Layback spin

Element in figure skating

Figure skating element

Element name	Layback spin
Scoring abbreviation	LSp
Element type	Upright spin
Inventor	Cecilia Colledge

A layback spin is a variation of the upright spin, a spin in figure skating. British figure skater Cecilia Colledge was "responsible for the invention"^[1] of the spin and the first to execute it.^[2] Colledge's coach, Jacques Gerschwiler, who was a former gymnastics teacher and according to Colledge "very progressive in his ideas",^[1] 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 a rope tied around her waist".^[1] 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.^[3]

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 the sky, ceiling, or further.^[4] The free leg position is optional.^[5] 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 the level of the head so that their legs are in an approximate full split, with the head and back arched upward.^[4]^[6] The spin "requires much strength and extreme flexibility".^[7]

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 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 the knee over 45 degrees.^[6]

Gallery

Catch foot layback spin
(Elena Glebova)
Catch foot layback spin
(Mirai Nagasu)
Catch foot layback spin
(Caroline Zhang)
(Angela Nikodinov)
(Angela Wang)
(Becky Bereswill)
(Jennifer Kirk)
(Yuna Kim)
Layback spin
(Rachael Flatt)
Layback spin
(Ashley Wagner)
A man performs layback spin
(Rohene Ward)
Catch-foot layback spin
(Jelena Glebova)
"Haircutter" variation
(Diane Szmiett)
"Haircutter" variation
(Angela Maxwell)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Kestnbaum, p. 107
^ Hines, p. 112
^ Petkevich, John Misha (1988). Sports Illustrated Figure Skating: Championship Techniques (1st ed.). New York: Sports Illustrated. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-4616-6440-6. OCLC 815289537.
^ ^a ^b Kestnbaum, p. 281
^ "Special Regulations & Technical Rules: Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2022". International Skating Union. 2022. p. 104. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Communication No. 2393: Ice Dance Lausanne, Switzerland: International Skating Union". 6 May 2021. p. 5. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
^ Hines, p. 227

Works cited

Hines, James R. (2006) Figure Skating: A History. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-07286-4.
Kestnbaum, Ellyn (2003). Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6641-1.

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Figure skating

Competitive
skating

General	Glossary of terms History Figure skate Rink Club Competition Season ISU Judging System 6.0 system
Disciplines	Single skating Pair skating Ice dance Synchronized skating Four skating
Segments	Compulsory figures Demise and revival Special figures Short program Free skating Compulsory dance Original dance Rhythm dance Free dance

International
competitions

Singles, pairs and ice dance	Olympic Games World Championships European Championships Four Continents Championships Grand Prix (Final) Challenger Series World Team Trophy Youth Olympic Games World Junior Championships Junior Grand Prix (Final)
Synchronized skating	World Championships World Junior Championships Junior World Challenge Cup Challenger Series

Elements
and other
moves

Required elements	Choreographic sequence Death spiral Jumps Lifts Spins Step sequence Competition elements in ice dance
Jumps	Axel jump Euler jump Flip jump Loop jump Lutz jump Salchow jump Toe loop jump Quadruple jump
Spins	Upright spin Layback spin Biellmann spin Sit spin Camel spin
Steps, turns and basic strokes	Three turn Bracket turn Choctaw turn (S step) Counter turn Crossover Loop turn Mohawk turn (C step) Rocker turn Twizzle turn
Moves in the field	Besti squat Cantilever Hydroblading Ina Bauer Spiral Spread eagle