Whether you’ve always wanted to learn ice skating or you have kids who would like to learn, there are a few things to keep in mind before you step onto the rink. Getting on the ice can be a daunting and sometimes a dangerous experience for new skaters. Make sure you are being careful and smart so that you can focus on enjoying your time on the ice!
Going for a spin at a local ice-skating rink is a quintessential winter activity. And during the holiday season, you can choose from not just one of the classic indoor ice-skating rinks around the region but also festive seasonal outdoor ice-skating rinks in Bellevue, Olympia and Everett. Cue the steaming mugs of hot cocoa.
So, you’re thinking about learning how to ice skate-how exciting! Maybe a group of friends wants to go to the rink for the holidays, or perhaps you just always wanted to learn. No matter the case, we’ve got your back! In this article, we’ll teach you the basics of ice skating and give you step-by-step instructions on how to get started. Plus, we even threw in some bonus content on what to wear.
BEST VIDEO FOR ICE SKATING BEGINNERS! || HOW TO ICE SKATE | Coach Michelle Hong
Here are some great tips for beginning skaters:
1. Dress Right
Learning anything is easier if you're comfortable. So before you hit the ice, make sure to outfit yourself properly. Success on the ice starts before you leave the house. Make sure kids are wearing tall, lightweight socks, and layers of lightweight, warm clothes. But don’t layer the socks. Also: Don’t wear jeans because they restrict movement.
Read also: Winter Fun at Hamilton Ice Arena
For skating, this means layers. It's going to be chilly out on the ice, but you're also going to be moving. Most people are surprised by how much of a sweat they work up while skating around the ice. You want to dress in warm, light layers that can be added or removed according to your ideal comfort.
You should also bring warm socks and gloves to protect your hands from the cold and ensure that you avoid blisters. One handy tip is to wear gloves. Most gloves or mittens will work. But ideally, you want them to be warm, not too bulky, and water resistant if possible. Not only will gloves keep your hands toasty, they'll also help protect them if you fall.
To keep your feet warm, wear either skating tights or microfiber socks. It's important your feet are exposed to as little moisture as possible to keep warm. If your hands get cold easily, don’t skip on wearing gloves! They don’t have to be anything fancy, just something to keep your hands warm. Consider bringing a backup pair of gloves with you.
Choosing the Right Skates
It’s important to make sure that your skates are comfortable and appropriate so that you feel stable on the ice. Today, we're going to talk about two of the more common kinds of ice skates-- figure skates and hockey skates. Both will do the job when you're starting your skating journey, but you may find that one is better suited to your needs. Now most rinks offer rental skates. But if you're planning on doing a lot of skating, you might want to invest in a pair of your own.
Hockey skate blades are generally a little shorter and attach directly to the boot. These skates are tailored to quick turns and acceleration. They're even strong enough to protect against flying hockey pucks. Figure skate blades are generally a little longer, which means more contact with the ice. This can mean better balance for the beginning skater. This nifty thing here is called the toe pick. It's used for jumping and pivoting. You won't use it much as a beginner. When choosing your skates, I always tell people to pick what feels right and what aligns with your goals and dreams for skating.
Read also: Ice Skating in Great Neck
Skates need to fit snug like a ski boot and not loose like a tennis shoe. Skates should be fitted for comfort and are available in most shoe sizes. When purchasing ice skates, it’s best to have your foot fitted by a professional. You can rent ice skates when you first start ice skating.
How to Lace Them Up
You're going to have a hard time on the ice if your skates don't fit correctly, so make sure to pick the right size. You can always use a sizing chart to help measure your feet. But a general rule of thumb is you may need to try on one to one and a half sizes down from your shoe size to find the right fit for you. This can vary from skate to skate depending on who makes it. It's always a good idea to try them on to make sure you have the right fit.
Before sliding your foot in, pull up your pants hem so no fabric is caught between when you lace up. This can cause chafing and discomfort. First, you want to make sure you loosen your laces all the way down to the bottom-- enough so that your foot slides in very comfortably. If you've chosen the right size, your foot should go in the boot easily. Now pull the tongue up and make sure it's fully extended. For the lower laces by the toe, pull them tight enough to make sure they are snug. As you work up the middle of your skates, pull the laces tighter. This is where we want our laces to be the tightest. Just be mindful of your comfort as too tight can cause discomfort at the top of your foot. When you're done and they feel snug, put a bow on it. If your laces are too long on the ends, don't wrap them around the top. Simply tuck the remains into the tops of your skates. Make sure that your skates are tied properly.
2. Warm-Up
The ice rink is cold, so it’s important to get your blood pumping and warm up your muscles before skating to prevent injury. Focus on dynamic movements and stretches to get your joints and muscles ready for activity.
3. Start Slow
Start with a slow and gradual approach, especially if you’re a new skater. This will allow you to get used to the feeling of the ice and learn how to balance properly. Before you start skating, try holding on to the side barrier or someone's hand so that you feel confident as you start moving.
Read also: Ice Skating at AZ Ice Gilbert
Once you first get out on the ice, you want to find a balanced position. Place your hands out in front of you like they're flat on a table around the middle of your body and bend your knees. You can use the boards to help support you while you're finding your balance. The next step is to start taking little marches, barely picking your feet up off the ice. Don't forget to keep those knees bent. This is going to help you get comfortable moving on the ice.
Before launching yourself onto the ice, take some time to walk around on your blades outside of the rink. Now, do the same thing on the ice while holding onto the side. Work up from holding on with both hands to only one hand to letting go of the boards and continuing to march. Take it slow and between every few steps, pause on both feet and push your knees forward.
Stand tall with your knees slightly bent and your head up. Keep your upper body over your feet. This position is preparing you to move forward. Skate forward by stepping or marching one foot at a time. Angle your toes slightly out, and make little movements.
4. Don’t Look Down
While it's tempting to look at your feet while you're ice skating, doing so can make things more dangerous. Try to keep your head up so that you can see what is going on around you, and move straight ahead while skating.
5. How to Fall (and Get Back Up)
No matter how experienced or how much of a beginner you are, every skater will inevitably fall from time to time. Everybody falls when they first learn how to skate. I even fell. What's important is that we know how to fall properly and safely. If you feel like you're losing your balance, bring your arms out in front of you and bend your knees as much as you can so you can get closer to the ice. If this doesn't stop you from toppling over, try to relax and fall over to one side.
Falling on the ice is a bit scarier when your face is at least five feet from the ground. The fact that skates have a razor-sharp edge only adds to the risk. Stefano Stangalini, figure skating coach at Ice Centre, directs his students to bring their hands behind themselves and sit down. Other coaches simply have their students slowly squat and fall to one hip or the other. Make friends with the ice. To avoid getting hurt, protect your head and remember that sliding across the ice is better than falling flat. Try to laugh it off and get back on the ice as soon as possible.
In order to get back up, we're going to roll over to our knees and bring one leg out in front of us, place one of your hands on your knee and the other one down on the ice, preferably gloved, and go ahead and press up to standing.
Fall sideways, leaning forward, and place your hands on your lap. One at a time, place your feet between your hands. When you fall, try to land on your bottom. Don't be afraid of falling! Falling isn't a big deal -- you just slip on the ice and get back up. Figure skaters fall all the time, and the less confidence you have, the worse you skate (and the less you want to skate again)! If you feel like you’re going to fall, put your hands on your knees.
6. Gliding and Stroking
Now that you're somewhat comfortable standing on the ice, it's time to start moving! Gliding is one of the easiest ways to move across the rink and is the foundation of all skating skills. Take a couple of steps to get some speed and then let your feet come together and slide across the ice. Now that we've got the hang of gliding on two feet, if you want to try getting your balance on one foot, you can try a one-foot glide. Start with a couple marches, do a two-foot glide, and then lift the toe up to the heel of your skating foot and balance for as long as you can.
Gliding is a form of marching that can help you move faster on the ice. Place your feet in a “V” position with your toes angled outward and your heels in. Stroking is the same as gliding, except you’re extending the motion. Start with your feet in the “V” position. Then, push off with one foot, extending the foot you pushed with out behind you.
Learning to skate is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s important to pace yourself and take regular breaks to prevent fatigue and maintain safety on the ice. Overexertion can lead to tired muscles, which increases the risk of falls and injuries.
7. Rocking Horse and Swizzles
Now that you've got the hang of gliding, it's time to try a couple other learning techniques. Something I really like to teach all my students is called the rocking horse. You're going to start with your heels together and your arms out. Go ahead and bend your knees and try to make a small circle with the inside of your skates to bring your toes together. Keep those knees bent and bring your heels together so you can go back. So we go toes together, heels together. Once you've got the hang of that, we can try something called swizzles, which is a really fun way to move across the ice. We're going to start with our heels together the same way, bend your knees, and bring your toes together. Instead of going back, keep going forward on this one-- so toes together, heels together.
Swizzles are a fun and creative way to get around the ice. Start with your feet in a “V” position. Bend your knees and ankles and press inward. Let your feet move forward and separate with the motion. Straighten your knees and bring your toes together. Keep practicing swizzles until you feel completely comfortable with the move.
8. Stroking and Pushing Off
It's time to try pushing off of the inside part of our skate. This is called stroking, and it's a great way to move across the ice. Start by bringing your feet together and bending your knees and pushing off the inside part of your blade. You want to bring your feet back together after each stroke. So it goes push, feet together, push, feet together. If you're wearing figure skates, try not to push off of your toe pick. The more you do this, the easier it's going to get, and you'll find your natural rhythm. And look at that, we're skating.
9. Learning to Stop
Sometimes we get so excited about learning how to go forward that we forget to take the time to develop proper stopping technique. One of the most basic techniques for stopping on the ice is called a snowplow stop. We're going to learn how to do that while holding onto the boards. You're going to start with your feet together and bend your knees. You want your toes to point slightly in while you press out and scrape the top layer off the ice-- so bend your knees, toes turn in, and push out. Once you feel comfortable doing that at the wall, we can take it away and add a little bit of speed. You can do a snowplow stop on either two or one foot. So starting here, get a little speed, bend the knees, and stop.
Before you start moving fast, make sure you know how to stop your skates. Stand with your feet together and push your feet apart, or stick one skate out sideways. Don’t expect to stop on a dime. If you try to right now, you’ll probably fall. Newbies should focus on the snowplow stop. Hughes recommends starting at the boards standing still. Hold onto the wall and then push your feet out sideways, keeping your ankles strong. This will scrape up the ice, forming little piles of snow. Once that feels more comfortable, move away from the boards and pick up a little bit of speed.
10. Turning
Turning while on the ice isn’t as hard as it looks! Simply move your head and shoulders ever so slightly in the direction you want to go, and let your feet follow. This isn’t to say your feet won’t move at all while turning. After getting comfortable gliding and stopping, it’s time to add turning to your skill set. Turning allows you to navigate the rink with more confidence and control. Remember to maintain good posture and use your arms for balance as you turn. Whatever rink you’re skating on, you’ll eventually have to turn. But if you’re maintaining good alignment, this is pretty simple: Gradually turn your head and shoulders in the direction you want to go. Your hips and legs should follow your shoulders, bringing you around the bend with ease. Depending on how fast you’re going, you may need to lean in that direction too.
11. Have Fun!
Above all else, make sure to have fun and enjoy yourself while skating!
Additional Tips
- Consider a Helmet: If this is your first time skating or stepping on the ice in a while, wearing a helmet might be a good idea. And although ice-skating rinks don’t always require it, it’s a good idea for kids to wear helmets to protect their noggins.
- Bring a Friend: When I first got on the ice, I had an anxiety attack. Try going with a friend or family member who is confident with ice skating and can help you along. If you haven't skated in a while, it can take a while to get back into it, but over time, your muscle memory will kick in, if nothing else. It can be tricky at first, but you'll find that you'll get the action happening with greater ease than your first time skating.
- Take Breaks: Skating looks a lot easier than it is. Next time you visit a rink, be generous in giving yourself breaks.
Learn to Skate At CDA On Ice
Did you know that CDA On Ice offers skating lessons? We have partnered with our friends over at Lake City Figure Skating to offer ice skating lessons at the rink! Lake City Figure Skating is endorsed by US Figure Skating, USA Hockey & US Speedskating. Lessons are for anyone 2.5 years old to adult who are looking to learn and develop the skill of skating. Located right in the heart of downtown Coeur d’Alene, come enjoy the beauty of the lake, the surrounding hills, and the storybook feeling of downtown. With our cozy igloos and open fire pits, you can bring the kids and make an afternoon of it. Be sure to also visit our famous snack shack where you can enjoy the rink’s famous loaded hot cocoa or a bag of popcorn.