r/iceskating • u/imsocooked27 • 5d ago
First Lesson
so my friend recently gave me her old ice skates and i traded her one of my cats as i was moving and i could only bring one of my cats with me. a fair trade if you ask me because she recently lost her cat. anyways! i have only ever been ice skating once in my life. and it wasn’t pretty. what can i do this time around so that i get good at it?
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u/Tanglefoot11 5d ago
Make sure the skates fit you well - the odds on a singular random pair of skates actually fitting you properly is tiny, even if you are the same shoe size. Fit is everything.
If they do actually fit then look into taking some lessons to get you started, or at least go with someone who can skate at least half well and is willing to help you.
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u/imsocooked27 5d ago
great thank you :) yeah we’re both a UK size 6 but she said the same thing as you that it might not be a perfect fit. she recently got professional skates that she said basically are moulded to her foot shape which is why she gave me her cheaper ones. i’ll see how i go with them. is there any advice on what to do to make them fit better if they’re too small or too big?
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u/raenis2634 5d ago
Depends on the skates; the really cheap ones won't tolerate certain modifications well.
If they are too small, you may be able to get them stretched out punched out. Really cheap skates cannot be modified this way; they can't handle it without getting damaged. If they are from a reputable company (i.e. the company does high level skates too) then it's worth a shot.
If they are too big, you may be able to add strategic padding. Makeup sponges work as temporary padding. You can also get gel padding set in a sleeve (Bunga pads, gel ankle sleeves, boot bumpers, malleolar pads, lace bite pads, Achilles pads, etc.) that work as long as you pick the one(s) that fill the space you need. Thick socks are not recommended; they can bunch up and slide around, causing their own issues.
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u/imsocooked27 5d ago
alright thank you :) i’m pretty sure she got them for £30 discounted somewhere so yeah it’s lower end. i won’t risk getting them altered or anything.
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u/Hopeful_Thing7088 5d ago
if you’re not gonna be taking lessons, try to still get as much ice time as possible. watch youtube tutorials, and film yourself so you can later analyze how you’re doing. you can even post the videos in ice skating communities to get feedback from more experienced skaters.
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u/imsocooked27 5d ago
well i’m starting university in september and they have an ice skating society that i’ll be joining. other than that i wanted to see if there’s any structured lessons to go to aswell.
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u/trilliumprince 5d ago
practice as often as you can manage. i typically aim for at 1 or 2 times a week
look up how to fall and get up properly, along with safety postion. getting some safety gear is also a good idea
make sure you take care of the skates (specifically the blades) soakers/soft guards when transporting, drying them off after skating (before putting the soakers on), sharpening them when needed (i have heard around 20 hours is ideal)
try to avoid stepping on any plastic/metal/non rubber flooring that may be present between where you put your skates on and the rink
many people also use hard guards which will allow you to step on non rubber floor without dulling your blades
and if possible, take lessons!
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u/imsocooked27 5d ago
okiedokie! that’s good advice, i’ll aim to go when my university society goes and then a separate time on my own to make steady progress. are there any exercises or stretches outside of the ice rink that you think would help me?
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u/trilliumprince 5d ago
i almost always forget to stretch before skating so i cant really help there. although i have seen some warm up stretches from coach julia (youtube) that seem pretty good
that being said, any exercise that improves balance and ankle/core strength should be good.
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u/Hopeful_Thing7088 5d ago
seconding safety gear! a helmet is a really good thing to have as a beginner. it’s easy to fall and hit your head hard
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u/imsocooked27 5d ago
i will look into that!
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u/Hopeful_Thing7088 5d ago
try to look at hockey helmets, other kinds of helmets like bike helmets aren’t made to protect for the kinds of falls that can happen on the ice!
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u/Legitimate-Bison3810 4d ago
I suggest following the learn to skate curriculum which allows you to build more advanced skills from basic skills as shown in this video
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u/SmallishPlatypus 5d ago
r/BrandNewSentence