The transition between edges during the turn is the same as for a three turn—for example, forward inside edge to back outside edge—but unlike a three turn, in which the cusp of the turn points into the curve of the arc on which it is skated, a bracket turn is counterrotated so that the cusp points outward. The tracing of the turn on the ice resembles a curly bracket "}".
Brackets are considered advanced turns in figure skating and commonly appear only in step sequences instead of as a simple means of changing direction. They were also part of the compulsory figures, which skaters were required to perform in every routine until they were abolished in 1990.
