Spin Levels Demystified
An adult skater's no-nonsense guide to ISU spin rules, level features, and why your sit spin keeps getting called a Level 1.
You've been working on that camel spin for months. Your coach tells you it's a "Level 2." You nod like you understand, but inside you're thinking… what does that even mean? Welcome to the wild world of ISU spin levels — where the rules are dense, the acronyms are plentiful, and adult skaters everywhere are just trying to figure out why their sit spin doesn't count.
What Is a "Spin Level"?
Under the ISU (International Skating Union) Judging System — the scoring system used in competitive figure skating worldwide — every spin is evaluated in two ways:
Level of difficulty, ranging from Base (no level) up through Level 1, 2, 3, and 4. This determines your base value — how many points the spin is worth before quality adjustments. The higher the level, the higher the base value.
Grade of Execution (GOE), a quality score ranging from -5 to +5. This is where judges weigh in on speed, centering, position quality, and overall impression.
Think of it like this: the level is what you do, and the GOE is how well you do it.
The Three Basic Spin Positions
Before we get into levels, you need to know the three basic positions recognized by the ISU. Every spin in competition comes back to these three:
Camel — Your free leg extends backward with the knee higher than hip level. This is 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 essentially doing a one-legged squat while spinning. Yes, your quads will have opinions about this.
Upright — Any spin 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 considered a non-basic position. Non-basic positions can still count toward your level features, but the rules around them are a bit different.
How Spin Levels Are Built
Here's where it gets interesting (and, let's be honest, a little brain-melting).
A spin earns its level by accumulating level features. The math is simple: 1 feature = 1 level. So to get a Level 4 spin, you need at least 4 valid features. The ISU currently recognizes the following features for single skating spins (2025/26 season, ISU Communication #2701):
The Rules That Trip Everyone Up
- Each difficult variation category counts only once per program. If you use a "sit forward" variation in spin #1, you can't use another sit forward variation later for level credit.
- Only two difficult variations count per spin. Even if you cram three gorgeous positions in, only two earn level credit.
- On change-of-foot spins, max two features per foot. You can't load all your features onto one side.
- Features 2–9 and 11–14 count only once per program (first time attempted). Feature 10 (8 revolutions) also counts only once.
- Difficult entrance and exit must be in different spins and of different nature. Turns for entrance? Your exit better be something else.
- Fewer than 3 revolutions = not a spin. It's just a "skating movement" and receives no value.
- Change-of-foot spins need 3 revolutions per foot. Miss this in the Short Program? No Value. In the Free Skate? You get the dreaded "V" and reduced base value.
Reading a Protocol
When you look at a skating protocol (the score sheet), spin abbreviations can look like alphabet soup. Here's your decoder ring:
| 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 |
The number after the abbreviation is the level (1–4, or B for base). A "V" means a requirement wasn't met and the base value is reduced.
Example: FCCoSp4 = Flying Change-foot Combination Spin, Level 4. That's the gold standard.
CCoSp3V = Change-foot Combination Spin, Level 3, with a missing requirement. Something went slightly wrong.
Why This Matters for Adult Skaters
If you're competing under IJS (used at many adult competitions), understanding spin levels can genuinely improve your scores. Some practical advice:
Since difficult variation categories and most features can only count once per program, you need to distribute your best moves across all your spins. Don't blow everything in spin #1.
Even if you hit a gorgeous difficult position, it only counts if you hold it for at least 2 revolutions. And those revolutions need to be clear and controlled.
Level features get you the base value, but GOE is where the real points add up (or get deducted). A well-centered, fast Level 3 spin can outscore a wobbly, traveling Level 4.
Sit down and map out which features you're going for in each spin. This is especially important for combination spins where you have multiple positions to work with.
For most adult skaters, a clean, well-executed Level 3 spin with positive GOE is worth more — both in points and in overall impression — than a messy Level 4 attempt.
The Bottom Line
ISU spin levels are complex, and even experienced skaters and coaches sometimes need to double-check the latest communications to keep up with rule changes. The system rewards both difficulty and quality, and understanding how it works gives you a real advantage when planning your programs.
So the next time your coach says "that's a Level 2 feature," you'll know exactly what they mean. And the next time you're watching a competition and a skater gets a Level 4 combination spin, you'll appreciate just how much planning and execution went into those few seconds of spinning.
Now get out there and practice those revolutions. Your sit spin isn't going to level itself.
Because figure skating isn't just for kids.
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