Female Figure Skaters Demonstrate Greater Peak Angular Velocity Compared To Male Figure Skaters

PURPOSE: There is limited research regarding sport specific movements in figure skating. Therefore, the purpose was to compare peak angular velocities during jumping technical elements in elite figure skaters. METHODS: Twenty high-level figure skaters (junior and senior levels; 10F/10M, Age = 15-23) wore a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) on their hip during all training sessions over two days. The IMU (Gen 3; 4D Motion) was calibrated before each session and then placed in a clip and secured to the participant’s pants at the anterior left hip. Data were collected at 100 Hz throughout the entire training day, ranging from 45 minutes to 3 hours for each day and classified jumps as movements lasting less than one second with greater than 1200 degrees/second for peak hip angular velocity. Data were stratified based on the number of rotations (double, triple, quadruple) and compared within and between sexes using separate univariate analysis of variance. RESULTS: A total of 1721 jumps were captured across all 20 skaters. Peak hip angular velocity was significantly greater in females than males for doubles, triples, and quadruple jumps (p < 0.001). Females rotated significantly slower in double jumps (1558.94 ± 217.94°/s) compared to triple jumps (1810.96 ± 128.01°/s, p < 0.001). Females rotated significantly faster in quadruple jumps (1917.81 ± 106.72°/s) compared to both doubles and triples (p < 0.001). Males rotated significantly slower in double jumps (1474.65 ± 175.84°/s) compared to triple jumps (1660.76 ± 177.84°/s, p < 0.001). There was no difference between triple and quadruple jumps (1640.54 ± 161.43°/s) in male skaters (p = 0.31). CONCLUSIONS: There were significant differences in peak hip angular velocity during figure skating jumps between males and females, but females demonstrated a different strategy for jumps compared to males. Females rely on greater angular velocity as jump difficulty increases, while males do not have significantly greater angular velocity on triple and quadruple jumps. Different jump techniques may contribute to different injury profiles based on sex in figure skating, particularly proximal musculoskeletal injuries at the hip and trunk in female figure skaters. Supported by: USOPC Technology and Innovation Grant