Death spiral is a required element of
pair skating performed with the man in a pivot position, one toe anchored in the
ice. Holding his hand, the woman circles her partner on a deep edge with her body almost parallel to the ice. In 2011, the ISU introduced a requirement that the woman's head must at some time reach the level of her skating knee in order to receive a value. The man should be in a full pivot position, and the death spiral must be held for a minimum amount of rotation, depending on the level.