Figure Skating Championship Techniques - by John Misha Petkevich

This book by John Misha Petkevich is a fabulous resource for all skaters, recreational or competitive. As a coach I am adding this book to the reading list for my students. It is a little advanced for children, therefore I suggest it for 12 years and up. It is also a great resource for parents either just beginning the sport or for those who desire to know more about the technical aspects of figure skating.

In the first chapter Petkevich has included some information about figures, which no longer exists in competitive figure skating. Simply look over this section. At the time of publication, figures were still active and he included them in order to have a thorough coverage of this sport. Included is excellent coverage of some basic questions which all parents ask as they begin the skating journey.

• What equipment do I need?
• How do I pick a coach?
• What types of skating exist?
• And what should I wear?

Next Petkevich covers the basic terminology, as well as principles which are common in all types of figure skating. This part is a little technical for younger readers. The following chapter on body positions includes great photos which demonstrate the basic concepts in body alignment. Petkevich describes in the next few chapters the techniques for all of the basic skating skills from sculling, which is referred to as swizzles in the U.S., to the basic turns from forwards to backwards and vice versa.

It would be extremely difficult to learn skating from any book, but reading and spending some time with this book would expedite the process with an instructor greatly, especially for adults.

Perhaps the best part of this book are the chapters on spins and jumps. In figure skating there are many different techniques used to produce the same result, but there are basic rules and laws which must be followed. These basic rules and laws are what Petkevich focuses on in the spins and jumps. He painstakingly describes the details of how to perform each element step by step, including diagrams and photos to illustrate positions.

As I mentioned before, you probably will not learn to skate by reading books, but learning the terminology and concepts of skating can make your understanding and progression with lessons much quicker. This is one of the best resources I have seen for a thorough understanding of the sport of figure skating.