Editing Figure skating spins (section)

== Execution ==
[[File:Cup of Russia 2010 - Yuko Kawaguti (2).jpg|thumb|[[Yuko Kavaguti|Yuko Kawaguti]], 2010. Illustration of angular momentum: As a skater pulls in her arms, she reduces her moment of inertia and rotates faster.]]
As ''[[The New York Times]]'' says, "While jumps look like sport, spins look more like art. While jumps provide the suspense, spins provide the scenery, but there is so much more to the scenery than most viewers have time or means to grasp".<ref name="clarey">{{cite news |last1=Clarey |first1=Christopher |date=19 February 2014 |title=Appreciating Skating's Spins, the Art Behind the Sport |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/sports/olympics/appreciating-figure-skatings-spins-the-art-behind-the-sport.html |access-date=23 July 2022}}</ref> According to Scott Hamilton, spins are often used "as breathing points or transitions to bigger things"<ref name="clarey" /> and are more difficult to explain to the audience "because there is so much going on".<ref name="clarey" /> Hamilton stated that explaining the intricacies of spins, like edge changes, is challenging because they are difficult to see.<ref name="clarey" />

Most beginning skaters learn how to execute spins in the counter-clockwise direction, but some may execute them clockwise.{{Sfn|Petkevich|1988|p=128}} Most spins are executed on one foot, except for the two-foot spin, which beginning skaters tend to learn first, and the cross-foot spin.{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|p=279}}{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|p=136}}{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|p=143}} The two-foot spin consists of three essential parts—the setup, the windup, and the spin—as well as the exit, which can be done by rotating in a closed spinning position until stopping or by using a back inside edge with a change of foot.{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|p=26}}

The effect of linear and [[Torque|rotational forces]] is most apparent and most powerful when performing spins. The successful accomplishment of spins depends upon the effective management of [[angular momentum]], which occurs during the entrance of a spin and ends once a skater is in the spin and all linear force is translated into [[angular velocity]]. The skater rotates around the point at which their blade touches the ice, the most important point in the vertical axis made by their body, and a fixed vertical axis that extends from the blade on the ice to the highest point in their body. The absence of angular momentum means that fewer variables, or vectors, influence the resulting motion, so if the center of gravity is maintained, spins should be easier to perform than other elements such as jumps.{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|p=127}} The change from angular momentum to angular speed around a fixed vertical axis is difficult to control, though, as is the change from one force into another in general. Moving forward quickly also cannot be efficiently converted into fast angular speed, so the conversion of fast linear motion, which produces a lot of force, into fast rotational motion is small. Therefore, is it a waste of energy to build up speed going into a spin; entering a spin slowly achieves the same result and will probably be more consistent.{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|p=127}}

A spin consists of the following parts: preparation, entry, spin, and exit. During the preparation phase, skaters decrease the radius of the skating curve and velocity/speed, which means that the skater must increase how much they lean into the spin. As researchers Lee Cabell and Erica Bateman state, "A step against the gliding edge exerts a force on the ice; the resultant torque about the axis of rotation results in the angular momentum that is used during the spin".{{Snf|Cabell|Bateman|2018|p=23}} Greater force during the initial push of the spin's preparation phase results in greater torque and angular momentum, which will result in a faster spin.{{Snf|Cabell|Bateman|2018|p=23}} The [[International Skating Union]] defines a spin exit as "the last phase of the spin and includes the phase immediately following the spin".<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2020 |title=Communication No. 2334: Single and Pair Skating |url=https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/24665-isu-communication-2334/file |access-date=24 July 2022 |publisher=International Skating Union |location=Lausanne, Switzerland |page=3}}</ref> The exit coming out of a spin occurs in two stages: breaking the spin's rotational spin and the exit itself. There are many exit variations of spins.{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|pp=129–130}} A difficult exit is any jump or movement a skater performs that makes the exit significantly more difficult.<ref name="no2334-3" />
[[File:Threeturn.GIF|thumb|The [[3 turn]], a movement used in many spins]]
The entry phase of a spin produces a logarithmic curve with an indefinite number of radii, smallest at the end and largest at the beginning. When the entry curve radius is decreased, the skater will change the angle of their ean towards the vertical axis, gradually reducing the velocity/speed. The curve ends with a [[3 turn]], then the center of gravity is slightly lower, resulting in the skater beginning to spin. After the initiation of the actual spin, they will exhibit a large moment of inertia. Their shoulders are square to the hips and rotating with each other at the same angular velocity. The skater's center of gravity must be directly above theie base of support (for example, where the blade is in contact with the ice) in order for them to execute a balanced spin. If the spin is not balanced and centered, the vertical projection of the center of gravity moves away from their base of support, which results in the spinning blade making small loops on the ice.{{Snf|Cabell|Bateman|2018|p=24}}

The skater's goal for most spins is to rotate as quickly as possible, to have a well-defined and pleasing body position, to maintain perfect balance before, during, and after the spin, and to remain in one place, called centering, while executing a spin.{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|p=135}} A good spin should rotate in one place on the ice, "drawing a series of tiny overlapping circles on top of each other" into the ice.{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|pp=279–280}} A skater who executes a spin that is not centered will travel across the ice, "producing a series of loops strung out along a curve or straight line, so that the skater will end the spin several feet away from the spot on the ice where she began it".{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|p=280}} In order to rotate rapidly, the skater must increase their speed (rotations per minute), which is accomplished by reducing the distance of the vertical axis from the parts of their body.  This is done by bringing their arms and free leg closer to their body, in line with the vertical axis. Since the true center of gravity is at the point in which the blade meets the ice, the skater must also lower their arms and free leg toward that point. The force created by the spin is generated outward and upward, or via the path of least resistance, as their speed increases. When skaters allow the force to follow the path of least resistance, however, they will lose some of the force that contributes to rotational speed, so when they increase a spin's speed, they must move their arms and free leg inward and downward. Exactly how this is done varies depending on the type of spin skaters perform.{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|pp=127–128}}

Skaters experience dizziness during spins because as they spin, their eyes focus on an immobile object and follows it until the object passes beyond their peripheral vision. Then their eyes race ahead to focus on a new object and as the spin ends, their eyes continue to follow this pattern, causing dizziness. It takes practice to train the eyes to return to normal, which dissipates the experience of dizziness.{{Snf|Petkevich|1988|pp=127–128}}