How many times have you said to yourself: “I can do it, today I'm going to skate!”, And then fall to sit on the ice and give up? To learn to skate you have to be persevering, but it can be done. All you need to do is master some basic skills and then you'll be ready to do the things you enjoy before you know it.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Developing Your Skills
Step 1. Get ready
Before going on the ice, put on your skates. Don't worry about buying them immediately. You can rent them until you are sure you want to figure skating for some time.
- Make sure you get a pair of skates that fit you well. They should be very snug, but they shouldn't give you any discomfort or pain.
- You should also make sure you lace them tight enough. You shouldn't be able to rotate your ankle.
Step 2. Learn to fall
The first thing to learn as a figure skater is to fall. You will fall many times and it is important to know how to fall so as not to hurt yourself. Practice falling. If you feel you are about to fall, squat down so that you land lightly on your butt or side. Do not fall with your hands forward.
You should also learn to get up or at least get out of the way quickly. You should prevent others from coming at you
Step 3. Soften your knees
Another thing you should learn as a figure skater is to keep your knees soft. When you are a beginner, you are unstable on your legs and your muscles are weak, so it is natural that you will tend to keep your knees straight and stiff. But it is very important in figure skating to have soft knees that move easily, which not only allow you to move but also prevent your legs from hurting.
Practice relaxing your muscles and moving your leg well. You can also soften your knees by squatting down a bit
Step 4. Learn to move forward
Now that you can skate easily and confidently, you can learn to move forward. With one leg pointing forward, gently push the other leg back and out, with the toes tending to move slightly away from the body. The back leg is the one that should push you onto the ice. Bring your leg back onto the ice after pushing and give the same push with the other leg.
Although the way you balance is different, you may want to learn this basic rollerblading movement before learning how to do it on ice. It is easier and you could avoid getting hurt
Step 5. Learn to brake
Of course once you move forward, you will eventually have to brake. You can't keep hitting the wall! Basic braking is done by bending your knees slightly and tilting your body to the side so that both skate blades are tilted perpendicular to the direction you are moving.
You can also do a T-brake, turning one of the blades and forming a T with the other, placing it perpendicular to the direction you are going
Step 6. Learn to push
With the basic movements starting from under the belt, learn how to push to skate forward. Pushing means moving forward, but with longer and more harmonious movements. Give a firmer push with your leg and keep it extended behind you before switching legs.
Practice this movement until it feels harmonious and natural. This will be the basic movement you will do between the exercises and the movements you will learn to do while skating, so you will have to learn it very well
Part 2 of 3: Learning the Main Movements
Step 1. Learn to move back
The very first "move" you learn as a skater is almost always the back one. This is a movement that introduces many exercises and it is important to learn and master it. It takes coordination and practice, but be patient - you will get there.
For the basics of how to move backward, imagine reversing your forward movements. With your weight on one foot, make a movement with the other foot as if you were drawing a lemon on the ice, pushing yourself back and rounding the curve of the "lemon"
Step 2. Learn to spin
Learning to turn or at least make turns on the track is an important skill for a skater. Another basic skill to learn is to make turns more and more complex than the easy way you learned on your own. There are two common methods of making curves that you will learn very soon:
- The forward cross step is used to make large turns and to increase speed in jumps. Basically you will be doing the same movements you do when moving forward, but your legs will cross, causing you to turn slowly. You can do the same movement by going backwards, although you should start with the forward movement.
- Three is another method of turning around, it is used for making sharp turns and changes of direction. It is more complicated but doable for a beginner.
Step 3. Try learning spinning tops
There are many different types of spinning tops in figure skating and many are not as difficult as they seem. You'll likely be ready for spins after about a year of mastering the basic moves.
- A basic spin is done by rotating in a circle on the spot.
- The low spin is performed by rotating on one leg and keeping the upper body parallel to the ice.
Step 4. Learn the basic sequences
There are some movements or exercises that are basic in figure skating. They are called sequences of steps and usually consist of a series of spins, spins and jumps. Different sequences have different names, you will need to learn some basic ones.
Some examples are the mohawk and the three forward
Part 3 of 3: Hone Your Skills
Step 1. Try to feel safe
You will need to work to feel confident in all basic skating movements. Whenever you learn a new movement, take some time to do it before doing another movement. This will create "memories" in the muscles of how to do the movement, making it easier to perform without thinking about it. This is necessary to do a lot of complex exercises, because you can't always think about all the small movements you do.
Step 2. Build your muscles and try to get in good shape
You will need to be strong and healthy if you want to be good and feel confident when skating. Do a lot of exercise, try not to sit and watch TV all day, eat healthy food.
The body needs a lot of protein to work well while skating. Try to eat protein without too much fat, such as turkey, fish, or nuts, so your body doesn't feel heavy
Step 3. Find an instructor or take lessons
An instructor or lessons might seem expensive, but they will make a big difference in developing your skills. An instructor will be able to see what is wrong and help you fix it. He will also be able to teach you new skills and movements, making you the best figure skater you can become.
Step 4. Practice, practice, practice
Practice. And then practice a little more. Figure skating is difficult to learn. If it were easy, anyone would. This means that if you want to become good, or even just average, you will have to skate a lot. It will take some time to get where you want and there are no shortcuts. You have to work hard. You can do it!
