Key takeaways
- Every spin gets a level (Base, 1, 2, 3, or 4) that sets its base value, plus a GOE from -5 to +5 for quality.
- One valid level feature earns one level, so Level 4 takes at least four features from the ISU's 2026-27 list of 15.
- Most features count only once per program, and only two difficult variations count in any one spin.
- A spin needs at least three revolutions to count at all, and change-foot spins need three on each foot.
- At U.S. adult events, spins top out at Level 1 for adult pre-bronze and bronze, Level 2 for silver, Level 3 for gold and Level 4 only at the masters levels, so a clean, centered spin with positive GOE matters more than chasing features.
You've been working on that camel spin for months, and your coach tells you it's a "Level 2." That number comes from a list of level features the ISU publishes each season, and U.S. Figure Skating puts a ceiling on it for each adult level, which is a big part of why so many adult sit spins get called a Level 1.
What is a spin level?
Under the ISU Judging System, the scoring system used in competitive figure skating worldwide, every spin is evaluated in two ways. The level of difficulty runs from Base (no level) up through Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, and it sets the spin's base value, meaning how many points it's worth before any quality adjustment. The higher the level, the higher the base value.
The grade of execution (GOE) is a quality score from -5 to +5, and it's where the judges weigh in on speed, centering, position quality, and overall impression. The level is what you do, and the GOE is how well you do it. Our guide to IJS scoring explains how both feed into the final score.
The three basic spin positions
Before getting into levels, you need to know the three basic positions the ISU recognizes, because every spin in competition comes back to them. If you're still building your first spins, our basic spins guide for adults starts at the very beginning.
- Camel: your free leg extends backward with the knee higher than hip level. It's the one that looks like a graceful T-shape (or, for many of us, a slightly wobbly T-shape).
- Sit: the upper part of your skating leg is at least parallel to the ice. You're basically doing a one-legged squat while spinning.
- Upright: any position where your skating leg is extended or slightly bent and you're not in a camel position. This category includes the layback, the Biellmann, the scratch spin, and the sideways leaning spin.
Anything that doesn't fit neatly into one of these three categories is a non-basic position. Non-basic positions are still allowed, but from the 2026-27 season a difficult variation in a non-basic position no longer counts as a level feature.
The scoring system on two pages
Two pages of our Competition Kit explain base values, GOE and the deductions that actually happen, in a PDF you print at home.
Get the kitHow spin levels are built
A spin earns its level by collecting level features, and one feature equals one level, so a Level 4 spin needs at least four valid features. For single skating spins in the 2026-27 season, ISU Communication 2788 recognizes the 15 features below, and a Level 4 spin must include at least one of six of them: a difficult exit, a clear change of edge, both directions, a clear increase of speed, a difficult flying entry variation, or windmills.
| No. | Feature | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Difficult spin variations | Positions that need extra strength, flexibility, or balance beyond the basic position. There are ten categories, with three each for the camel (forward, sideways, upward), the sit (forward, sideways, behind) and the upright (forward, straight or sideways, Biellmann), plus one for the layback. |
| 2 | Difficult entrance | Coming into the spin with a move that significantly affects balance and control. A regular backward entry doesn't count. |
| 3 | Difficult exit | Leaving the spin with a movement or jump that makes the exit significantly harder. Stumbling out does not qualify. |
| 4 | Change of foot by jump | Switching feet mid-spin with a jump rather than a simple step. It only counts when the jump lands in a camel or sit position. |
| 5 | Jump within the spin (same foot) | Jumping and landing back on the same foot during the spin. |
| 6 | Difficult change of position | Moving between positions on the same foot in a way that takes notable effort. |
| 7 | Clear change of edge | Changing edges in a sit (only backward inside to forward outside), camel, layback or Biellmann position, or in a difficult variation of an upright position. |
| 8 | Both directions | Spinning one direction and then the other, immediately following each other, in a sit, camel, layback, or difficult upright variation. |
| 9 | Clear increase of speed | Visibly speeding up in a camel, sit, layback, Biellmann, or difficult upright variation. |
| 10 | At least 8 revolutions | Eight or more revolutions without changing position, variation, foot, or edge, in a camel, layback, or difficult variation of any basic position. |
| 11 | Difficult flying entry variation | Making the flying entry itself more complex, such as a butterfly entry into a sit spin instead of a standard flying sit. |
| 12 | Difficult blade feature | Using the blade in an unusual way, like spinning on the heel or toe, that significantly affects balance and control. |
| 13 | Windmills | Three windmill (illusion) movements in a row, each one reaching close to a split, at least 135 degrees. They can go in any spin. |
| 14 | Layback position change | One clear change backward to sideways (or the reverse), with at least 2 revolutions in each position. It counts in a layback spin, and also when the layback position is part of another spin. |
| 15 | Biellmann after layback | Pulling into a Biellmann after completing a layback. In the junior and senior short program, the layback must have 8 revolutions first. |
The rules that trip everyone up
Collecting features would be easy if every feature counted every time, but it doesn't. The ISU limits how often each feature can be credited and sets minimum revolution counts, and these are the rules that cost adult skaters levels most often.
- Each difficult variation category counts only once per program. If you use a sit forward variation in your first spin, another sit forward variation later won't earn level credit.
- Only two difficult variations count per spin. Cram in three great positions and only two will earn level credit.
- On change-of-foot spins, a maximum of two features count per foot. You can't load all your features onto one side.
- Features 2-9 and 11-15 count only once per program, the first time they're attempted. Feature 10 (8 revolutions) also counts once, but in the first spin where you actually complete it rather than the first one where you try it.
- The difficult entrance and difficult exit must be in different spins and of a different nature.
- A spin of fewer than 3 revolutions counts as a "skating movement" and receives no value.
- Change-of-foot spins need 3 revolutions on each foot. Miss this in the short program and the spin gets no value; in the free skate it gets the dreaded "V" and a reduced base value.
Reading a protocol
A skating protocol (the score sheet) lists each spin as a short code. Each code names the spin type, and the number after it is the level, from 1 to 4, or B for Base. These are the codes you'll see most often.
| Code | Spin type |
|---|---|
CCoSp |
Change-foot combination spin |
FCCoSp |
Flying change-foot combination spin |
SSp |
Sit spin |
FSSp |
Flying sit spin |
CSp |
Camel spin |
FCSp |
Flying camel spin |
USp |
Upright spin |
CUSp |
Change-foot upright spin |
LSp |
Layback spin |
A "V" after the level means a requirement wasn't met, and the base value is reduced. So FCCoSp4 is a flying change-foot combination spin at Level 4, while CCoSp3V is a change-foot combination spin at Level 3 with a missing requirement.
Why this matters for adult skaters
If you're competing under the IJS, understanding spin levels can genuinely improve your scores. Check your event first, because since July 1, 2026, local U.S. competitions can judge adult free skates under the Component Judging System (CJS) instead, and CJS doesn't use spin levels. Adult sectionals and the U.S. Adult Championships still judge adult bronze through masters singles under the IJS. Other local events can choose either system for adult pre-bronze, so a pre-bronze free skate judged under the IJS gets spin levels too. Plan your spins with your coach. Difficult variation categories and most features count only once per program, so you need to spread your best moves across all your spins rather than blowing everything in spin number one. Map out which features you're going for in each spin, especially in combination spins, where you have several positions to work with.
Revolutions matter too, because even a difficult position only counts if you hold it for at least 2 revolutions, and those revolutions need to be clear and controlled. And remember that the level only gets you the base value, while GOE is where the real points are added or lost, so a well-centered, fast Level 3 spin can outscore a wobbly, traveling Level 4.
That's why, for most adult skaters, a clean spin with positive GOE is worth more, in points and in overall impression, than a messy attempt at an extra feature. At U.S. adult events the highest level you can be called depends on your level, from Level 1 at adult pre-bronze and bronze to Level 3 at adult gold, so Level 4 is only in play at the masters levels. Experienced skaters and coaches still double-check the latest ISU communications each season.
For a fan's-eye view of the same rules, see what you're actually watching when Olympic skaters spin. If a competition is on your calendar, our guide to adult skating competitions covers the rest of the prep.
Sources
The features and rules in this guide come from the ISU and U.S. Figure Skating documents below. The ISU updates spin requirements most seasons, so check the current communication before relying on any single rule.
- ISU Communication 2788 (updated May 19, 2026), Single & Pair Skating levels of difficulty for the 2026-27 season: spin level features and counting rules.
- U.S. Figure Skating, ISU Communication 2788 with U.S. Figure Skating notes: the same requirements as applied at U.S. Figure Skating events from June 1, 2026.
- ISU Technical Panel Handbook, Single Skating (2026-27 edition): spin positions, the ten categories of difficult variations and protocol abbreviations.
- U.S. Figure Skating, 2026-2027 Adult Singles Free Skating Requirements (version 1.1): the highest spin level and the five-revolution feature at each adult level.
- U.S. Figure Skating 2026-27 Rulebook, rule 1041, and the 2025-26 Rulebook, rule 1040: which adult events use the IJS and which can use CJS from July 1, 2026.
