Landing for success: a biomechanical and perceptual analysis of on-ice jumps in figure skating.

Full Abstract

Technical evaluation in the sport of figure skating is characterized by a subjective marking system. Figure skating judges are responsible for quickly and accurately discerning the quality of technical elements as well as assigning a score to the overall aesthetic appearance of a performance. Traditionally, overall placement marks are assigned for the entire performance; however, the landing of a jump is widely acknowledged as one of the most critical elements of a skater's program. Therefore, our aims were to identify the biomechanical variables that contribute to technical success in executing landings and to establish whether landings rated as biomechanically optimal are also awarded high technical merit scores by judges. Ten nationally ranked competitive figure skaters were asked to execute on-ice, double and triple revolution jumps and to try to land the jumps void of technical faults within a calibrated space. Data were collected at 60 Hz using standard three-dimensional videography. Data reduction was done using the APAS system (Ariel Dynamics Inc). Concurrently, videotapes were viewed and evaluated by 42 accredited judges to determine the perceived technical quality of the landing performances. Judges were asked to evaluate the landing phase of each jump against a landing criteria document. A comparative criteria model was developed to facilitate an assessment of excellence in landing performances through both empirical and subjective analyses. Results of these analyses were twofold:
a biomechanical profile of on-ice landings was obtained, and on-ice jump landing strategies rated by empirical evaluations were in agreement with judge's perceptions of the same performances.

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Author information

Author/s: Lockwood, Kelly L (KL); Gervais, Pierre J (PJ); Mccreary, Donald R (DR);

Affiliation: Department of Physical Education & Kinesiology, Brock University, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Sports biomechanics / International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (Sports Biomech), published in Scotland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jul; vol 5 (issue 2) : pp 231-41

Dates: Created 2006/08/30; Completed 2007/01/09;

PMID: 16939155, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Arm - physiology
Biomechanics
Hip - physiology
Humans
Leg - physiology
Muscle Contraction - physiology
Perception

Posture - physiology
Rotation
Shoulder - physiology
Skating - physiology
Task Performance and Analysis
Torque
Video Recording

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