Techniques in Figure Skating

Skating does not mean simply gliding and moving on ice. There are specific techniques involved in order to get to a certain point while doing certain moves. These techniques are sculling, stroking, and crossovers.

In order to skate forward or backward without lifting either skate, you will have to use the sculling technique. Before you can scull by yourself, you have to get away from the rink barrier, so that you avoid the possibility of hitting it in the event of a fall while sculling, and learn quicker to scull because of the removal of the railings for support, thereby having more focus on the undertaking. Sculling is performed by first standing with weight evenly distributed on both feet and arms on both sides. The knees are bent and ankles tightened, then the toes are turned out away from each other, with shifts in weight until the legs separate and straighten. The toes are then turned toward each other, just like pigeon toes. The steps are merely repeated for continuous sculling.

The second, equally important technique to be aware of is stroking, the use of only one foot for gliding. With one foot forward while both skates touch each other in a 45-degree angle, the entire body weight is first on the foot that is on the back. With movement, the weight is shifted to the foot that is in front, while the left is used to push the body. The skater then glides using the foot that was initially in front. Once the glide slows down, the other foot is once again placed next to the gliding foot, and weight is once again evenly distributed on both limbs. The previously gliding foot is then used to push against the ice, while the other foot is the one used to glide. The 45-degree angle between the skates needs to be maintained between glides. Again, for continuous stroking, one merely needs to repeat the steps.

The third technique, called crossover, is self-explanatory. One leg, or the outside skate, crosses over the other, the inside skate, while gliding forward or skating backwards. This is especially useful around corners because it is perfect for changing directions. It is a must not just around corners but also when going in circles and building speed. It is only difference from stroking is the crossing over of the legs. To do a right over left crossover, the stance is similar to that of stroking, but the right leg crosses over the left leg then the weight is transferred to the right skate. The left knee is then straightened, and used to push with its outside edge. The process is just repeated for another crossover.

Aside from these three, there are other similarly essential techniques, such as doing spins and spirals, getting up on skates in the event of a fall, learning how to stop, and some footwork sequences. These cannot be learned by merely reading, though. One has to go through the steps in a real skating rink in order to truly learn them by heart.