title: Body movements during the off-ice execution of back spins in figure skating.
abstract: Using an optoelectronic motion capture system, we quantitatively assessed the arrangement of body segments and the displacement of the horizontal projection of the center of mass (CM) in seven skaters performing off-ice back spins on a rotating device (spinner). The position of the CM at the beginning of the spins was not a determining factor, but its rapid stabilization towards the center of the spinner, together with the achievement of a stable arrangement of trunk and limbs, was crucial to get the dynamic equilibrium, necessary for a lasting performance. At full spinning, however, there was an indicative variety of individual body postures. A final deceleration, associable with the loss of body equilibrium, was detected in the last spin of most of skaters. In conclusion, the current investigation demonstrated that the off-ice execution of back spin, a critical movement of ice skating, can be measured in laboratory, thus providing quantitative information to both the skaters and the coaches. The analysis is not invasive, and it may be proposed also for longitudinal evaluations of skating and postural training.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Anatomia Funzionale dell'Apparato Locomotore, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mapelli
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodano
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiorentini
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giustolisi
authors.forename: Fernanda V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Sidequersky
authors.forename: Chiarella
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sforza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012399:Rotation; D012861:Skating / Q000502:physiology*; D051598:Whole Body Imaging; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Back spin; Ice skating; Motion analysis