Free skating
Encyclopedia
The free skating competition of figure skating
, sometimes called the "free skate" or "long program", is usually the second of two phases in major figure skating competition
s in single skating
and pair skating
. It is the longer of the two programs, the other one being the Short Program. The time allowed for free skating is 4 minutes for senior ladies and 4 minutes and 30 seconds for senior men and pairs, plus or minus 10 seconds. Programs for juniors are 30 seconds shorter.
Originally, figure skating competitions consisted of compulsory figures
and free skating only, and free skating was "free" in the sense that it was completely free from requirements; skaters could perform whatever combination of elements best suited their individual skills. However, the International Skating Union
adopted requirements for a "well-balanced program" in pair skating
in 1982, and in single skating
in 1984, to counter the trend at that time for skaters to pack their programs with purely athletic elements such as jumps
at the expense of spins and other movements demonstrating mastery of skating technique. For example, for many years the well-balanced program guidelines for singles required a minimum of 4 spins, and pairs were allowed to do 3 to 5 lifts.
After the ISU Judging System
was adopted in 2004, these guidelines were further tightened up to specify a fixed number of each type of element. This effectively has given the free skating a specific list of required elements, since skaters get no credit and are penalized for extra elements and cannot achieve maximum points if they do not include the maximum amount of elements allowed. In addition, the ISU Judging System discounts certain elements that were formerly common in free skating programs, such as Axel
variants and other single and double jumps
used as highlight moves or in jump sequences. Effectively, "free skating" under the IJS no longer allows the freedom to have unlimited attempts at elements, and skaters must include the exact amount of allowable elements in their program.
The time to start and stop timing the program actually begins and ends from the skater starts and stops skating completely, not when the music starts or stops. Failing to finish within the allotted time results in accumulation of deductions.
ISU Regulations currently prohibit the use of vocal music with lyrics in free skating for singles and pairs.
Elements attempted after the halfway point in a free skate have a bonus of 10% added to their base value to reflect the difficulty in attempting an element later in the program versus earlier when a skater is less fatigued. For men and ladies, any jump after the halfway point receives this bonus. In pairs, side by side jumps, throw jumps, and lifts receive this bonus. All other elements (e.g. spins, spirals, death spirals, step sequences) do not qualify for this bonus.
The "Zayak
Prior to 1982, skaters could attempt as many jumps of any type (i.e. takeoff edge) as they wished (e.g. a skater could include 7 triple toe loops in their program with no penalty). To encourage skaters to display a more diverse arsenal of jumps, the ISU passed a rule informally known as the "Zayak Rule" that states that only two types of triple or quadruple jumps may be attempted twice in a program, and if a type is repeated, one of the attempts must be in combination or in a sequence. Triple and quadruple jumps with the same takeoff edge are not considered as the same type of jump. Skaters that violated this rule were penalized with a 0.1 deduction for each infraction under the 6.0 system.
The current implementation of the Zayak Rule under the ISU Judging System causes any jumping pass that includes a triple/quadruple jump that has already been repeated twice to receive no value, even if it is in combination or sequence with an otherwise valid jump. In the case of a skater repeating a jump, but fails to do either in combination, the later jump is scored as a jump sequence, and incurs the same devaluation to 80% of its original value.
In addition to the Zayak Rule, the ISU Judging System placed additional restrictions on jumps, limiting the amount of jumps to a number of jumping "passes" (8 for men, 7 for ladies), meaning that a skater could not attempt unlimited double jumps or make another attempt at a botched jump later in the program without substituting another jumping pass for it. If a skater exceeds the maximum jumping passes, they receive no points for any jumps past the limit and earn a deduction for each extra element.
The implementation of the IJS also required that an Axel
type jump be included in one of the jumping passes in the free skate, and as of 2010, the amount of double Axels in the free skate is restricted to a maximum of 2.
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, sometimes called the "free skate" or "long program", is usually the second of two phases in major figure skating competition
Figure skating competition
-International:* International competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union. These competitions are held using ISU rules; skaters are entered by their respective national skating federations....
s in single skating
Single skating
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating, wherein a single person skates alone. Men's singles and ladies' singles are both Olympic disciplines and are both governed by the International Skating Union. The other Olympic figure skating events are pair skating and ice dancing...
and pair skating
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
. It is the longer of the two programs, the other one being the Short Program. The time allowed for free skating is 4 minutes for senior ladies and 4 minutes and 30 seconds for senior men and pairs, plus or minus 10 seconds. Programs for juniors are 30 seconds shorter.
Originally, figure skating competitions consisted of compulsory figures
Compulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Carving specific patterns or figures into the ice was the original focus of the sport. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight...
and free skating only, and free skating was "free" in the sense that it was completely free from requirements; skaters could perform whatever combination of elements best suited their individual skills. However, the 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...
adopted requirements for a "well-balanced program" in pair skating
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
in 1982, and in single skating
Single skating
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating, wherein a single person skates alone. Men's singles and ladies' singles are both Olympic disciplines and are both governed by the International Skating Union. The other Olympic figure skating events are pair skating and ice dancing...
in 1984, to counter the trend at that time for skaters to pack their programs with purely athletic elements such as jumps
Figure skating jump
Figure skating jumps are a major element of competitive figure skating. Different jumps are identified by the take-off edge and the number of revolutions completed. There are six kinds of jumps currently counted as jump elements in ISU regulations.-Technique:...
at the expense of spins and other movements demonstrating mastery of skating technique. For example, for many years the well-balanced program guidelines for singles required a minimum of 4 spins, and pairs were allowed to do 3 to 5 lifts.
After the ISU Judging System
ISU 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...
was adopted in 2004, these guidelines were further tightened up to specify a fixed number of each type of element. This effectively has given the free skating a specific list of required elements, since skaters get no credit and are penalized for extra elements and cannot achieve maximum points if they do not include the maximum amount of elements allowed. In addition, the ISU Judging System discounts certain elements that were formerly common in free skating programs, such as Axel
Axel jump
The Axel is a figure skating jump with a forward take-off. It is named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen, who first performed the jump in 1882. An Axel jump has an extra ½ rotation in the air due to its forward take-off...
variants and other single and double jumps
Figure skating jump
Figure skating jumps are a major element of competitive figure skating. Different jumps are identified by the take-off edge and the number of revolutions completed. There are six kinds of jumps currently counted as jump elements in ISU regulations.-Technique:...
used as highlight moves or in jump sequences. Effectively, "free skating" under the IJS no longer allows the freedom to have unlimited attempts at elements, and skaters must include the exact amount of allowable elements in their program.
The time to start and stop timing the program actually begins and ends from the skater starts and stops skating completely, not when the music starts or stops. Failing to finish within the allotted time results in accumulation of deductions.
ISU Regulations currently prohibit the use of vocal music with lyrics in free skating for singles and pairs.
Elements attempted after the halfway point in a free skate have a bonus of 10% added to their base value to reflect the difficulty in attempting an element later in the program versus earlier when a skater is less fatigued. For men and ladies, any jump after the halfway point receives this bonus. In pairs, side by side jumps, throw jumps, and lifts receive this bonus. All other elements (e.g. spins, spirals, death spirals, step sequences) do not qualify for this bonus.
The "ZayakElaine ZayakElaine Kathryn Zayak is an American figure skater. She is the 1981 U.S. national champion and the 1982 World Champion. She is a 1984 Winter Olympian.-Personal life:...
Rule" and jump restrictions
Prior to 1982, skaters could attempt as many jumps of any type (i.e. takeoff edge) as they wished (e.g. a skater could include 7 triple toe loops in their program with no penalty). To encourage skaters to display a more diverse arsenal of jumps, the ISU passed a rule informally known as the "Zayak Rule" that states that only two types of triple or quadruple jumps may be attempted twice in a program, and if a type is repeated, one of the attempts must be in combination or in a sequence. Triple and quadruple jumps with the same takeoff edge are not considered as the same type of jump. Skaters that violated this rule were penalized with a 0.1 deduction for each infraction under the 6.0 system.The current implementation of the Zayak Rule under the ISU Judging System causes any jumping pass that includes a triple/quadruple jump that has already been repeated twice to receive no value, even if it is in combination or sequence with an otherwise valid jump. In the case of a skater repeating a jump, but fails to do either in combination, the later jump is scored as a jump sequence, and incurs the same devaluation to 80% of its original value.
In addition to the Zayak Rule, the ISU Judging System placed additional restrictions on jumps, limiting the amount of jumps to a number of jumping "passes" (8 for men, 7 for ladies), meaning that a skater could not attempt unlimited double jumps or make another attempt at a botched jump later in the program without substituting another jumping pass for it. If a skater exceeds the maximum jumping passes, they receive no points for any jumps past the limit and earn a deduction for each extra element.
The implementation of the IJS also required that an Axel
Axel jump
The Axel is a figure skating jump with a forward take-off. It is named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen, who first performed the jump in 1882. An Axel jump has an extra ½ rotation in the air due to its forward take-off...
type jump be included in one of the jumping passes in the free skate, and as of 2010, the amount of double Axels in the free skate is restricted to a maximum of 2.