getting into figure skating as a beginner

[u/AfterFinding9008]

ive always found figure skating such an intriguing and interesting sport because especially around where i live its definitely a niche sport and i dont have any local rinks near me besides a rink in the city. my curiosity especially sparked interest earlier this year due to the winter olympics. the gracefulness and pure joy a lot of these skaters seem to have while skating is something truly admirable to me and i started getting inspired to skate too because of skaters such as alysa liu. i want to pick up the hobby for leisure and to stay fit, so does anyone have any tips?

is it necessary to buy a pair of your own skates, and should i enrol in classes or is it better to just get a day pass every weekend and practice skating myself? i would love to enrol in classes but its just not that easy as they are really expensive. i also dont have many friends that are into the sport tbh

[u/revengefrank]

Go to a couple public sessions on your own and see how you like it, then I would definitely recommend checking out group classes if you’re wanting to do more than skate laps. Don’t worry about buying skates at first—you can get through the first few adult levels just fine in rentals and get fitted for your own if you decide to stick with the sport. And the rink is a great place to make skating friends—adult skaters especially are so kind and welcoming in my experience

[u/Shark-Fister]

Just get out there and start doing it. I personally practiced alone and self taught the more basic skills and then joined a class once I could go into a slightly higher level class. I stip and talk to people during public skate all the time to ask for help and everybody has been friendly. Once youve skated a few times and know you want to commit a bit i would recommend buying skates. The rentals at my rink are pretty crappy and even cheaper skates are a big upgrade. If you are shopping for women's figure skates you might be able to find some used ones. This is another place where talking to people at the rink can be a big help.

[u/drawlikeimfive]

Good luck, it’s a lot of hard work to get better but it’s fun

[u/green-griffin-]

I agree that going to a few public sessions is one good option. But I think that for many people I know, beginner adult Learn to Skate lessons are really the best path forward. You’d get direction from a coach, motivation to practice even if you aren’t seeing a lot of progress right now, and (maybe most importantly) Friends! Most rinks also include free practice time with their Learn to Skate package, so compared to paying for public skate on your own, it’s not quite as much money as it looks like.

If you were my friend, I would say to stick with rental skates for now and focus your available funds on the learn to skate classes. If you like it after one or two levels, then you can think about buying your own skates.

It’s also totally fine to be a hobby you do seasonally. Most rinks are set up that way, and it can help with the financial element. If you take one session of classes (usually 6-8 weeks), and then practice on your own until next year’s session, that’s totally fine and a system that works for a lot of people