Biellmann spin
Encyclopedia
The Biellmann spin is an upright figure skating spin
in which the skater executes a one-foot spin while holding the other foot extended over and behind the head, forming a teardrop shape with the body. The spin has also been referred to as a "tulip on a turn-table" due to the shape formed by the torso and leg. The position requires very great flexibility and spinning ability, and is almost always performed by women.
The Biellmann position is also used as a spiral position and as a position in ice dancing lifts
.
may have performed a one hand Biellmann spin from a layback spin at the 1937 World Championships
. One of the earliest skaters to do the spin was Tamara Moskvina
. She was inspired after seeing a gymnastics competition and performed the spin at the 1960 European Championships
. She was also seen with this spin at the 1965 European Championships
. Other early practitioners included Janet Champion, Slavka Kohout
, and Karin Iten
. In the late 1970s, the Swiss skater Denise Biellmann
popularized the spin and it was eventually named after her. She was the first skater who performed it to win a major international title. Biellmann learned the spin at the Acrobatic School.
In the early '90s, the pair team of Natalia Mishkutenok
and Artur Dmitriev
incorporated it into a death spiral
-like move.
Irina Slutskaya has been credited as the first person to have ever performed a Biellmann spin with a foot change (i.e., doing a Biellmann on one leg, then immediately switching over to perform it on the other leg).
Skaters often cut their hands performing the Biellmann.
When learning the spin the skater does not usually drop their head into the teardrop shape formed by their body so as to maintain balance.
, many skaters have used the Biellman position in various elements, such as spiral sequences due to its added point value regardless of the quality of the position. Moreover, performing a Biellmann spin after 8 revolutions in a layback spin
adds a "difficult variation," which can increase the point value of the spin.
The Biellmann spin also has the distinction of being classified as a difficult variation of both a layback and an upright position spin, meaning that a person could include the Biellmann in either spin and it would still be counted as a one-position solo spin.
Due to its increased use since the inception of the new judging system, the 51st International Skating Union
Congress passed a resolution that places a limit on the number of times that a Biellmann position may be used in a skating program.
Upright spin
The Upright spin is one of the three basic figure skating spin positions. It is defined as a spin position with an extended skating leg which is not a camel position...
in which the skater executes a one-foot spin while holding the other foot extended over and behind the head, forming a teardrop shape with the body. The spin has also been referred to as a "tulip on a turn-table" due to the shape formed by the torso and leg. The position requires very great flexibility and spinning ability, and is almost always performed by women.
The Biellmann position is also used as a spiral position and as a position in ice dancing lifts
Figure skating lifts
Figure skating lifts are a required element in pair skating and ice dancing. Pairs lifts differ from dance lifts most notably in that dancers are not allowed to lift their partners above their shoulders...
.
History
Cecilia ColledgeCecilia Colledge
Magdelena Cecilia Colledge was a British figure skater. She was the 1936 Olympic silver medalist, the 1937 World Champion, the 1938-1939 European Champion, and a six-time British national champion....
may have performed a one hand Biellmann spin from a layback spin at the 1937 World Championships
1937 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion....
. One of the earliest skaters to do the spin was Tamara Moskvina
Tamara Moskvina
Tamara Nikolayevna Moskvina , née Bratus is a Russian pair skating coach and former competitive skater. In pair skating with partner Alexei Mishin, she was the 1969 World silver medalist and Soviet national champion. In ladies singles, she was a five-time Soviet national champion...
. She was inspired after seeing a gymnastics competition and performed the spin at the 1960 European Championships
1960 European Figure Skating Championships
The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion....
. She was also seen with this spin at the 1965 European Championships
1965 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1965 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1964-1965 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations competed for the title of European Champion...
. Other early practitioners included Janet Champion, Slavka Kohout
Slavka Kohout
Slavka Kohout is an American figure skating coach, best known for coaching 5-time U.S. Champion Janet Lynn throughout her entire competitive career.- Career :...
, and Karin Iten
Karin Iten
Karin Iten was a Swiss figure skater. She won the bronze medal at the 1973 European Figure Skating Championships. She died on May 18, 2010 in Winterthur....
. In the late 1970s, the Swiss skater Denise Biellmann
Denise Biellmann
Denise Biellmann is a Swiss professional figure skater. She is the 1981 European and World Champion. She won the Swiss Championships three times.-Amateur career:...
popularized the spin and it was eventually named after her. She was the first skater who performed it to win a major international title. Biellmann learned the spin at the Acrobatic School.
In the early '90s, the pair team of Natalia Mishkutenok
Natalia Mishkutenok
Natalia Yevgenievna Mishkutenok is a retired Russian pair skater who now works as a coach. With former partner Artur Dmitriev, she is the 1992 Olympic Champion.-Biography:...
and Artur Dmitriev
Artur Dmitriev
Artur Valeryevich Dmitriev is a Ukrainian-born Russian pair skater who competed internationally for the Soviet Union, the Unified Team, and Russia. He is a two-time Olympic Champion with Natalia Mishkutenok and Oksana Kazakova in 1992 and 1998 respectively, and also won Olympic silver in 1994...
incorporated it into a death spiral
Death spiral (figure skating)
Death spiral is an element of pair skating performed with the man in a pivot position, one toe anchored in the ice. Holding his hand, the woman circles her partner on a deep edge with her body almost parallel to the ice. It is a required element in pair skating....
-like move.
Irina Slutskaya has been credited as the first person to have ever performed a Biellmann spin with a foot change (i.e., doing a Biellmann on one leg, then immediately switching over to perform it on the other leg).
Skaters often cut their hands performing the Biellmann.
Technique
A spin becomes a Biellmann spin, by definition, when "the level of the boot passes the head so that the boot is above and behind or over the head." Some skaters have better positions than others, but as long as the boot is over the head, it is a Biellmann.When learning the spin the skater does not usually drop their head into the teardrop shape formed by their body so as to maintain balance.
Variations
There are many spin variations that are derived from the classic Biellmann spin:- A cross-grab Biellmann is a variation where the opposite hand is the one used to lift the leg. The other hand may or may not be added in this position.
- The half-Biellmann (also called a catch-foot camel spin) is a camel spinCamel spinA camel spin, also known in Europe as a parallel spin, is one of the three basic figure skating spins, along with the sit spin and upright spin...
during which the skater grasps the free blade with either hand and raises the free leg upwards while otherwise maintaining the camel position. Whether a spin is counted as an upright spin variation or a camel spin variation depends on the entrance into the spin and the position of the torso.
Overuse
Since the inception of figure skating's cumulative points-based judging systemISU Judging System
The ISU Judging System , is the scoring system on the event and on the level of competition. At the senior international level, single and pairs short programs contain eight technical elements. The actual eight elements are detailed for single skaters in ISU rule 310...
, many skaters have used the Biellman position in various elements, such as spiral sequences due to its added point value regardless of the quality of the position. Moreover, performing a Biellmann spin after 8 revolutions in a layback spin
Layback spin
A layback spin is an upright figure skating spin in which the head and shoulders are dropped backwards and the back arched downwards toward the ice. A common variation has the free leg lifted toward the back, typically in an attitude position, with the arms held above the body...
adds a "difficult variation," which can increase the point value of the spin.
The Biellmann spin also has the distinction of being classified as a difficult variation of both a layback and an upright position spin, meaning that a person could include the Biellmann in either spin and it would still be counted as a one-position solo spin.
Due to its increased use since the inception of the new judging system, the 51st International Skating Union
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...
Congress passed a resolution that places a limit on the number of times that a Biellmann position may be used in a skating program.