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Ice skating is much more a fun activity than a game. Skating is not a task that a person is supposed to do forcefully but one that a hobbyist or an ardent person loves to do. As it is a fun and health-improving activity, many people eagerly want to learn it. Even though learning to skate on the ice may seem scary, it is possible if you have the necessary stuff and some practice with persistence.
What is skating?
The activity or art of using skateboards to glide is known as skating. Different types of skating include ice, roller, and indoor or outdoor skate. Due to differences in skating surfaces, each skate type requires special skates. Ice skates have sharp metal blades at the bottom to cut the ice, while roller skates have wheels to roll over the rink.
Preparing for the ice rink
When you are going to prep for ice skating, there is no need for great stuff or accessories. All you necessitate is a skate’s rink or ice rink, a skateboard, a lightweight outfit, gloves, knee pads, and protective gear. You can rent skates to start skating if you are a beginner.
Renting skates allows you to learn to ice skate without spending much on it. Once you get enough experience through practice, you can choose the best fit for you. While purchasing your skates buy the ones that will also provide sufficient support to your ankle and foot.
What do you need to wear?
Outfit and footwear
Always prefer flexible and lightweight clothing so you can move your body smoothly. The elasticity of the fabric you wear will help you to glide forward effortlessly and be able to drive your leg muscles without feeling restricted. Wear a tracksuit, jumpsuit, sweatshirt, or jacket with tights or fit trousers made from elastic stuff. Never go for t-shirts or shorts on ice surfaces, as there is a greater chance of physical injuries.
Wear a decent pair of boots that best fit your foot size and keep your feet comfortable. Wear an athletic or microfiber sock to protect your feet from cold and keep them warm. Make sure that the fabric of the socks is comfy and avoid blister formation. Although rented skates are pocket friendly, your skates will make you feel more comfortable.
Knee pads and gloves
Wear knee pads and gloves. It will help reduce friction between the body and the ice surface, thus protecting your joints.
Safety helmet
Wear a safety helmet to avoid head injuries if you fall on the ice rinks.
Beginner’s guide | How to ice skate
When you start ice skating, wear the necessary and warm up your body. Wear socks that keep your feet warmer in minus-degree temperatures. If you are going to ice skate for the first time, you must wear safety gear to avoid serious injuries. Lace up your skates properly to prevent any mishap. Avoid collisions with other skaters, and don’t stare at your toe picks while gliding or marching.
Always lean forward with your knees bent and your arms extended for balance. To prevent a harsh reaction from your body to the cold, warm yourself before you step onto the ice. Don’t skate on the new snowy surface. You will not be able to glide over it. Go for gleaming ice for skate. Do not lean on the back while gliding. You can also practice gliding on two feet by marching across the ice and taking a short gap before the next march. Figure skating is easy to learn when you have experience in basic skating tricks.
How to Lace Up Your Ice Skates?
You need to wear skates before going to the ice rink. The rental skates are, to put it simply and are inexpensive. Be sure to inquire about the size that corresponds to your regular shoe size, but be sure that some rinks only carry full sizes.
Don’t count on getting the same kind of comfort from the footwear you may see hockey players in ice hockey or skaters in figure skate getting from their skates. Pull on your laces, beginning with two pairs. Ensure to keep your boot near your heel. The ankle support lace needs to be tight.
These laces should provide greater flexibility because they are pretty slack. Keep the soles as close to the foot as you can. Lastly, create a solid crossing between the two ends and tighten it. Ensure that your boots are comfy and the laces are knotted up. Ideally, fold the laces into your footwear.
Basic steps of an ice skate
You love to be an ice skater but need to learn how to ice skate. Here you will get to know the basic steps of an ice skate.
Learn gliding
The fundamental step in ice skate is learning and practicing glide or march. While marching, you will glide forward on ice rinks. Keep your knees bent to some degree for balance, and spread your hands in the shape of a T. T position will help you to maintain balance. Repeat the exercise by lifting a foot and backward until you can go ahead with a seamless marching motion.
Learn how to stop
To do a snow plough stop while skating, put your feet together and then spread them apart. Stretch one skate out to the side. Your body will cease moving as a result of this, pushing some snow off of the ice. This movement also resembles skiing.
Practice falling
Correct falling is critical because falling is an unavoidable and frequent skating component. If you feel like you may fall, maintain your balance by bending your knees and putting your hands right in front of you.
If that doesn’t work and you fall on the skating rink, ensure to lower yourself and, if you can, sit down as soon as you hit the ground. Allow your butt to take most of the impact, and avoid landing on your hands or ankles.
Getting up after falling
People usually fall on the skating rink while marching, but falling correctly and getting up immediately is necessary to learn or practice. To get up when you fall, crawl over your knees and hands to stand up again. Place one of your feet on the ice in the middle of your hands, preferably your dominant foot.
Next, immediately place the second foot between your hands and on the ice. At that time, rise while maintaining a slight bend in your knees. Get back up, re-establish your balance, and you’re set to go.
Practice turning
Turning will be extremely useful for navigating the ice when playing ice hockey with friends or if many other skaters are nearby. You should lean your body to the left and bend your knees slightly if you intend to turn to the left. Bending positions of the body matters to turn in the right direction.
An inside edge of the right skate and the outside edge of the left skate aids turning. Then, the left skate will glide forward to assist in guiding the body in the appropriate direction. When turning right, you must employ the reverse method. Tilt your head and shoulders to help you naturally lean to the left.
Learn stroking
Stroking is the primary step in ice skate. Lift a foot when you glide after marching, then put that foot down and raise the other. Up till you feel comfortable, repeat the process. The only difference between gliding and striking is the length of the motion.
A complete guide to smooth and speed ice skating
Discover how ice skate can help you achieve your health goals and get advice on how to get started. In this section, you’ll get to know a step-by-step guide on how to ice skate.
Step 1
First, wear the necessary skating accessories and warm up your body. Lace up your boots tightly. Through jumping and stretching exercises, give yourself a quick warm-up. Warming up will prepare your body for the ice rink.
Step 2
Most rinks for ice skates have a carpet around them that makes it safe to stroll up to the ice’s surface. The skate guards are present under skates and shield good skate blades. If you possess skates, wear skate guards as you enter the ice rink. Just before you get onto the ice, take off your skate guards. With your skates on, avoid walking on cement or woody surfaces.
Step 3
At the starting position, hold the skate rails firmly as you step onto the ice in the skating rink. Once you are acclimatized to the surface, start marching. First, march while standing still, then march forward while moving with the support of ice skates. Put all your weight forward while sliding. Refrain from looking down at your toes while skating forward.
Step 4
For forward skating, step forward with your right foot, stop on two feet, and then shift to your left foot. Glide around the rink while pushing off of one foot and onto the other foot. For backward skating, maintain a parallel position with your feet, bent knees, and a raised chest. Put some weight between your feet and then push outward with a foot.
Push off the soles of your feet and gradually push back to keep your balance. Or you can slowly walk backward while turning your toes in. Adjust your weight until you discover the sweet spot where balancing comes naturally.
Step 5
Bend your knees slightly while leaning forward. If you’ve never skated before, push off with one foot and then the other to get going while attempting to skate slowly around the rink. Before swapping your feet and driving off with the right foot, you must quickly lift the left foot off the ice.
Step 6
Falling is inevitable in ice skating, so you should practice how to fall properly without getting injured. Learn and practice falling and getting up from the ice skating rink. Body position matters a lot in skating, so position your body according to the skating requirement.
Step 7
They were leaping off the ice while ice skating and twirling in the air were both involved in skating. It would help if you practiced it too.
Step 8
To do a snowplow stop in ice skating, spread your foot apart and make a small quantity of snow on the ice rink with the base of the blade. Toes must be pointed inward. For T-stop, put your feet in the t position while your weight is shifted on the back leg.
Step 9
Practice again and again until you get sufficient experience.
Dip position
Start by extending both arms in a sideways motion, one toward the right and one to the left. Then, begin softly marching to gain momentum. Then, propel yourself into a two-foot glide. Next, dip your knees together. Both arms should be stretched outward, parallel to the ice, and above your knees while you are doing this.
Your chin and upper body should remain upright. Practice dipping first while standing still. Practice dips or dives while moving when you can move forward on both feet without trouble.
How to become a perfect skater without ice?
You can learn to skate even if you don’t have ice and ice skates. Try forward cross-training or backward cross-training. Inline skates or roller blades are used for this purpose. Sideboards can also be used to practice skating without ice, but you need to wear special booties. Synthetic ice is another best option to do skating without natural ice.
Start from one end of the artificial skating surface and push off the edge while maintaining balance. Position yourself by keeping your knees slightly bent and skate forward. Once you are experienced, you can also practice skating backward.
Health benefits of regular ice skating
In addition to being a lot of fun, ice skating has several health and wellness advantages.
Improves muscular health
Skating boosts heart rate and blood flow, making it a great cardiovascular workout. Additionally, it strengthens the muscles in the legs and the abdomen. Skating engages almost every body muscle, and gliding requires coordinated leg motions, which are essential for joint flexibility.
Improves coordination, balance, and weight management
Better muscle tone and better joint health result in better balance. You are, likewise, attempting to maintain your balance on the ice. You tone your muscles by learning to use them to keep your balance and get more endurance and body control.
Coping up stress
Exercise, in general, is beneficial for reducing stress because it causes the brain to generate endorphins. Learning the numerous new techniques of skating, such as crossovers, going backward, and spinning, builds self-confidence and sharpens attention. After a long day at work, going to the rink with friends or making new ones during classes is a beautiful way to unwind.
Improves mental health
Skating is an exercise that involves the active coordination of muscles and the brain. Skating also demands solid mental control, such as alertness, awareness, and the capability for reaction. Skating can improve your mental fitness by giving you a significant chance to exercise physically.
Improves joints flexibility
Ice skating might be a practical answer if your knee joints ache every time you get out of bed in the morning. Your knee joints will get a fantastic workout focusing on rapid foot motions and powerful knees and eventually feel more elastic in no time.
Helps in building resilience
Anyone who has ever put on skates is familiar with the sensation of falling on the ice. It can cause you some severe shame. Ironically, getting back up and trying again is the only way to avoid embarrassment. Although nobody finds falling amusing, it is a natural element of ice skating. Even the most skilled skaters occasionally fall.
Because of its nature, figure skating encourages skaters to persevere. They can’t help but desire to conquer challenges to perfect their talent because the sensation of gliding all over the ice rink is so thrilling.
FAQs | How to Ice Skate
Is practicing ice skating a challenging exercise?
Yes, it is a strenuous exercise that requires much practice and consistency.
Can I learn ice skating without an instructor?
Yes, you can learn skating without any instructor if you are a reasonable observer and you can practice yourself.