As a sport, an art, a fitness activity, nothing quite beats figure skating for excitement, grace, beauty, or fun. Now former U.S. Champion figure skater John Misha Petkevich shows how you can find your full potential as a figure skater no matter what your age or ability. The lavishly illustrated volume includes: Detailed instructional-photo sequences What to look for in skates, clothing, rinks, and instruction Getting started 6 basic turns that every figure skater should know 15 spins that you can master The keys to preforming 19 clasic figure skating jumps and splits

The executive director of the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) provides proven technique instruction for more than 100 skills, presenting them progressively from beginning to advanced levels of expertise. 170 photos.

The Science of Figure Skating is the first book to provide an evidence-based and comprehensive reference for the scientific underpinnings of this complex Olympic sport, where early specialization presents unique challenges for coaches and athletes alike. Drawing on cutting-edge research and featuring contributions from leading academics and practitioners, the book covers key topics of health, training and high performance in figure skating, including: Physiological demands Nutrition and hydration Training methods Psychology and mental performance Novel issues relating to performance such as travel and jet lag Technological innovation Effectively and succinctly applying theory to practice, The Science of Figure Skating is a valuable resource on integrating sport science concepts into training and performance. It is essential reading for any applied sport science student or researcher with an interest in winter sports, and coaches, sport science officers, nutritionists or clinicians involved in figure skating.

Figure skating is the most popular televised sport at the Olympic Winter Games and is the oldest of the winter sports, having first been contested at the Games of the fourth Olympiad in London in 1908. No other sport creates such a perfect balance between athleticism and artistry, and the athletes—many of them household names like Oksana Baiul, Brian Boitano, Nancy Kerrigan, Evan Lysacek, Katarina Witt, and Kristi Yamaguchi—spend years in training to make it look effortless. The Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating relates the history of the sport through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, appendixes, and over 800 cross-referenced dictionary entries on hundreds of skaters, past and present, but also on skating countries, governing bodies, skating disciplines, technical elements, skating styles, and many other subjects. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the history of figure skating.

Text and illustrations demonstrate basic skating steps--skating forwards, skating backwards--through such advanced techniques as the double flip and the triple Salchow.

Now there's a masterfully written guide that shows beginning and recreational skaters the fundamental skills of ice skating. In Ice Skating: Steps to Success, Karin K "nzle-Watson--nine-time Swiss National Champion, former Professional World Champion, and one of skating's best instructors--shares with readers the steps that she and many of her students learned on their way to becoming elite competitive skaters. Most instruction books available on ice skating tend to focus on advanced jumps or spins, assuming the reader will learn the basics through professional instruction. Ice Skating: Steps to Success, however, covers fundamental skills in a way that's easy to understand and apply. Part of the highly popular Steps to Success Series, this book includes 11 steps (chapters) that progress from basic to intermediate skills. It features over 300 illustrations that make it possible to learn proper form and technique. Readers will learn how to: - attain the posture and control required for basic skills; - use standard methods of gaining forward and backward speed; - execute four different methods of stopping; - fall properly and get up easily; - change direction without loss of control; and - control the skate edges in order to prepare for advanced maneuvers, including jumps, spins, and footwork. With Ice Skating: Steps to Success, beginning and recreational skaters will develop a solid foundation of skills to help them gain confidence in their abilities and enjoy the sport more.