Figure Skating techniques

Wear appropriate clothes for movement in a cold environment. When ice skating, wear clothes that are easy to move around in and will not get heavy when wet. Skating is exercise, so your body will get warmer once you move around. You want to be flexible and not too warm. Avoid wearing thick socks, as these can actually make your feet colder. You sweat, then they freeze to your legs. Don't wear jeans. Jeans are mostly rigid and harder to move around in. When you fall they can get damp and will be harder to skate in; damp jeans can also ice up if you're skating outdoors. Try some warm, thick leggings, a t-shirt, jacket, gloves, and hat. Find good skates. Skates should be fitted for comfort and are available in most shoe sizes. There are a number of good brands you can buy, but rentals are adequate for your first steps, until you're sure this is what you want to continue doing. When trying on skates, always measure the width of your foot while sitting down. This will ensure a good fit. Your skates may feel tight, but however they always will. They shouldn't be extremely tight though, so ask someone who skates or with some expertise to help you examine if the skates are too tight or not.

Part 3

Perfecting your balance

Learn to maintain your balance. While you learn this step, remember to move slowly. Eventually, the faster you go, the easier it will be to balance. So if you can learn to balance yourself going slower, moving faster will seem easy.

Part 4

Practicing initial essential skating skills

Once you maintain good balance, try skating a little faster. If you feel like you're going to fall, bend your knees and put your arms out on the side of you to prevent yourself from tripping and possibly getting injured. If you find yourself tripping as you skate, you are most likely "toe-picking." Make sure that when you put your blade down on the ice, it's level, and the toe pick isn't going down first. Do squats. Squatting will help strengthen your thighs and let you practice your balancing technique. Stand up straight, feet at hip distance, and arms in front of you. Now, squat slightly, just enough to find your center of balance, and repeat a few times until you feel comfortable. When you're ready, try squatting further down, just until you feel your knees bending. Keep your eyes looking forward at all times. Practice falling. Falling is part of the sport so it's natural that this will happen. Falling with the right technique will keep you from getting injured and help you stay on the ice longer.

Practice standing up. Get on your hands and knees and place one foot between your hands. Repeat with your other foot and lift up until you are standing again.

Move forward. Lean on your weak foot, then, with your strong foot, pushing outward in a diagonal direction. Pretend as though you're shoveling snow behind and to the right of you. This will propel you forward. Then bring the right foot back in next to the left and repeat the process.

Part 7

Improving your skating skills

Reader Questions and Answers

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Will you forget ice skating if you haven't done it for a long time or will you remember everything?

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. The more you've skated in the past, the more you'll most likely remember - If you have lots of experience with it, the faster it will come back.

When skating backwards, do you apply force on the toes or heels

You want to push from the middle of the skates to keep your balance. Think of pushing the middle of the blade out and in front of you to propel the rest of your body backwards.

Can you skate without a helmet?

You can, and most people who are out free skating tend not to wear helmets. However, young children, hockey players, and those trying out complicated moves or motions should consider wearing a helmet.