Disciplines

International competitions in figure skating are comprised of the following disciplines:

• Singles competition for men and women (who are referred to as "ladies" in the official terminology of the sport). Singles skaters must perform jumps, spins, and step sequences in their programmes.
• Pairs consisting of one lady and one man. Pairs perform singles elements in unison as well as pair-specific elements such as:
• throw jumps, in which the male skater 'throws' the female into a jump
• lifts, in which the female is held above the male's head in a number of different grips and positions
• pair spins, in which both skaters spin together about a common axis
• death spirals, where the male in a pivot swings the female around him on a deep edge in a position low to the ice.
• Ice dancing, again for couples, consisting of a lady and man skating together. Ice dance differs from pairs in focusing on difficult steps performed in close dance holds exactly to the beat of the music rather than acrobatic jumps, throws, and lifts. In addition to free dances to music of their own choice, ice dancers must perform compulsory dances with fixed steps and patterns to standard ballroom dance rhythms. In spite of the lack of obvious "tricks", ice dance is considered by many to be the most technical and detailed of the skating disciplines.
• Synchronised skating, for mixed-gender groups of up to 20 skaters. This discipline resembles a group form of ice dance with additional emphasis on precise formations of the group as a whole and complex transitions between formations.

Other disciplines of skating include:

• Compulsory figures, in which skaters use their blades to draw circles, figure of 8s, and similar shapes in ice. They are judged on the accuracy and clarity of the figures and the cleanness and exact placement of the various turns on the circles. Figures were formerly included as a component of singles competitions but were eliminated from those events in 1990. Today figures are rarely taught or performed. The United States was the last country to retain a separate test and competitive structure for compulsory figures, but the last national-level figures championship was held in 1999.
• Moves in the field (known in the UK as field moves), which have replaced compulsory figures as a discipline to teach the same turns and edge skills in the context of fluid free skating movements instead of being constrained to artificially precise circles.
• Fours, a discipline that is to pairs as pairs is to singles. A fours team consists of two men and two women who perform singles and pairs elements in unison as well as unique elements that involve all four skaters.
• Theatre on ice, also known as ballet on ice in Europe. This is a form of group skating that is less structured than synchronised skating and allows the use of props and theatrical costuming.
• Adagio skating, a form of pair skating most commonly seen in ice shows, where the skaters perform many spectacular acrobatic lifts but few or none of the singles elements which competitive pairs must perform.