There are seven required elements in the short program, which lasts two minutes and 40 seconds for both junior and senior pair teams.

The elements performed by pairs teams must be "linked together by connecting steps of a different nature"[1] and by other comparable movements and with a variety of holds and positions.

[9] At first, pair skating consisted of executing basic figures and side-by-side free-skating moves, such as long, flowing spirals done backwards or forwards, and connected with dance steps while couples held one or two hands.

The Protopopovs, as they were called, won gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics, as well as the 1968 World Championships, "raised by several degrees the level of translating classical dance to the ice".

[26] A judging scandal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah "ushered in sweeping reforms in the scoring system"[28] of figure skating competitions.

Silby states, "Conflict between partners that is consistent and unresolved can often lead to the early demise or break-up of a team".

[32] Teams with strong skills in communication and conflict resolution, however, tend to produce "highest-placing finishers at national championship events".

[38] Wenjing Sui and Cong Han from China hold the highest pair skating short program score of 84.41 points, which they earned at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

A well-balanced free skate for junior pairs must consist of the same elements required for senior teams, but with a maximum of two jumps and their death spiral does not have to be different to what they performed in their short program.

[34] Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov hold the highest pair free skating program score of 157.46 points, which they earned at the 2022 European Championships.

[46] The elements performed by pair teams must be "linked together by connecting steps of a different nature"[1] and by other comparable movements and with a variety of holds and positions.

[47] There are five groups of pair skating lifts, categorized in order of increasing level of difficulty, and determined by the hold at the moment the woman passes the man's shoulder.

[55] The only times pair skating partners can give each other assistance in executing lifts are "through hand-to-hand, hand-to-arm, hand-to-body and hand to upper part of the leg (above the knee) grips".

[49] Judges look for the following when evaluating twist lifts: speed at entry and exit; whether or not the woman performs a split position while on her way to the top of the twist lift; her height once she gets there; clean rotations; a clean catch by the male (accomplished by placing both hands at the woman's waist and without any part of her upper body touching him); and a one-foot exit executed by both partners.

[49][57] The first quadruple twist lift performed in international competition was by Russian pair team Marina Cherkasova and Sergei Shakhrai at the European Championship in 1977.

Both junior and senior pairs earn no points if, during their free skating programs, they repeat a jump with over two revolutions.

The speed of the team's entry into the throw jump and the number of rotations performed increases its difficulty, as well as the height and/or distance they create.

[65] The first throw triple Axel jump performed in competition was by American pair team Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Jr. at the 2006 U.S. Championships.

[67] The solo spin combination must be performed once during the short program of pair skating competitions, with at least two revolutions in two basic positions.

[73] The death spiral is "a circular move in which the male lowers his partner to the ice while she is arched backwards gliding on one foot".

[81][82] The step sequence must be "visible and identifiable",[82] and teams must use the full ice surface (oval, circle, straight line, serpentine, or similar shape).

[86] According to the ISU, a choreographic sequence "consists of at least two different movements like steps, turns, spirals, arabesques, spread eagles, Ina Bauers, hydroblading, any jumps with maximum of 2 revolutions, spins, etc.".

[93] As for all skating disciplines, judges penalize pair skaters one point up to every five seconds for ending their programs too early or too late.

[99] As for the other disciplines of figure skating, the clothing worn by pair skaters at ISU Championships, the Olympics, and international competitions must be "modest, dignified and appropriate for athletic competition—not garish or theatrical in design".

Clothing can reflect the character of the skaters' chosen music and must not "give the effect of excessive nudity inappropriate for the discipline".

Figure Skating states that by the time skaters get to a national or world championship, they have received enough feedback about their costumes and are no longer willing to take any more risks of losing points.

[106] Australian single skater and coach Belinda Noonan states that "Pairs skating is literally physically more dangerous than the other three disciplines".

Skaters have resisted using protective gear, even during practice, because it interferes with developing self-confidence and is seen as incompatible with "the aesthetic aspects of the sport".

[109] A study conducted during a U.S. national competition including 60 pair skaters recorded an average of 1.83 injuries per athlete,[110] the most of any figure skating discipline.

[111] According to figure skating researchers Jason Vescovi and Jaci VanHeest, these injuries are "an obvious consequence of the throws and side-by-side jumps performed in this discipline".