# Pair Skating Rules, Law 2: Throws, side-by-side jumps, death spirals and steps (ISU Sports Rules)

Figure Skating · Law 2: Throws, side-by-side jumps, death spirals and steps · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/figure-skating/laws/pair-skating-law-2-throws-side-by-side-jumps-death-spirals-and-steps/)

What 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 sequence.

## 2.21 Throws, side-by-side jumps, death spirals and steps

Throw jumps, side-by-side jumps and linking; death spirals and step sequences.

### Test 1: Throws, side-by-side jumps and linking

- A throw jump is partner assisted: the Man throws the Woman into the air on the take-off and she lands without his help. Catching her at the waist is what happens in a twist lift. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Throw jumps))
- The Woman lands a throw jump unassisted on a backward outside edge. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Throw jumps))
- The Man's part is the throw on the take-off; the landing is the Woman's alone, without assistance from her partner. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Throw jumps))
- When the partners' revolutions differ in a jump, it is called as the jump with the lesser number of revolutions. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Solo jumps))
- The rule applies to a jump performed as a solo jump or as part of a combination or sequence: each jump is called with the lesser revolutions of the partners. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Solo jumps))
- Movements performed entirely on two feet must be kept to a minimum. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (General a))
- Elements are linked by connecting steps of a different nature and comparable movements, with a variety of positions and holds, using the entire ice surface, in time to the music. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (General, d))
- The Man's throw happens on the take-off; the rotation and the landing on a backward outside edge are the Woman's alone. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Throw jumps))
- Each is called with the lesser revolutions of the partners: a single, a double and a triple. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Solo jumps))
- B pairs a triple with a double, so it is called a double; A and D are called triples, C a single. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Solo jumps))

### Test 2: Death spirals and step sequences

- One skate of the Woman must remain on the ice throughout the death spiral. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (General c))
- While the Woman performs the actual death spiral, both partners must complete at least one revolution in the final position. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Death Spirals))
- The Man must be in a full pivot with his knees clearly bent, centred, with a fully extended arm. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Death Spirals))
- Her head must be close to the ice but not touch it, and she may not assist herself with the free hand or any part of her body; her weight is carried by the spiralling edge and the Man's hold. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Death Spirals))
- Any kind of position is counted as a feature if the partners' hold lasts for at least one revolution. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Death Spirals))
- Step sequences are skated together or close together and must fully utilise the ice surface. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Step sequences))
- Credit goes to pairs that change places and holds or use difficult moves together, and the workload must be even between the partners to count for a higher level. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Step sequences))
- In the final position both partners complete at least one revolution, the Man in a bent-knee pivot with his arm fully extended, the Woman on a clean edge with her head close to the ice. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Death Spirals))
- The rules want at least a full pivot with the knees clearly bent; for a possibly higher level the Man stays low, the lower part of his buttocks no higher than the top of his pivot knee. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Death Spirals))
- A low pivot has the lower part of the Man's buttocks no higher than the upper part of the knee of his pivot foot. Only C is that low. (Source: ISU Sports Rules S&P/ID 2026, Rule 619 (Death Spirals))

Sources: ISU Sports Rules, Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance, effective 12 June 2026, Rule 619 (general, throw jumps, solo jumps, death spirals, step sequences) (paraphrased in original wording; original questions authored from the rules, not reproduced)

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