Until 1947, compulsory figures made up 60 percent of the total score at most competitions around the world. The International Skating Union voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions in 1990. The World Figure Sport Society has conducted festivals and competitions of compulsory figures, endorsed by the Ice Skating Institute, since 2015.
About Compulsory figures in brief
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly a segment of figure skating, and gave the sport its name. Until 1947, compulsory figures made up 60 percent of the total score at most competitions around the world. The International Skating Union voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions in 1990. Some skaters and coaches believe compulsory figures give skaters an advantage in developing alignment, core strength, body control, and discipline. The World Figure Sport Society has conducted festivals and competitions of compulsory figures, endorsed by the Ice Skating Institute, since 2015. The Mohawk, a two-foot turn on the same circle, most likely in North America, originated in Canada, according to historian James Hines, which was probably the most American of all figures. The Viese style of figure. skating, described by Max Wirth’s book in 1881, ultimately led to modern free skating programs, which ultimately led. to free skating in the U.S. Other special freeskating competitions held in the late 19th and early 20th centuries included special figures, which included the rocker, the loop, the Q, and other figures. Until approximately the first 50 years of. figure skating as a sport, until 1947, for approximately 50 years, for compulsory figures for skaters, the figure eight was the most important shape. The simple figure eight shape was executed by connecting two circles; other figures included the three turn, the counter turn, and the bracket turn. Skaters would train for hours to learn and execute them well, and competing and judging figures would often take up to eight hours during competitions.
In 1869, Henry Vandervell and T. Maxwell Witham from the London Skating Club wrote System of Figure Skating, which described variations of the threeturn, the bracket, the rockers, the Mohawk and the Q. The circle is the basis of all figure skating; other elements in compulsory figures include curves, change of foot and change of edge, and turns. The Edinburgh Skating. Club, one of the oldest skating clubs in the world, described combined figures and those done by multiple skaters; interlocking figure eights were the most. important. By the 1850s, the mostimportant figures were developed, and formed the basis for figure skating at the time. Jean Garcin, a member of an elite group of skaters in France, wrote a book about figure skating in 1813 that included descriptions and illustrations of over 30 figures, including a series of circle-eight figures that skaters still use today. The Art of Skating was written by Robert Jones in 1772 and described five advanced figures, three of which were illustrated with large color plates, which emphasized correct technique, were the accepted and basic repertoire of figures in 18th century England. The London Sk skating Club, founded in 1830 in London, also required proficiency tests for members and pioneered combined skating, which contributed to the evolution of school figures.