Ever since watching figure skaters glide across the ice and thought, “I could never do that,” you’re not alone. Figure skating held a magical appeal: the sparkly outfits, the music, the pure athleticism in every jump and spin on the ice. Many adults feel the same way. Maybe you didn’t have the chance to learn as a child. Or perhaps you’ve just moved to a place where ice skating is popular. Whatever your reason, it’s natural to worry about feeling out of place in such a child-orientated sport. But here’s the good news: it’s never too late to start! Learning to skate will take some perseverance but you can do it.
Many people believe that ice skating is a skill best learned in childhood, often due to parents signing their kids up for lessons or schools encouraging extracurricular activities. While it’s true that many start young, that doesn’t mean ice skating is only for children. We’re here to help you learn how to ice skate through simple, easy steps that anyone can follow.
With weekly practice lasting several hours, you can get good enough to do basic figure skating in about a year or two. Skills develop more rapidly the younger you begin practicing them. The younger, the better.
Getting Started: Gear and Preparation
Before you get out on the ice, you need to put on your skates. Don't worry about buying your own gear right away. You can rent your gear until you're sure you want to figure skate for a long time. Make sure you rent skates that fit. You'll also want to be sure you lace them tight enough. You should not be able to roll your ankle. In order for your feet and ankles to do their jobs on the ice, your skates must fit properly.
Gerry Lane, director of skating at South Suburban Parks and Recreation, recommends picking a size that gives your toes enough room to wiggle without having gaping room in the toe box. Lane and other coaches also recommend beginners start with figure skates (instead of hockey skates) because they’re lower to the ground and the blade is flatter, which can be easier to learn on. By contrast, hockey skates have shorter, more curved blades, which are designed for speed and quickness.
Read also: Explore Skate Canada's impact on figure skating
When you’re at the rink, one of the most important things to get right is lacing your skates properly. Finally, tie a firm knot at the top to keep everything in place. If you’re just starting out, it’s perfectly fine to hire skates from the rink and ask for help lacing them up on your first time.
Remember to dress warmly! Gloves and scarves are good. Think of it like going to the gym - wearing something that limits your movement would make it harder to exercise properly. The same applies to ice skating. You need to be able to bend, stretch and move freely. Invest in a dedicated figure skating outfit, like leggings and a matching top.
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.
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. And chances are, when you're first learning, you're going to fall. And it's OK.
For your ideal comfort, you want to wear thin socks that are either cotton or wool and are long enough to come up above the top of your skate boot. This will limit any unwanted friction and leave plenty of room for flair.
Read also: Remembering Christopher Bowman
Learn to Skate - BASIC 1 Skills!
Essential Techniques for Beginners
How to Fall Safely
The very first thing you should learn as a figure skater is how to fall. You will fall a lot and it's important to know how to fall so that you don't hurt yourself. Practice falling. 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.
If you feel like you're about to fall, squat down so that when you land, your bottom or sides absorb the shock of the fall instead of something that can break or be seriously injured. Do not land with your hands out. Doing this can cause damage to your wrist, as well as let an unaware skater skate over your fingers.
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,” Hughes jokes.
Getting Up
You should also learn how to get up or at least get out of the way quickly. People will try to stand up and slip doing it in a dangerous way. To stand up without slipping you get on one knee, put both hands on the knee that is forward and push on your knee with your hands and stand up. You could also practice this off of the ice first.
Read also: Comprehensive Ice Skating Rink Guide
Finding Your Balance
When learning how to ice skate, posture plays a key role in maintaining balance, ensuring smooth movement and staying safe on the ice. If you’re struggling with your posture, try practising off the ice first. Stand in front of a mirror and adopt the correct stance.
The simplest way to maintain balance is to keep your weight centered over your skates. Try to avoid leaning forward or backward; later, when you move up to gliding on one skate, you’ll need to shift your weight over your skating hip, leg, and foot. At the same time, you’ll want what Denise Hughes, skating coordinator at Apex Center, describes as “soft knees.” Press your knees forward and keep your hips stacked over your skates.
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.
Moving Forward
Now that you can stand on skates comfortably and safely, you can learn how to move forward on skates. With one leg pointed forward, push your other leg back and out to the side very gently, with your toes angled away from your body just a little bit. This back leg should push you along the ice. Bring the back leg back down and then make the same push but with the other leg. Though the way you balance is different, you might want to learn this basic motion on street rollerblades before learning it on the ice.
Gliding is one of the easiest ways to move across the rink and is the foundation of all skating skills. When gliding, you need tight flexible bottoms that don't get in the way of leg movement.
Once you get marches down, you can practice a two-foot glide. This is doing a few marches and then put your feet together and glide on the ice without picking up your feet.
Stopping Techniques
Of course, once you move forward, eventually you're going to want to stop. You can't just run into the wall forever! Learning to stop is just as important as learning to glide. 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.
The snowplough stop is the most beginner-friendly method. The key to a successful snowplough stop is applying just enough pressure without overdoing it. Start by gliding slowly. Gently press the inside edges of your skates against the ice.
Turning
Whatever rink you’re skating on, you’ll eventually have to turn. 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. Practise turning around cones or small objects on the ice.
Making sharp turns, or even just the gentle turn of the skating rink, is an important skill for a figure skater. Forward crossovers are used for making large turns and building up momentum for jumps. Essentially, you will make the same motions that you do to move forward, but your legs will cross each other, slowly turning you. The three turn is another method of turning, used for doing sharp turns and changes of direction.
But if you’re maintaining good alignment, this is pretty simple: Gradually turn your head and shoulders in the direction you want to go. “It’s kind of like riding a bike,” Lane says. 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.
Additional Skills to Master
- Forward Stroke: With those basic motions under your belt, you'll want to learn how to do a basic forward stroke. Stroking is when you do the same motions for moving forward, but longer and more gracefully. Practice this to get to a point where it looks graceful and natural.
- Backward Skating: The very first "move" you will learn as a figure skater will almost always be how to move backwards. This is a lead in to many figure skating elements and is an important skill to learn and master. For the basics on how to move backwards, imagine reversing the motions of moving forward.
- Spins: There are many different kinds of spins in figure skating and several of them are not as hard as they look.
- Footwork: There are some series of movements or tricks that are standard in figure skating. This is called footwork and usually consists of a set of turns, spins, and jumps.
Practice and Further Development
You'll want to work to be comfortable with all of the basic skating movements. Every time you learn a new motion, take a lot of time to do it before moving on to a new motion. This will let your muscles form "memories" about how to move that way, making it easier for you to make those motions without thinking about it.
You'll need to be strong and healthy if you want to be good and feel comfortable when you figure skate. Your body will need lots of protein in order to work well while you skate. If you improve your core, your balance will be improved. Do core exercises like sit-ups, scissors, planks, crunches, etc.
A coach or lessons might seem expensive, but it makes a huge difference in getting your skills built up. A coach will be able to see what you do wrong and help you fix your mistakes.
Practice. And then practice some more. Figure skating is a hard skill to learn. If it was easy, everyone would do it. That means that if you want to get good, or even just be okay, you'll need to figure skate a lot. It will take time to get to where you want to be and there are no tricks around it. You just have to work hard.
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. Focus on quality over quantity.
After a skating session, it’s important to stretch to prevent muscle soreness and maintain flexibility. Skating works specific muscles in your legs, hips and lower back, so stretching afterward helps prevent stiffness and keeps you limber for your next time on the ice. For optimal flexibility and injury prevention, incorporate dynamic stretches before skating and static stretches afterward.
Learning to ice skate as an adult is an exciting journey, and the key to success is taking it one glide at a time. Remember to set yourself goals - whether it’s mastering a basic skill or working toward a bigger milestone, having something to aim for keeps things interesting. Try to work your way through beginner friendly ice skating moves over time. Make sure to consistently visit the rink - a weekly session can do wonders, and it’s a great way to unwind from the daily grind. Don’t hesitate to ask for tips or advice when you need it.
Skating looks a lot easier than it is. Next time you visit a rink, be generous in giving yourself breaks.
Most importantly, enjoy the ride - skating is meant to be fun, so embrace the wobbles, laugh at the falls, and savour the progress. Whether you’re gliding solo or with friends, each time you hit the ice, you’re building confidence and skill. Keep at it, and before you know it, you’ll be skating circles around your former self!