What counts as a fall and how many points does it cost?

What counts as a fall: a loss of control by a skater with the result that the majority of their body weight is on the ice, supported by any part of the body other than the blades, for example the hands, knees, back, buttocks or any part of the arm.

What it costs:

• GOE: a fall on an element means a GOE of -5 from the judges.
• Deduction at Junior level (singles) and for Junior and Senior pairs: 1.00 per fall. In pairs, falls are counted per skater, and the ISU handbook treats a fall by both partners as two errors.
• Deduction in Senior singles: 1.00 for each of the 1st and 2nd falls, 2.00 for each of the 3rd and 4th, and 3.00 for each fall from the fifth.
• The technical panel applies the fall deduction and calls it with the element ("3F, Fall") or as "Fall outside" an element.
• A fall during a step sequence that includes a jump of more than one and a half revolutions is called on both elements, and each gets a -5 GOE reduction, but the deduction is 1.0 in total for one fall.
• Program components: falls count as serious errors, which cap each component at 9.50 (one serious error) or 8.75 (two or more).

Sources: Skate Canada, https://info.skatecanada.ca/index.php/en-ca/rules-of-sport/52-marking-of-skate-canada-competitions.html; ISU Technical Panel Handbook, Single Skating 2026-2027, https://isu-d8g8b4b7ece7aphs.a03.azurefd.net/isudamcontainer/CMS/Corporate-Site/Sports-Rules/Figure-Skating-Rules/Handbooks-Single-&-Pair-Skating/TP-HandbookSingles-26-27-15-July-2026-1784641784-3364.pdf; ISU Handbook for Referees and Judges 2026-27, https://isu-d8g8b4b7ece7aphs.a03.azurefd.net/isudamcontainer/CMS/Corporate-Site/Sports-Rules/Figure-Skating-Rules/Handbooks-Single-&-Pair-Skating/Handbook-for-Referees-and-Judges-2026-27-1779278300-9402.pdf; ISU Communication 2788