Rocker turn

Rocker turn diagram

A rocker turn is a kind of one-foot turn in figure skating. Unlike three turns and brackets, where the entry and exit edges follow the same curve, in a rocker the entry and exit are on opposite curves. When executing a rocker, the skater turns inward on the curve of the entry edge, but exits on a curve in the opposite sense. Another way to look at it is that a rocker is similar to the entry of a three turn combined with the exit of a bracket. (The opposite combination is called a counter turn.) Some describe brackets as a three turn where the skating edge is maintained; for example forward outside rocker begins with a forward outside edge and ends on a backward outside edge.

While rockers are sometimes used to perform a simple change of direction, they more commonly appear in step sequences and in compulsory dances in ice dancing. For example, in the Westminster Waltz, the lady performs a rocker while the man performs a counter turn.