Figure Skating Techniques

This article gives instruction on how to do forward crossovers on figure skates.

Even the most advanced figure skaters fall down. This article gives tips on how to fall safely and also gives some suggestions on what to when figure skaters fall. Also, information is given about how falls are handled in ice skating competitions.

This article lists the basic stops done by figure skaters.

Do you have an ice skating tip or trick to share? Here, About.com readers can share their own figure skating tips, ideas, technigues, and experiences.

Once gliding on one foot is mastered, a new figure skater can begin to learn forward stroking. Stroking in figure skating means moving from one skate to the other. This is what everyone does when they skate around an ice arena.

Before trying to skate backward, it is a good idea to practice walking backward and gliding for a short distance on figure skates. This exercise will help beginning figure skaters become comfortable with the feeling of moving backward on ice skates.

Do you want to be a figure skater? This article will help a new skater learn how to do some ice skating moves. Some of the elements in this article include directions on how to fall, stop, skate forward, jump, and spin on the ice.

MySkatingMall.com and 2003 US Men's Figure Skating Bronze Medalist Ryan Jahnke put together a video called "What's So Great About Figure Skating?" Ryan asked figure skaters, figure skating parents, and ice skating fans to make short videos answering that question. For those who missed taking part in the video, here's your chance to share your own thoughts. What's so great about figure skating?

Knowing how to fall and get up correctly on skates is essential for all figure skaters.

No one wants to fall while ice skating, but if you are going to skate, you are going to fall. How can a figure skater, especially an adult who doesn't want to fall, fall safely? This article addresses this issue.

Stopping on the ice is essential for every figure skater. This is the first and easiest stop a skater must master.

Forward swizzles are done by beginning ice skaters. Swizzles help figure skaters learn how to use their knees and edges. Swizzles also help skaters learn to glide. This step-by-step tutorial will help new figure skaters master forward swizzles.

Before trying to skate backward, it is a good idea to practice walking backward and gliding for a short distance on figure skates. This exercise will help beginning figure skaters become comfortable with the feeling of moving backward on ice skates.

Doing Michael Jackson's famous Moonwalk step on ice skates is easy and fun.

Gliding on one foot on ice skates is a basic figure skating move that all figure skaters must learn and master. This short article outlines the basic steps involved in doing a one-foot glide.

This article will help teach beginning skaters how to move forward on the ice.

Crossovers are the way skaters move around corners and the ends of a rink. Mastering forward crossovers make a figure skater better and faster.

This step-by-step tutorial will help new figure skaters master back swizzles.

New ice skaters can't wait to try back crossovers. This step by step tutorial shows some back crossover basics.

Every figure skating turn has a name. When a figure skater turns from forward to backward or from backward to forward on one foot, he could be doing a three turn, a bracket, a counter, or a rocker. Each turn is slightly different.

Do figure skaters ever spot their spins like dancers do in pirouettes?

There are some simple toe jumps that are fun and easy to do on figure skates. As a figure skater advances, these simple jumps are used to connect steps and elements in a skater's program.

The bunny hop is a fun and easy ice skating jump. It is one of the first jumps new figure skaters learn and master.

Get step by step instructions on how to do an easy skating move where the free leg and back are horizontal to the ice.

The Biellmann is a figure skating move that is named after Champion Swiss skater Denise Biellmann who originated the move. To do the move, a skater holds his or her skate blade and pulls the leg way back up over the head. The legs are completely split, but the knee of the free leg is bent.

Toe Walleys and toe loops earn the same amount of credit at ice skating events. Spectators have a hard time telling the difference between the two jumps. What is the difference?

The toe loop is a figure skating jump that uses a toe pick assist. After mastering the waltz jump and Salchow, the next jump that usually is introduced to a skater is a toe loop.

Figure skaters learn jumps in a certain order. After mastering the waltz jump and Salchow, the next jump that usually is introduced to a skater is a toe loop. After mastering the Axel and double Salchow, the skater then works on the double toe loop. Then, when a skater learns triples, the triple toe loop is tackled after mastering the triple Salchow, or both jumps are worked on at the same time.

An Attitude is a beautiful figure skating move that comes right from ballet. This article gives simple directions on how to do the move.

An Ina Bauer is considered one of the most beautiful moves in figure skating. The move was invented by German figure skating champion Ina Bauer in the late 1950s.

The lunge is a figure skating move that resembles fencing posture. This tutorial gives step-by-step directions on how to do a lunge.

A shoot the duck is a fun ice skating move where the skater bends all the way down to the ice and glides on one foot while kicking the other foot completely forward. Directions on how to do the shoot the duck on ice are given in this article.

A spread eagle is a figure skating move where a skater glides on two feet with the toes pointing in opposite directions. The legs are completely straight and spread apart. This step-by-step tutorial gives directions on how to do a spread eagle.

Learning to spin is not easy, but is so much fun!

This article lists some of the basic ice skating spins. Many of the spins advanced figure skaters do are variations of the basic figure skating spins listed in this article.

What is your favorite ice skating spin?

How do figure skaters spin fast? This short article addresses this question.

This short article gives some tips on keeping figure skating spins centered.

When figure skaters put a series of turns and steps together, they are doing footwork. The possibilities are endless. This article lists some suggested footwork sequences that can be skated by a figure skater who is able to do most ice skating turns and steps.

A camel spin is a figure skating spin that is done with the same body position as the spiral (arabesque). This tutorial shows the basic steps required to do a camel spin.

A layback spin is a beautiful figure skating move. Most ice skaters can master this spin with practice.

Axels (and double Axels and triple Axels) and waltz jumps are the only figure skating jumps where the take-off is from a forward outside edge.

The axel jump may be the hardest jump for many figure skaters. Once ice skaters master an axel, the double jumps come quickly. This short article outlines some steps that will help a figure skater master an axel jump.

This article gives information on the shoot-the-duck which is a fun and easy ice skating move.

Many ice skaters have a difficult time figuring out how to practice. This is a recommended practice plan for a figure skater who is already able to do basic stroking, turns, and some jumps and spins.

You've worked hard on mastering a number of figure skating moves; now it’s time to set a program to music.

Most skaters jump and spin in the counter-clockwise direction, but some skaters do moves in the clockwise direction. How does a skater determine which way to do figure skating moves?

Ice dancing and pair skating have similarities, but they are two very different figure skating disciplines.

It is possible to do some figure skating moves on ice hockey skates. This is a list some of those moves. Tips on how to do figure skating moves on ice hockey skates are included in this article.

Figure Skating With Carlo Fassi is a book that includes instructions on jumping and spinning for all levels of figure skating.

Expert volunteers answer questions about anything related to figure skating at this About.com link.

There are many moves figure skaters must master. This section includes links to ice skating lessons. Learn how to fall and get up on skates, learn how to stop, learn how to skate forward, and learn how to spin and jump.

This article, published on IceNetwork.com, explains what spread eagles are, how to do spread eagles, and more.

This resource is designed to teach all basic concepts of figure skating. Information on equipment, basic skating, edges, turns, ice dances, figures, spins, jumps, and connecting moves are included.

Dmitri Olympiev, a coach at Pines Ice Arena in Florida, has put together a series of free online instructional ice skating videos. Included are how to do forward and backward swizzles, how to stop, gliding on one foot, forward and backward stroking, forward and backward crossovers, three turns, mohawks, edges, and spins.

This link will help you recognize all the different figure skating elements. It is from Don Korte's FIGURE SKATING WEBSITE.

A figure skating coach in Tacoma, Washington, named Danette, has put together a short list of some basic figure skating terms and information.

Figure skating coach Cheryl Richardson has developed this site. It is devoted to exploring questions surrounding training of figure skaters.

Dave Curtis shares some very good basic figure skating tips at this link.

This is a section from "SoYouWanna Learn the Basics of Figure Skating?" This source outlines and explains each ice skating jump in detail.

This link includes videos of unique and interesting figure skating skills.