Starting out on the ice? You’re not alone. Everyone starts out as a wobbly, uncertain beginner, but with the right support and equipment, your confidence and skills will grow in no time. Prepare by reading the practical beginner skate tips shared in this article. Then, consider the Figure Skating Boutique’s First Time Skater’s Package, which makes it easy to customize the equipment your child needs (while saving big). You can also visit our Markham location to experience our expert boot-fitting services and explore our full range of products in person. 6 Skating Tips for Beginners 1. Start with the right mindset Learning any new skill takes time and determination. Before you can glide effortlessly and gracefully, you need to stumble and fall (quite) a few times, which is completely fine. Don’t get discouraged. Instead, remind yourself that this is all part of the process. Still, we know that falling is frustrating. Regular wipeouts, particularly bad ones, can make you wonder why you wanted to learn to skate in the first place. With enough practice and a positive attitude, though, you will improve. Your future pro skating skills begin with your ability to get back up and continue trying, even after an embarrassing tumble. Remember, the right mindset will take you far, both on the ice and in life! Be patient with yourself and keep going. Small, consistent steps add up over time. Celebrate your progress, focus on the positives, and adopt a mindset of slow and steady growth. 2. Find your balance, then incorporate basic movements Balance is the foundation of all skating skills. Gliding, racing, jumping, and stopping all require a keen sense of balance. So, when you’re starting out on the ice, begin by mastering the ability to stay balanced and steady. Just like when you first learned to walk on your own two feet, start with baby steps. It’s much harder to maintain your balance when taking long strides. On the ice, baby steps look like a gentle march. Keep your knees slightly bent, relax your shoulders, and hold your arms out in front of you for stability. Position your legs shoulder-width apart and lift each leg, keeping your shoulders square as you march along the ice. Look ahead, not down, to maintain good posture. As you gain confidence while marching slowly along the ice, you can begin to speed up. Keep your lifted leg up for longer to allow the standing skate time to build up speed. Alternate between skates until you begin to build a rhythm. You can also do off-ice exercises to strengthen your sense of balance, like standing on one foot. 3. Learn how to stay safe on the ice It’s especially easy to injure yourself as a beginner. That’s why you should learn basic safety skills right away. All skaters fall, but learning how to fall properly will help keep you safe from preventable injuries. How to Fall Safely: When you feel yourself losing balance, keep your hands close to your body. Bend your knees and lower your body towards the ice. This reduces the impact. Fall to the side or slightly backward. You want to avoid landing hard on your tailbone (or head). Instead of falling on your tailbone, try landing on your thigh or the side of your hip where there’s more padding. This may seem counterintuitive, but don’t use your wrists or hands to catch your fall. It’s easy to get injured that way. It’s actually very useful to practice falling on purpose in a controlled environment to build muscle memory. That way, when you actually fall, you’re more likely to fall correctly without having to think about it. Once you’ve fallen, now what? How to Get Up From a Fall: Take a deep breath and get into a comfortable sitting position. Roll onto your hands and knees. Bring one foot up so you’re kneeling on one knee. Place both hands on that front knee. Push up with your back foot while using your hands for support. Stand up slowly and regain your balance before trying to skate off. Another important safety ice skating tip for beginners is to keep your hands off the ice. Never place your hands on the ice after a fall, since you’re vulnerable to cuts and injuries from other skaters’ blades. 4. Try not to look down It’s natural to want to look down at your feet. However, this is a recipe for a fall or a collision. You need to look up to see where you’re going and maintain your balance. Instead of staring at your skates, keep your eyes focused on the direction you’re going. Additionally, looking down rotates your head downward. This makes you more likely to fall forward. Wherever you look is where you’ll go, so when you look at the ice, that’s where you’ll end up! Instead, bend your knees, keep your shoulders back, and hold your head high to avoid hunching over. 5. Master stopping Now you know how to stay steady on the ice and how to begin moving forward. What about stopping, though? Beginner ice skaters tend to stop in two ways. Either they simply wait for their momentum to run out, or they stop by skating into the walls of the rink. Although both ways technically work, they’re not recommended. You can hurt yourself by colliding with the rink board or fall down when your momentum dwindles. Neither way is efficient, either. There are several proper techniques for stopping efficiently and safely: Snowplow Stop: Turn your toes inward, forming a V position, and press the inside edges of your skates into the ice. Bend one or both knees to kill your momentum. T Stop: Create a T shape with your boots by bringing one boot behind the other’s heel, making a right angle. Shift all of your weight onto that back foot. Hockey Stop: This is an advanced stopping technique, so you need to be able to skate quickly and well before attempting it. Turn both feet away from the body, keeping them parallel to one another. Shift your weight onto the edges to stop. 6. Choose the right equipment Stopping, gliding, and staying upwards are made easier with high-quality and properly fitted equipment. If your ice skates do not fit, then learning to skate will be harder, uncomfortable, and unsafe. You’re more likely to develop blisters, fall down, and injure yourself. It’s also harder to master even basic skills, like the march or snowplow stop. On the other hand, supportive, well-fitted skates prevent injuries and help you maintain your balance. For beginner skaters, understanding the difference between a well-fitting boot and an ill-fitting one can be surprisingly tricky. That’s why the Figure Skating Boutique offers skate-fitting services. When you visit our Markham location, one of our experts can help you find the right boot for your skill level and skating style. We also have an online boot-fitting assistant for personalized advice, no matter where you are. We carry a wide range of skates and accessories for skaters of all levels, including beginners. You can customize your bundle to enjoy fantastic savings while scoring high-quality equipment from trusted skate brands. Visit the Figure Skating Boutique for Top-Quality Equipment and More Beginner Ice Skating Tips The Figure Skating Boutique is the ultimate skating destination for beginners. Our dedicated team is always ready to offer helpful beginner ice skating tips or assist you in finding the right boot for your needs and skill level. We carry an extensive range of top-quality skating products, including ice skates, accessories, and other equipment. Visit our Markham location or explore our website to begin your skating journey. For all your figure skating needs and more skating tips for beginners, call Figure Skating Boutique at 1-866-957-0396 or contact us here.
