Balance Error Scoring System Performance Differences in Figure Skaters Based on Discipline.
L Colby Mangum, Andrew Skibski, Luk Devorski and 1 others
PMID 37547844WHAT IT FOUND
Singles skaters made fewer balance errors on foam and tandem stances than ice dancers or pairs, but ice dancers outperformed singles on single-leg foam.
Neither age nor sex strongly predicted error counts, so discipline-specific baselines are needed rather than generic norms.
Key findings
01Ice dancers made more errors than singles and pairs skaters in bipedal foam and tandem firm stances, while singles made more errors than ice dancers in single leg foam.
02There were no significant differences in balance errors between males and females in any BESS condition.
03Age showed only weak negative correlations with errors in bipedal foam and single leg firm conditions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Injury history and previous head injuries were not collected, which could confound balance performance. Testing was performed barefoot off-ice, which does not reflect balance demands in skating boots or on ice. Skating level (novice, junior, senior) was unknown, so skill experience could not be controlled for. Age was used as a proxy for development, but it does not necessarily correlate with technical skill level.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest and received no financial support for this research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of sex differences or weak age correlations as evidence that these factors are irrelevant to all balance tests. These findings are specific to the BESS in elite skaters; other populations or dynamic tests may show different patterns.