Nomenclature

[dlbritton]

Is there a good reference regarding skating terms?

As I try to describe things or ask questions I sometimes struggle to use the correct word. For example I think of a turn as arcing/curving to one side or the other, but in skating turning apparently means to go from facing fowards to facing backwards or from back to front. What is the correct word/phrase to describe arcing?

From the physics of it,  I presume  LFO or RFI would refer to an arc to the left . Do/can you go straight on an edge?

Somewhat related, is there an edge/direction that is predominanat? Out of FI, FO, BI and BO which is more common and is Left or Right evenly used or is one side dominant?

[FigureSpins]

http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=670.0

[blue111moon]

in LFI or RBI, etc, the L and R refer to the foot the skater is standing on, not the direction of travel.  A Left (foot) Forward Inside edge actually curves to the right in a clockwise direction. 

Due to the constuction and curvature of the blade, skating on an edge, either inside or outside results in a curve.  To travel in a straight line, the skate must be on a "flat", meaning both edges are touching the ice at the same time. 

You might be interested in the book "Skateology" which concerns all the physics of the sport and the equipment.  Googling the term should give you the information you are seeking in much more detail than we can go into here.

[SynchKat]

My husband is forever confused about the language that is skating.  He, like you, approaches it logically.  Wait until you get to a spiral--it's not what you think it will be. 

The arcing/curving you describe I would call lobes.  I think of skating as done on circles and you go from one lobe to another.  Turns do refer to changes of direction. 

As for edge dominance I would say most are equal.  Many people will prefer inside or outside/forward or backward.  I ice danced all my life and therefore I am more comfortable skating backwards.  Ask a freeskater and they would probably say forward. 

[icedancer]

From the physics of it,  I presume  LFO or RFI would refer to an arc to the left .

Yes this is quite true!!  Good observation.  I use the word arc, or lobe...

[nicklaszlo]

Ask a freeskater and they would probably say forward.

That surprises me. 

[Doubletoe]

From the physics of it,  I presume  LFO or RFI would refer to an arc to the left . Do/can you go straight on an edge?

Somewhat related, is there an edge/direction that is predominanat? Out of FI, FO, BI and BO which is more common and is Left or Right evenly used or is one side dominant?

Responding specifically to this question, I think the terminology you're looking for is "clockwise" vs. "counter-clockwise."  Most figure skaters are more comfortable skating and rotating in a clockwise direction (which is the direction everyone generally skates around the rink on a public session).  So a LFO edge and a RFI edge--both of which are on a counter-clockwise curve--are both going to be more comfortable for most skaters.  Since good skating is supposed to be done on edges, the skater is generally skating on either a clockwise or counter-clockwise circle at any given time.  Of course that imaginary circle (or that particular arc of it, called a "curve" or "lobe") can change often, especially doing a step sequence. 

[FigureSpins]

As a freestyler, I never liked skating forward if I could help it.  Backward skating is faster, stronger and more fun since it's easier to use both legs at once.  Forward stroking is done one leg at a time and you have to watch the (wait for it...)  TOEPICK!

I use "curve" to describe the shape of an edge tracing.  As in "Shoulders over the curve," "Stay on the curve," and "Lean into the curve."
I use "lobe" to describe a curved step or series of edges, mainly on Moves patterns.  Each half-circle pattern is a "lobe."

Most beginners prefer inside edges and turns because it's less scary - you can press on the arch of the boot and put your foot down if you chicken out.
Edges and turns in your natural direction (CW or CCW) will always be more comfortable, but practice strengthens the weaker side and it can be evened out.


If you look at your tracings, you can see if you are truly on an edge: there will be one thin line etched onto the ice.  With control, you can skate on a very shallow edge that appears to be straight, but the easiest way is to skate on "flats."  When you're skating on flats, both edges touch the ice and leave a parallel tracing.  (I can testify that a skater can trace a curve on the ice using both edges...it's called "double tracking/tracing" and it's wrong.    Ask me how I know...)

Being able to skate on deep or shallow edges is a skill that School Figures used to develop, so practice controlling small and large circles to DIY.

[jjane45]

That surprises me.

I lean forward big time but heck I prefer back crossovers to forward crossovers, big time.

To the OP: I'd treat skating vocabulary as foreign vocabulary, some of them never make sense anyways, esp. if named after the inventor (salchow? mohawk?)  Also, as soon as coach goes in depth on technique, I look at him as if he is speaking a foreign language.

[fsk8r]

I lean forward big time but heck I prefer back crossovers to forward crossovers, big time.

To the OP: I'd treat skating vocabulary as foreign vocabulary, some of them never make sense anyways, esp. if named after the inventor (salchow? mohawk?)  Also, as soon as coach goes in depth on technique, I look at him as if he is speaking a foreign language.

A little bit of skating history...

Ulrich Salchow was credited as the first person to land (you guessed it) a Salchow.
Axel Paulsen was credited as the first person to land an Axel. (and in some parts of the world it's called an Axel Paulsen).
Ina Bauer wasn't the first person to do the move. It was previously called a fencer (because it's similar to the stance of a fencer), but she popularised the move.

Three turns and Brackets were called such because of the tracings on the ice.

Mohawks and Choctaws were named because the Victorians (19th Century England) were just starting to skate on artificial rinks (either purposefully flooded fields or refrigerated) and therefore were inventing all the different turns and they also happened to be fascinated with all things Native American/ First Nations and so adopted the names.

And the camel spin was originally called the parallel spin (still is by some coaches in the UK). The term camel came about by some people imitating the original inventer (Celia Coleridge) and didn't get their legs high enough, which meant they had a hump between their heads and their toes. I've not quite worked out why the insult became the commonly used term in North America.

[FigureSpins]

More trivia: Axel Paulsen was a Norwegian speed skater.  He had a brother who also skated, Edwin. 
He also did figures and freeskate; not sure what kind of skates he used.

I had read somewhere that he gave the jump his full name so that it wouldn't be called a "Paulsen."
Didn't want anyone to confuse the inventor (him) with his brother in error.

The Axel Paulsen jump is 132 years old, according to this article:
http://fskating.com/2012/08/130-years-of-the-axel-jump.html

[dlbritton]

To the OP: I'd treat skating vocabulary as foreign vocabulary, some of them never make sense anyways, esp. if named after the inventor (salchow? mohawk?) 

Things with unique names or those named after someone aren't a big issue, I just have to learn them. It is words with different meanings in context such as "turn" that prompted my post. In skiing a turn is entirely different than a turn on skates.

[SynchKat]

I lean forward big time but heck I prefer back crossovers to forward crossovers,

See most of the ladies I do group classes with think I am odd for not liking forward skating.  Maybe they are just more beginner skaters.

To the OP...wait until you have to figure out the difference between three turns, brackets, rockers and counters.  They are all very similar one foot turns with slight differences in position, where your weight is, etc. 

Even if you take up dance, an ice dance chasee isn't like a chasee in regular chasee.  Or our rhumba isn't like a ballroom rhumba.