Steps and Turns - Ice skating resources

Steps and Turns
Chasse – a push, glide, push sequence.
Steps to perform a left chasse:
• Begin by gliding forward on two feet.
• Stroke onto a left forward outside edge
and extend the free leg back.
• Bring the right foot to the skating foot
and transfer your weight to the right
foot. Lift the left foot and place it on
the ice inside of the curve, in a
parallel position that is approximately
2-3 inches off the ice. You should now
be on a right forward inside edge.
• Put your feet back together again and
push onto a left forward outside edge
to complete the chasse.
Demonstrate chasses in both
directions.
The extended Stroke should last for
one beat. Count while you are doing the
chasse. When you lift your foot off the ice
for the chasse, this should occur on the
second beat.
Bring your feet back together between
beats. Repeat and count. Don't forget to
practice chasses in both directions and
with different types of music. When you
chasse to waltz music, lift your foot up
on the third beat instead of the second
beat.
Progressive
A progressive is a term used in ice
dancing. The progressive is a sequence of
three strokes executed on a curve.
A forward progressive and a forward
crossover should be performed using the
same technical skills. Do not confuse
crossovers with a “Step Over” in which
the new skating foot is in the air as it
steps over the skating foot prior to being
placed on the ice. This is a major error.
Crossovers and progressives are
performed with the new skating foot
sliding across in front of the current
skating foot
Progressives are sometimes called
runs, but there is a difference. A
progressive is a series of three steps -
usually forward outside, forward inside,
and forward outside edge. A run is an
unlimited series of progressive strokes.
A progressive can be skated forward
or backward.
Swing Roll
A swing roll is an ice dance move that
starts as an edge, but at the midpoint of
the curve, the free leg changes from the
pushing position to a leading position.
The skating knee is usually bent at
the beginning of the roll, and then
becomes completely straight as the free
leg swings through.

One Foot Figure Skating Turns
Brackets
A bracket turn is similar to a three turn,
but a bracket turn is counter-rotated.
The tracing the ice skate blade makes on
the ice after the turn is completed points
outward, and does not make a "3"
pattern like the three turn. The turn can
be performed from either an outside edge
to an inside edge, or an inside edge to an
outside edge.
Types of Figure Skating Turns
Diagram by Dr. Arthur Schneider
There are turns are classified as two
different types of turns:
• Performed on one foot
o 3-Turn
o Bracket
o Counter
o Rocker
Counters
In a counter the skater enters and exits
on the same edge. A counter begins like a
bracket, where the rotation of the body is
counter to the natural direction of the
curve made by the edge. Like the
bracket, the top of the turn points out.
The difference is that unlike the bracket
turn, the edges before and after the turn
makes opposite curves.
• Turns requiring a change of feet
o Mohawk
o Choctaw
3-Turns
The easiest one-foot turn is the 3-Turn.
In a three turn, the ice skate blade
makes the pattern of a "3" on the ice.
Three turns are done from either an
outside edge to an inside edge, or an
inside edge to an outside edge. The
direction of the turn follows the way the
edge rotates and curves.
Rockers
Rockers are the opposite of counters. A
rocker turn starts like a three turn, but
unlike a three turn, the turn occurs from
same edge to same edge. Also, like a

counter turn, the turn continues on a
different curve.
Mohawk
Definition: A Mohawk is an ice skating
turn that is done from same edge to
same edge, from either forward to
backward or backward to forward.
Examples:
Most figure skaters enter a waltz jump
from a back outside Mohawk. A back
outside Mohawk is usually easier for new
ice skaters than a forward inside
Mohawk.
Choctaw
A Choctaw is a figure skating turn. The
turn is made from one edge to another
edge, from forward to backward or
backward to forward. The Choctaw turn
has some similarities to a Mohawk turn.
What makes the turns similar is that the
skater turns from either forward to
backward or backward to forward and
changes feet in the process.
Mohawk turns are made from same edge
to same edge. A Choctaw turn requires
the skater to go from one edge to a
different edge. Choctaws can be entered
on an inside edge and exited on an
outside edge or be entered on an outside
edge and be exited on an inside edge.
Examples: Choctaw turns are done in
some compulsory ice dances. Some
dances that include a Choctaw turn are
the Blues, Killian, Quickstep, and
Rhumba.
Free skaters don't always realize that
they are doing a Choctaw turn when they
enter spins from a back inside edge to a
forward outside edge.
Turns on one foot were exclusively
used in compulsory figures
Figure skating is called "figure skating"
because of the sport's original emphasis
on compulsory figures. The figures were
designed to be performed on a clean
sheet of ice.
All of the one foot turns done in figure
skating were originally included in the
standard U.S. Figure Skating figure tests.
3-Turns were introduced very early in the
test structure. As skaters advanced, they
were required to perform brackets,
counters and rockers.