Figure skating is right up there with gymnastics in terms of its ability to make your jaw drop with athletes' physics-defying moves . But between the sport's complicated scoring system, the vast number of skills the skaters perform , and the onslaught of sequins, it's OK if watching figure skating makes you feel as overwhelmed as you are fascinated. To make the performances a little easier to understand, here are some basic figure skating moves you should know.
Although the different figure skating disciplines have their own distinct features, understanding even a handful of figure skating moves will help you track what's happening across the board. Figure skating is a fast-moving sport, and it can sometimes be difficult to identify every element in real time — especially jumps, which can only be distinguished by looking closely at a skater's feet. During the live broadcasts, there will always be a scoring box on screen that labels the moves (plus their levels and grades of execution), but if you want to learn more about the most common figure skating moves, this guide is a good place to start.
First, let's get one important thing out of the way. You're going to hear a lot of talk about "edges," both here and on TV, and having a basic understanding of edges is key to deciphering jumps and step sequences. So what is an edge, exactly? A figure skating blade is made from a thin piece of metal, which has a very narrow "flat" surface and two sharp edges — just imagine a knife .