9-422: The Biellmann spin is a difficult variation of the layback spin in figure skating . It was made popular by world champion Denise Biellmann . The Biellmann spin is a difficult variation of the layback spin in figure skating . It is executed by the skater grabbing their free blade and pulling the heel of their boot behind and above the level of the head so that their legs are in an approximate full split, with
18-468: A Biellmann spin. Like other categories of difficult spin variations, the Biellmann is counted in a skater's score, in both the short and free skating programs , only the first time it is completed. The Biellmann spin was made popular by world champion Denise Biellmann . Russian figure skater Irina Slutskaya invented and was noted for the double Biellmann spin with a foot change, which is executed by
27-408: A rope tied around her waist". The upright spin has long been associated with women's skating, but men have also performed it. Skaters include it in their programs because it increases their technical content and fulfills choreographic needs. The layback spin is executed by holding the free leg in a back attitude position and arching the head and upper body backward so that the skater faces up towards
36-558: Is a variation of the upright spin , a spin in figure skating . British figure skater Cecilia Colledge was "responsible for the invention" of the spin and the first to execute it. Colledge's coach, Jacques Gerschwiler, who was a former gymnastics teacher and according to Colledge "very progressive in his ideas", got the idea for the upright spin while watching one of Colledge's trainers, a former circus performer turned acrobatics instructor, train Colledge to perform backbends "by means of
45-426: The head and back arched upward. The spin demands high levels of strength and flexibility. The Biellmann increases the complexity of a skater's short or free program only if they execute eight revolutions, in either a backward and/or sideway position without any changes, before attempting the Biellmann and if they clearly increase the speed of the spin. Advanced novice skaters must complete six revolutions before executing
54-405: The level of the head so that their legs are in an approximate full split, with the head and back arched upward. The spin "requires much strength and extreme flexibility". Other difficult variations of the layback spin are the full layback (the upper body is arched sideways with the upper body bent to the side from the waist towards the ice or arched back from the waist towards the ice) and when
63-398: The skater reaching back with their hands, grabbing the blade of one skate and pulling it straight over their head, and then performing the same action with the other skate. The Biellmann spin, due to the flexibility required in executing it, is more commonly executed by women than by men. A notable exception is two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu . Layback spin A layback spin
72-411: The skater's upper body is arched sideways or arched back, with their free leg almost touching their head in a full circle. In ice dance, difficult variations of the layback spin include a split , with both legs straight and the boot of one partner's free leg held up higher than their head (which can be supported by their partner) and leaning away from the other partner, with the axis to their upper back to
81-564: The sky, ceiling, or further. The free leg position is optional. A variation of the layback spin is the Biellmann spin , made popular by world champion Denise Biellmann , which the International Skating Union (ISU), the organization that governs figure skating, considers a difficult variation of the layback spin. It is executed by the skater grabbing their free blade and pulling the heel of their boot behind and above
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