{{Short description|Figure skating spin position}} {{Infobox Figure Skating Element |image= Jackson Haines2.jpg |imagesize= |caption= Jackson Haines, inventor of the sit spin |element name= Sit spin |alt name= Jackson Haines spin |scoring abbrev= SSp |element type= Spin |edges= |take off edge= |landing edge= |inventor= |named for= Jackson Haines |disciplines= }}
The '''sit spin''' (also known as the '''Jackson Haines spin''') is one of the oldest elements in figure skating. It was invented by American figure skater Jackson Haines.{{Sfn|Petkevich|1988|p=144}} It has been called "one of the most important spins in skating".{{Sfn|Petkevich|1988|p=144}} According to figure skater John Misha Petkevich, despite its difficulty to learn and the amount of energy it requires to execute it, "yields immense rewards"{{Sfn|Petkevich|1988|p=144}} for the skater. There is a wide variety of sitting positions skaters have invented. The choice of a sitting position is not determined by aesthetic design or technical objections, but is often determined by convenience.{{Sfn|Petkevich|1988|p=144}} The skater can make refinements to the sit spin, which achieves the following: increases the speed of the spin's rotation; makes the spin more exciting as it ends; and introduces positions that will increase the skater's strength and style.{{Sfn|Petkevich|1988|p=146}}
The spin is executed in a sitting position with the knee of the skating leg bent and the free leg held in front.<ref name="kestnbaum-280">Kestnbaum, Ellyn (2003). ''Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning'', p. 280. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0819566411.</ref> It is difficult to learn and requires a great deal of energy, but it has variations that make it more creative and pleasurable to watch.{{Sfn|Petkevich|1988|p=144}}{{Sfn|Petkevich|1988|p=148}} When executing the sit spin, a skater's back should be straight and not curved, their hips should be lower than the skating knee, and their free leg should be straight.<ref name="kestnbaum-280" /> The best sit spin position minimizes the moment of inertia and keeps the heaviest parts of the body as close to the vertical center of gravity as possible. This position is difficult to maintain, however, so skaters will often collapse into a low sit spin position.<ref>Cabell, Lee and Erica Bateman (2018). "Biomechanics in Figure Skating". In Jason D. Vescovi and Jaci L. VanHeest (Eds.) ''The Science of Figure Skating'', p. 26. New York: Routledge Publishing. ISBN 978-1-138-22986-0</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery> Image:Kiira Korpi at the Rostelecom Cup 2011 01.jpg|{{center|<small>(Kiira Korpi)</small>}} Image:MIYAHARA Satoko JPN – 4th Place (30).jpg|{{center|Flying sit spin<br/><small>(Satoko Miyahara)</small>}} File:2015 Grand Prix Final - Yuzuru Hanyu FS (4).jpg|{{center|Deep sit spin with stretched free leg<br/><small>(Yuzuru Hanyu)</small>}} File:Bradie Tennell of the United States at 2025 Skate Canada International. 11 (cropped).jpg|{{center|Broken leg sit spin variation<br/><small>(Bradie Tennell)</small>}} File:Death drop.jpg|{{center|Death drop into a back sit spin<br/><small>(Ryan Jahnke)</small>}}
Image:Pair sit spin.jpg|{{center|Pair sit spin<br/><small>(Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang)</small>}} Image:Sabina Imaikina & Andrei Novoselov Spin 2008-2009 JGPF.jpg|{{center|Pair sit spin<br/><small>(Sabina Imaikina & Andrei Novoselov)</small>}} Image:2012 Rostelecom Cup 02d 307 Nicole DELLA MONICA Matteo GUARISE.JPG|{{center|Side-by-side sit spins<br/><small>(Nicole Della Monica & Matteo Guarise)</small>}} Image:Lubov Iliushechkina & Nodari Maisuradze 2008 Junior Worlds.jpg|{{center|Pair sit and catch-foot layback<br/><small>(Lubov Iliushechkina & Nodari Maisuradze)</small>}} Image:Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat Spin - 2006 Skate America.jpg|{{center|Dance spin (sit and camel)<br/><small>(Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat)</small>}} </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist|refs= }}
==Works cited== * {{Cite book |last=Petkevich |first=John Misha |title=Sports Illustrated Figure Skating: Championship Techniques |date=1988 |publisher=Sports Illustrated |isbn=978-1-4616-6440-6 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=815289537}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Sit spins}} * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV7paHl1puI YouTube clip] of flying sit spin by Ryan Bradley. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
{{figure skating}}
Category:Figure skating elements Category:Partial squatting position