training in compulsory figures instilled discipline and control; some in the figure skating community considered them necessary to teach skaters basic skills. Skaters would train for hours to learn and execute them well, and competing and judging figures would often take up to eight hours during competitions.

Skaters traced compulsory figures, and were judged according to their smoothness and accuracy. The circle is the basis of all figures. Other elements in compulsory figures include curves, change of foot, change of edge, and turns. Skaters had to trace precise circles while completing difficult turns and edges. The simple "figure eight" shape was executed by connecting two circles; other figures included the three turn, the counter turn, the rocker turn, the bracket turn, and the loop.

Since 2015 with the founding of the World Figure Sport Society and the World Figure & Fancy Skating Championships & Festival on black ice more skaters are training and competing in figures.[2] More coaches are learning the new methods developed by World Figure Sport to teach them to skaters, as some skaters and coaches believe that figures give skaters an advantage in developing alignment, core strength, body control, and discipline. The World Figure Sport Society conducts workshops,[3] festivals and world competitions in compulsory (now known as fundamental figures), special, creative, free, flying figures, and fancy skating[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference specialregs-1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Radnofsky, Louise (20 December 2019). "Who Needs Triple Axels and Toe Loops—Give Us 'Compulsory Figures'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  3. ^ "World figure skating enthusiasts take figures online | News, Sports, Jobs - Lake Placid News". Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  4. ^ Meagher, George A. (1895). Figure and Fancy Skating. Bliss, Sands, and Foster. ISBN 978-0-598-48290-7.