Figure Skating · Sport Rules
Rules of Figure Skating
Rules of Figure Skating in 5 books (General Rules, Single Skating Rules, Pair Skating Rules, Ice Dance Rules, Synchronized Skating Rules) as Insporta tests them: 840 sourced facts written from the ISU Sports Rules.
General Rules
Law 1Disciplines and the competitionWhat the ISU rules say about the disciplines and their segments, the rink a competition needs, the people and papers behind it, the competition day and the call to the start. Shared by single skating, pair skating,…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 2The officials: who decides whatWho sits on the panel and in which category, what the Referee may decide, what the judges and the Technical Panel each do and how they settle a disagreement, and what an official may and may not do. Shared by single…1 parts · 4 tests · 40 factsLaw 3How a score is builtHow an element gets its base value and its Grade of Execution, how the panel's marks become one number, and how element scores add up to the Total Elements Score, the segment score and the final score. Shared by…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 4The Program ComponentsThe three Program Components that judge the whole performance, Composition, Presentation and Skating Skills, what each of them looks at, and how the judges' component marks become the Program Component Score. Shared…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 5Falls and deductionsWhat counts as a fall, who identifies it, what a fall costs in each discipline and age group, and the deductions for an illegal element and for interruptions. Shared by every discipline; the deductions for time,…1 parts · 1 tests · 10 factsLaw 6Music, time, clothing and the bladeThe music a program is skated to and how it is handled, how long each program lasts and what happens when it runs short or long, what a skater may wear, and how the blade may be sharpened. Shared by every discipline.1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 7Draws, starting order and warm-upHow the starting order of each segment is drawn or set, who goes on to the Free Skating or Free Dance, what happens to withdrawals and disqualifications, and how warm-up groups are formed and timed. Shared by single…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 factsLaw 8Interruptions, music failures and adverse conditionsWhat an interruption is and who rules on it, what happens when the music fails, when the skater or the equipment has a problem, when something outside the skater goes wrong, when medical help is needed, and when a…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 9Results, ties and the protocolHow skaters are placed in a segment and overall, how ties are broken, what is published after each segment and at the end, what the protocol contains and who signs it, and how medals and other awards are presented.…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 10ISU events and the Olympic Winter GamesWhich competitions are ISU Events, how the Olympic Winter Games are run and filled, what makes a competition international, who may enter the European, Four Continents and World Championships, how many entries a…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 factsLaw 11Who may compete: eligibility, citizenship, ageWho keeps the right to compete in ISU events and how it is lost and won back, which country a skater may represent and how to change it, and the age limits of the senior, junior and novice categories. Shared by every…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 factsLaw 12Conduct, protests, appeals and medicalHow skaters and officials must behave, what the host and the federations owe the skaters' health, who may protest what and by when, how the Referee rules and corrects errors, and when an appeal to the Council is…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 facts
Single Skating Rules
Law 1Jump elements: combinations, sequences, the EulerWhat a jump element is, how a jump combination and a jump sequence are built, what the Euler (half-loop) may and may not do, how such elements are valued, and the 1.1 bonus for jumps in the second half of a singles…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 2Spins and step sequencesThe three basic spin positions and their variations, how many revolutions a position, a change of foot and a spin need, spin combinations and flying entries, what follows a failed spin, and what a step sequence must…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 3The Short ProgramThe seven required elements of the singles Short Program for senior men and women, the junior groups that rotate by season, what happens to unprescribed, extra and repeated elements, and the special rules for Axels,…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 factsLaw 4The Free SkatingThe well-balanced singles Free Skating for seniors and juniors, how many jump elements, combinations and spins it may hold, how often a jump may be repeated and what a repeat is worth, and the rules for spins, step…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 facts
Pair Skating Rules
Law 1Pair lifts, twist lifts and carriesWhat pair skating is meant to look like, the five Groups of pair lifts and how a lift's Group is decided, the grips and the Woman's positions, when the Technical Panel and the judges count a lift, how a twist lift…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 2Throws, side-by-side jumps, death spirals and stepsWhat a throw jump is and how it lands, how a side-by-side jump with unequal revolutions is called, how pair elements are linked, what the Man and the Woman must do in a death spiral, and how a pair skates its step…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 3The pair Short ProgramThe seven required elements of the pair Short Program and the three groups that rotate by season for seniors and juniors, and the rules for the prescribed lift, the twist, throws and solo jumps, the solo and pair…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 4The pair Free SkatingWhat a good pair Free Skating holds, the senior and junior well-balanced programs, repeated lifts, the twist and the jumps in Free Skating, and the choreographic pair lift and pair spin.1 parts · 2 tests · 20 facts
Ice Dance Rules
Law 1The ice and the pattern: axes, lobes, sequencesThe lines an ice dance is built on, how a dance pattern is drawn and may be changed, the parts a Pattern Dance is made of, and the kinds of Step Sequences in the Rhythm Dance and the Free Dance.1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 2Steps and turnsThe steps an ice dance is skated with, from the open stroke to the slip step, the one-foot and two-foot turns, the Twizzle, and how sets of Twizzles and Turn Sequences are made up and valued.1 parts · 3 tests · 30 factsLaw 3Lifts, spins and other movementsWhat a Dance Lift is and how its types and combinations are told apart and valued, the jumps a couple may use, spins and their positions, the named movements from the Ina Bauer to the Pivot, and the poses that are…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 4Dance holds and musicHow the partners hold each other, from the Waltz and Foxtrot Holds to the Tango and the Kilian family, the man's leading hand and the Promenade, and the musical terms a dance is skated to: beat, tempo, rhythm,…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 5Pattern DancesWhat a Pattern Dance is, the ISU list and the number of sequences skated, the music and the start and finish of a dance, what a good Pattern Dance must show, and how its Sections and components are marked.1 parts · 3 tests · 30 factsLaw 6The Rhythm DanceWhat the Rhythm Dance is and who sets its rhythm, its music and the Required Elements it may hold, how a Step Sequence is valued, and the rules on the pattern, holds, separations, stops and what may not be done on…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 7The Free DanceWhat sets the Free Dance apart from the Rhythm Dance: the couple's own music and its required changes, the whole ice, separations, holds and stops, the elements a well-balanced program may hold, and how long a…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 8Ice-dance-only deductions and who checks themThe deductions only ice dance has, for choreography restrictions, extra elements, music, tempo and Pattern Dance time, what they cost and in which segments, and which official times, decides and draws what.1 parts · 2 tests · 20 facts
Synchronized Skating Rules
Law 1Teams, terms and the four basic shapesThe two sub-disciplines of synchronized skating and which is meant for the Olympics, who may be in a team, alternates and how many skaters a team may lose to injury, and the terms the rules use: axes, configuration,…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 2Turns, steps and free skating movesHow the synchronized rules sort turns and steps (sets of Twizzles, loops, difficult and listed turns, turning methods), the free skating elements a team may use (butterflies, illusions, assisted and throw jumps,…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 factsLaw 3Features and additional featuresThe Features and additional Features that raise an element's difficulty in synchronized skating: the point of intersection and the step sequence, approaches, body movement, the changes of configuration, place, side…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 4Elements and shapesThe basic shapes of synchronized skating and their forms (blocks, circles, lines, wheels), the six kinds of intersection and their three phases, and when each other element begins and ends: artistic, creative,…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 factsLaw 5The Short Program and the Free SkatingHow many elements each synchronized segment may hold, the general requirements of a program (music, units, features, facing), what the Short Program and the Free Skating each demand, where the season's elements are…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 6Synchronized competitionsHow a synchronized season's requirements are announced, team names, the order and schedule of segments, practice ice, entries into ISU Championships, draws for the starting order, warm-up and resurfacing, the call to…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 7Falls, interruptions and markingFalls and stops in a team, the deductions for them, where a team resumes after an interruption, substitutes, how illegal moves and wrong shapes are called, the deductions table, and what the elements and Program…1 parts · 2 tests · 20 factsLaw 8Synchro9The Synchro9 sub-discipline: battles and rounds, program lengths and music, schedule and seeding, the Technique and Artistry scoring by ten judges, ties, the team and its shapes, highlighters, draws, the call to the…1 parts · 3 tests · 30 facts
Each guide paraphrases the Law in its own words; the authoritative text is the ISU Sports Rules.