Compulsory figures

Compulsory figures were a former aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which its name (in English) derives. The original focus of the sport was the carving of specific figures into the ice, and for many years after free skating was added to competitions, the marks for the compulsory figures still contributed 60% of the total score.

Judging of Compulsory Figures

The criteria that are used to judge figures include:

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• The circles must be perfectly round, without wobbles, flats, bulges, or curling inward.
• All the circles in the figure must be the same size.
• The turns on a figure must be lined up with the central axis, and the circles themselves must also all line up.
• The turns must be symmetrical in shape and executed on true edges without scraping or "flats".
• Loops should be shaped like loops, and not be circular or pointed.

Judges normally stand on the ice, off to one side, to watch the execution of the figure. When the skater has finished, they typically check the alignment of the figure from different angles, peer closely at the tracings of the turns, and pace off the diameters of the circles to check their sizes.

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