Recognising the Edges
Figure skating is defined in terms of “edges”. The bottom of a figure skating blade is ground into the shape of a hollow circle, and the “points” of the circle are what actually touch the ice. These “points” are called edges, and each skate blade has 2 of them — the “inside edge”, and the “outside edge”. On the skater’s left foot, the right side of the blade would be the “inside edge” (the inside of the legs).
There are 8 ways to skate, described by a combination of the foot, direction of movement, and blade edge. They are as follows:
Code |
Description |
LBO |
Skating on the Left foot, Backwards, on the Outside edge |
LBI |
Skating on the Left foot, Backwards, on the Inside edge |
RBO |
Skating on the Right foot, Backwards, on the Outside edge |
RBI |
Skating on the Right foot, Backwards, on the Inside edge |
LFO |
Skating on the Left foot, Forwards, on the Outside edge |
LFI |
Skating on the Left foot, Forwards, on the Inside edge |
RFO |
Skating on the Right foot, Forwards, on the Outside edge |
RFI |
Skating on the Right foot, Forwards, on the Inside edge |
Most skating elements can be described as a combination of edges using the above terminology.
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