Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing are here! And, after four years, that means you may need or want a reminder about how some winter sports, like figure skating, work. That’s OK because we’re here to help.

Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics begins Friday, Feb. 4 and, with so many different events, it runs through the entirety of the Games in Beijing.

There are five different medal events at the Olympics: men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs, ice dance and the team competition. And within each event, there are at least two portions.

Singles and pairs events each have a short program and a free skate, while the ice dance has a short dance and a free dance. For the team competition, there are eight portions with a short program/dance and a free skate/dance for each discipline.

But as your eyes are glued to the screen watching these athletes accomplish unbelievable moves on the ice, you might be wondering what exactly the difference is between figure skating’s short program and free skate. Let’s break it down.

First, a quick note on scoring.

Both the short program and free skate earn a technical score and a program component score, but there’s a lot more to it than that. As the International Olympic Committee notes, the technical score, or TES, is based on the difficulty and completion of a routine when it comes to elements like spins and jumps. The program component score, or PCS, is mostly based on presentation.

Skaters then receive a combined score from the short program and free skate, and that determines the overall winner.

What is figure skating's short program in the Olympics?

Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc skate in the Pairs Short Program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The short program in figure skating — or short dance in ice dancing — is exactly what it sounds like: A condensed performance that’s evaluated based on the criteria explained above. For the men’s, women’s and pairs’ competitions, the short programs are two minutes and 40 seconds (give or take 10 seconds). In ice dancing, the short dance is two minutes and 50 seconds (give or take 10 seconds).

More via U.S. Figure Skating about the singles competition:

The short program features required elements which include jump elements, spin elements and a step sequence. With fewer elements to perform, the short program leaves less room for error, and skaters rely on clean performances and high component scores to earn points heading into the free skate.

For pairs, the short program includes several required elements like “lifts, side-by-side solo jumps done in unison, throw jumps, a step sequence and a death spiral,” U.S. Figure Skating explains.

Additionally, the short program serves as a qualifier because only the skaters with the top scores from this program advance to the free skate, per the IOC.

What is figure skating's free skate in the Olympics?

Nathan Chen during his free skate at Skate Canada in October. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

The free skate — or free dance in ice dancing — is the longer program in this sport. For the women’s competition, the free skate is four minutes (plus or minus 10 seconds), and for the men’s and pairs’ competitions, it’s four minutes and 30 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds). In ice dancing, the free dance is also four minutes (give or take 10 seconds).

More via U.S. Figure Skating on the singles competition:

The free skate, the second and longer segment of competition, features a broader set of requirements and a maximum number of elements a skater may perform. If a skater performs more than the number of well-balanced program elements permitted, there are no deductions, but the skater will not receive credit for these additional elements. After a skater completes his or her free skate and receives a free skate score, that score is added to the short program score to determine overall standings.

In the pairs competition, the free skate features both technical skills and a choreography highlighting the duo’s strengths.