Turn the official criteria into five questions skaters and parents can use for observation.
What You Will Learn | |
Understand the judges' rules through five simple questions you can ask yourself while watching any practice video. |
Common Misunderstanding ❌ "Judges are only watching whether I fall or make a mistake during the program."
👉 The Reality: Not true! While the technical judges check the mistakes, the Composition judges are asking themselves these 5 Core Questions about the whole performance:
Space: Do the movements use the whole rink, with changes in height, direction, and body shape?
Connections: Are there natural, smooth movements between and within the jumps and spins?
Music: Does the choreography clearly change with the quiet parts, loud parts, and details of the music?
Pattern: Is there a clear reason for the skating paths, or are elements just crowded in one spot?
Unity: Does the entire routine feel like one single, connected story from beginning to end?
✍️ How to Analyze Your Program in Practice
Watch a video with the sound off: Check if the skater's paths look repetitive, or if they only use one side of the rink.
Watch again with the sound on: Check if the big changes in the music and the changes in movement clearly match.