Top Tips for taking up ice-skating?

I'd love to take up ice-skating.. is there a particular age which is best for taking it up and is there any tops and advice anyone could kindly give me :) thankx muchly! x

Top Tips for taking up ice-skating?
you can be a good skater from the first day that you step on the ice.





skating is not about being at a high level. i think most people feel like that so they think they need to start early but you should only be doing it if you love it. the point is for enjoyment and then your immediate goal is to look good doing whatever move you are doing, even if it is a two foot glide.





confidence, not experience, is what every skater needs to be successful.





go for it baby~!
Reply:erm well i think that you can start from any age but i think that if you started from a young age e.g. 4 when your around 10 you could be a pro at ice skating but it doesnt matter how old you are. A useful tip is too keep practicing and to believe in yourself and to remember tht impossible is nuffing!
Reply:there's no particular age to start ice skating i didn't step on ice until last year and i'm already learning single jumps.


the advice i would give to you is to practice as much as you can and if your like me and love the ice you'll never want to get off lol ^_^


also never give up no matter how hard something is just keep trying and you'll get it.


so good luck ^_^
Reply:Many figure skaters start as young as 3 of 4. I started at 11, so it's really never too late to start figure skating. I personally believe a good age to start is 8 or 9 because older kids tend to grasp ideas a lot faster than the little ones. This age is perfect because it's somewhere in the middle: not too young, but not too old either





I would highly reccomend starting in the level Pre-Alpha. Don't start in Tots 1 %26amp;2 OR Tots 3 %26amp;4 because most of the people there are 3 or 4 years old. Pre-Alpha has mainly younger kids, but the moves they teach are basic and a great place to start:





*Backward Swizzles


*Forward Swizzles


*Two-Foot Spin


*Two-Foot Glide


*One-Foot Glide (right and left)





In the beginning, use the rental skates your rink provides. Because you will only be a beginner, rental skates are adequate for what you will be doing on the ice. Beware: rental skates are dull, crooked, and will sometimes give you blisters. Once at the level Gamma, I would purchase a pair of skates online at skatebuys.com because they are cheaper than at pro shops. However, determine your size by going to a pro shop to try them on. Then buy online





New skates are very stiff and need to be broken in.


Leave the first two eyelets of the skate untied on your first couple of wears. I would also purchase guards and soakers and bunga pads. Guards cover the blade when you're wlaking around outside the rink. These prevent the blade from getting dull quickly. Soakers are placed on the blade to soak up the water from the ice that has accumulated on the blade while you were skating. Bunga bads are wraps that are placed around the ankle, toes, etc. that prevent blisters





If you don't want to use Bunga Pads, you can purchase corn cushions from Longs and place them on "bony areas" such as the ankle. I have very bony feet and now I have bunions from skating. I place corn cushions on the bunions.





I wouldn't purchase a dress and tights until you get to at least Freestyle 4. Dresses are for more proffessional skaters. You don't need a dress when you're still trying to learn backward crossovers.





Practice Practice Practice. This is where age is irrelevant. As long as you practice dillegently, you will excel.





Hope this helps





Always,


MeowMeow



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