When winter comes, a person has a desire to go skating. This strengthens health and raises the mood, and a good pastime is guaranteed. The only trouble is that not everyone knows how to skate. Realizing that this needs to be learned, many people reach the skating rinks, arguing that “I will never be able to skate in my life.” But why, after all, everyone once did not know how to stand, and when they learned, they were surprised at how you can not love this sport.

You do not know how to learn to skate? with a little free time, you can very quickly master the elementary movements that will allow you to stand steadily on the ice.

Choosing skates

To begin with, you have to get acquainted with how to choose skates. Since you are a beginner, you can rent skates to begin with, but you can also buy. In fact, any skate is suitable for skating, whether it be hockey, figure or free skating. True, the last option will be the most suitable for you, after all, you are not going to make complex movements and turns. Buy skates only according to the size of your foot. Many people think that they should be one or two sizes larger, but this is a fundamentally wrong statement. In such skates, you will not only feel uncomfortable, but you will not avoid the appearance of bloody blisters. Skates on the leg should sit tight, for their fixation it is necessary to tie the laces tightly.

Preparation

Since learning to skate is a matter of one day, you will have to visit the rink at least twice a week. Frequent training is the key to good success. For classes, choose skating rinks that are not crowded or at a time when the number of vacationers on them is small. If you have the opportunity, you can hire an instructor who can put you on the ice in a couple of lessons. You can ask for help from a friend who has been skating for a long time. But if both of these options are inappropriate in your case, you will have to study on your own.

Asking yourself the question: “How to learn to skate?” and having bought skates, you can safely go to the skating rink, where the most real tests await you. And only by gathering your will into a fist, you will be able to overcome them. Yes, it will be difficult, but you will have to be patient.

Learning to ride

Put on your skates and tie them tight. Poorly tightened skates will hinder your movements. Now go to the skating rink, but do not immediately go into battle. Limit yourself to a stand at the side. This is necessary so that your feet get used to the new “shoes” and also feel the ice.

Since you cannot stand in this position all the time, you still have to break away from the side. Release your arms and bend your knees. Note that only on bent knees can you learn to skate. you will not be able to ride, the only thing that awaits you is a fall. So, legs are bent, what to do next? Try to make small movements, setting yourself the goal not to travel a long distance, but to stay on your feet and not fall. By the way, you will have more than one landing on the ice, since it is simply impossible to learn how to skate without falling. By the way, you also need to be able to fall. Try to do it sideways, but not back.

Once you get used to it, start moving. Remember one more thing, you should not move with the teeth, but do not write off the ride. Wait a bit and then try again. Along the way, your body itself will tell you how and what to do. The main thing here is training. Having put on skates once, do not abandon everything, but continue to move firmly towards your goal.

And a few more words about braking. The easiest option is to drive up to the side. If you want to stop in the middle of the rink, then try to turn the toes of the skates slightly forward on bent legs. Well, or wait until the skates themselves stop. This is enough for a beginner.

Do not doubt that you will succeed. Really, don't ask too much of yourself. You won’t be able to learn how to sharpen your skates or make a difficult turn right away anyway. Everything will come with time, as well as faith in your abilities. It doesn't matter if you're twenty or forty.

The skates themselves attract our attention because people who know how to skate look like fairy-tale heroes fluttering over the surface of the ice. There are others - those who do not flutter, but crawl, and since we went to the skating rink for the first or second time, we belong just to the "crawlers".

Nevertheless, even the beginning is very useful - after all, skating burns a huge amount of calories, improves both the figure and the ability to coordinate one's movements.

What to wear?

If you're going to the skating rink, it's best to dress in a way that won't get in the way. For example, instead of a puffy jacket (who even thought of putting a jacket on the skating rink?), you should wear a sweatshirt / warm sweater. In addition, you can put on a warm sleeveless jacket from above if it’s really cold (I can assure you that after five minutes this sleeveless jacket will have to be removed).

In addition, it is worth wearing gloves to help protect your hands during falls (and there will be falls, and there will be many of them).

If you have friends who can skate, you should definitely go to the rink with them. And they will insure at the right time, and they will give advice.

How to ride?

And the advice on skating itself is not very tricky:

1. In order not to fall right away, you should grab the side and then go out onto the ice. Yes, do not forget to first practice standing on skates, you can not on ice, but on a regular floor. As soon as you have learned to keep your balance, go out onto the ice and try to stand there.

2. To move forward, you need to bend your knees, stretch your lead leg forward, and push off the ice with your skate. A few nuances: you need to keep your back straight, and you need to push off with the edge of the skate, and not with your toe. Above all, remember to bend your knees.

3. One foot should always be in the center of gravity, otherwise a fall is inevitable.

4. For braking at first, do as skiers - socks should be directed slightly inward. To stop like an experienced "skater" will not work, try stopping in a straight line first;

5. In order to try to move on your haunches, close your legs, bend them at the knees. The thighs should be parallel to the surface of the ice. If everything works out, we squat down and clasp our knees with our hands;

6. Finally, in order to skate well, you need to be able to fall well. True true. After all, you need to fall so as not to damage anything. It is advisable to learn to fall to the side, and not forward or backward.

In general, these are all the tips for today. Of course, the list can be expanded, and I would like to hope that one of our readers will advise something useful for beginners!

Skates can give no less pleasure than skis or sleds. Moreover, they take an active part in working out and maintaining the tone of the muscles of the back, legs, and abdomen. Develop a sense of coordination and balance. However, before entering the skating rink or other ice space, a person must go through a difficult path of learning, understand how to learn how to skate and master the knowledge gained. There is nothing difficult in this, but it will not be easy in solving this issue either.

Before taking the first steps on the ice, you must:

• develop balance and stability;
• master the skills of correct sliding;
• Learn the basics of ice skating.

When buying your first skates, you need to remember that boots should always be a size larger than the shoes that you wear in everyday life.

First skates

There is an opinion that skate shoes need to be bought several sizes larger. This legend relates to the misconception that a skater should wear two pairs of woolen socks to avoid getting frostbite on their feet. In fact, only one pair of socks is needed to keep the limbs warm.

Let's take a closer look at this point. Yes, warm socks are necessary, because the skates themselves do not have any insulation. As we have already said, one pair will be enough. What needs to be achieved? Putting on two pairs of socks or boots that are much larger in size, which begin to walk freely on the leg, the trainee ceases to feel the ice. This situation leads to the fact that the blades of the skates become difficult to control, and this, in turn, creates a feeling of insecurity.

Skate Blade Care

In order to avoid damage to the blades of the skates, it is necessary to put on special covers on them, which are freely sold in stores specializing in the distribution of sports equipment.

Since after acquiring skates you will not immediately go out on the ice, but will train at home for some time, until the moment of the first steps on a slippery surface, the blades will be scratched quite badly, which will affect their sliding.

We lace skates correctly

The technique for properly lacing skate boots is a cross-overlap. Laces should not be bought too thick. In extreme cases, an ordinary linen braid will do for you.

Now regarding the correct lacing. The bottom of the skate boot does not need to be tightened too much. In turn, more effort should be applied to its middle part, since it should keep the leg upright, help maintain and prevent the danger of dislocation of the ankle joint. The upper part must be laced more freely so that the leg has the opportunity to freely lean forward, and nothing interferes with this movement.

The Basics of Resilience

When answering the question of how to learn to skate, you must immediately warn those who strive for ice. The first steps will be taken by you in your own home. Otherwise it is impossible. On the ice, a beginner will feel not only insecure, but even sluggish, sour:

• legs will constantly move apart;
• will begin to pursue continuous falls;
• the body sways;
• lower limbs "live their lives".

Therefore, for a faster mastering of the skating technique, it will take some time to practice within the walls of your home. To do this, putting covers on the blade of skates or laying an old unnecessary rug, you need to walk around the room a little. This is done so that the trainee can feel the stability.

After the balance technique has been learned, given the unusual reduced support, it will be necessary to move on to exercises with increased complexity.

Holding hands on the back of a chair, wearing skates, you will need to do a few squats, and then half squats. As a result, the task will be complicated by the fact that squats will occur with one leg extended forward. One such lesson cannot exceed ten minutes a day.

An important point in the period of learning to skate is the ability to transfer the weight of the body from one leg to another, as well as to bend them in time during movement.

Time for ice

The first exit to the ice should take place on a skating rink with few people. Equally important is the correct positioning of the legs: the socks are turned outward for stability. After the first steps, you can attempt to slide on "parallel legs". Then try to slide on only one foot.

Instead of running - sliding

They do not run on ice in skates, but glide. The main thing is the uniformity and smoothness of movements, as well as the complete absence of jerks. Now it's time to discover the secret that will answer the question of how to learn to skate.

To develop a long sliding step, the following exercise is necessary: ​​the right leg comes off the ice after a push, bending at the knee and describing a kind of loop. Then, it is sent forward and placed in front of the left skate on which the skater glides.

Having caught the moment of lowering the first skate onto the ice, the left one now leaves to the side, standing on the edge to create the next push.

The art of turning

A beginner must learn to turn. We propose to consider two schemes of turns.

They must be mastered immediately after the skater more or less confidently stands on skates. The above schemes are the simplest. The picture on the right side shows the technology of rotation "through the leg".

What needs to be done to make the right turn? Nothing complicated: slightly tilting the body to the left, it is necessary to transfer the weight of the body to the left leg and place it on the outer side of the blade. Then, lift your left leg, crossing it, gently place it on the ice in front of your right.

Ice braking

Accelerating on a slippery surface is not yet the pinnacle of the trainee's skill. The most difficult thing is to stop in this situation. So how do you slow down on ice? In this case, the stopping technique is a separate art. The trainee begins to understand the importance of the question at the moment when it is black from people on the rink, and it is necessary to interrupt the run immediately and in such a way as not to collide with anyone or run into someone who has fallen.

The simplest method of braking is the so-called stop on the ice, which is carried out with the foot forward with the participation of the inner side of the rib of the skate.

Another way of braking is to bring the knees and toes together, pushing the heels of the skates apart with the simultaneous bending of the legs. This option is called a "plow" and is used in skiing.

Store your skates properly

After the winter is over, you can’t just throw the skates into the closet and forget about them until the next snow. They must be cleaned, the blades lubricated with machine oil, and the skin itself with vaseline, carefully wrapped in paper and only then hidden in a secluded place.

Skating is a favorite hobby or a habit for someone, while others only dream of getting on the ice. All beginners will be able to overcome the first fear and get acquainted with the theoretical foundations of skating in this article. Where to start and how to start your first attempts at skating - read on.

You need to start with the choice of skates. It is better for girls to learn on figure skates, and for guys - on hockey. Either it really happened that way, or it’s really more convenient, but all amateurs make just such a choice. Whether you're renting skates or buying new ones, choose your size. Know that you will not feel comfortable in skates that are 2 sizes too large, even if you wear five wool socks. This inconvenience threatens you with strong blisters at least and complete helplessness at the maximum, because of which you will not learn to ride or even stand on the ice. Clothing on the rink should not be too thick and hot. While riding, you will be constantly on the move. And the less experience you have, the more you will have to strain, and therefore sweat. The best form for skating is thermal underwear, leggings or trousers, as well as a sweater. Just in case, you can wear a demi-season short jacket if the skating rink is covered. Gloves or mittens will come in handy for two reasons: the skin of the hands will be protected from chapping, and the palms are less vulnerable when falling. When you get on the ice, do not rush to move far from the sides. Before you make the first attempt to move, stand a little, feel the balance. To do this, tilt the body slightly forward, and keep your legs slightly bent at the knees. During the stance, the toes of the feet point inward and look at each other. So, standing on the inner edges of the skates, you will never “spread” in different directions. To start moving on the ice, turn your socks to the sides. One leg in front of the other, do not unbend your knees and do not tilt your body back, while holding on to the side with your hand. Take a sliding step forward with your front foot, push off with your back edge. Until you learn how to ride confidently, in no case do not push off with a prong, even if you have them on your blades. Most likely you will not take the first couple of steps very confidently, and your path will stop there. You will hang on the sides of the rink or fall. Don't despair, keep trying. To rise from the ice, get on all fours and, leaning on your hands, rise first to one knee, then pull up the second leg. Now the most difficult thing remains - to move to a vertical position, tearing your hands off the ground. Don't forget about bent knees. Continue trying to skate. Shift your weight from foot to foot as you move. The center of gravity is always on the foot that is in front. The rear helps push off and move forward. The blades of the skates are arranged in a herringbone pattern. If you have never even skated, then the instructions given are not entirely clear to you. But when you find yourself on the skating rink and try to drive at least a few steps on your own, then the acquired theoretical knowledge will come in handy. And in a few hours you will need information not only on how to ride, but also how to brake on ice. At first, you will have only two available ways to stop: crash into a board or another person, and also fall. The latter will be much more common, but don't despair. Try to stop like this: keeping balance on one foot while sliding, bring the other forward and stick your heel or turned edge into the ice. It is possible that after the first attempt to slow down like this you will fall, try to group so as not to get injured on the head and other parts of the body.

Make sure that during skating the skates are tightly tightened and laced up on all loops, fasteners, fasteners. For children, choose skates without laces, because it is unlikely that the baby will sit for a long time while you lace his shoes for skating.

While the thought of ice skating may seem daunting at first, with the right equipment and some patience, you're bound to succeed. First of all, prepare all the necessary equipment so that you are really safe on the ice. Then master some basic movements. Next, start improving your skating technique. Well, if, in the end, figure skating drags you out, officially sign up for classes in this sport.

Steps

Part 1

Choosing the right equipment

Use lighter clothing. Skating requires clothes that are easy to move in and don't weigh too much even when wet. Figure skating gives the body physical activity, while it warms up and does not allow you to freeze on the ice. For indoor skating, wear a fitted top paired with leotards, leggings or leggings.

• When riding outdoors, clothing should be similar. However, it can be made from thicker fabrics or have an extra layer. For example, under a sweater, you can additionally put on a T-shirt.

1. Wear a fitted sweater or light jacket. Since you won't be moving very much initially, it's wise to wear a light jacket or coat. Such clothes should be easy to put on and take off if you start to sweat. At the same time, clothing should be light and comfortable so as not to interfere with your movements on the ice.

   • For example, a tight-fitting sweater is perfect for ice skating.

2. Find the right skate for you. Your feet in skates should be comfortable. In sports stores, they are sold in almost all sizes. When you first start skating, you can first try to rent skates. This will allow you to compare different brands and sizes of skates to find the best fit for you. Then you can already go to the store and buy what suits you.

   Put on socks or tights. To keep your feet warm, wear either figure skating tights or microfiber socks. It is very important that your feet have as little contact as possible with the moisture they release and do not freeze. Therefore, when skating, use either socks or microfiber tights.

   • Never take cotton socks. These socks do not wick away moisture very well, which makes the feet cold.

3. Put on your helmet. For your own safety, you must wear a helmet. It will protect you from head injury if you fall on the ice.

   Learn basic sliding. Sliding is a kind of way of walking on ice that helps transition to skating. Bend your knees slightly. Take two sliding steps forward and let your body slide forward a little. Do this until you start to feel confident. Then start lifting one leg while sliding.

   • In figure skating, the legs take turns off the ice. Sliding will help you get used to the sensations that come with it.

4. Master the basic step. The main step is the same, but already a longer sliding with jerks. To start sliding, push off with one foot and lift it up, then lower that foot onto the ice and push off with the other foot. This is the main step in figure skating. Repeat the exercise until you begin to perform it confidently.

5. Learn how to make flashlights. Starting to slide on the ice, bring your feet together with your heels. Then spread your legs, then bring them together with your socks. Repeat these movements, leaving a trail on the ice that looks like a garland of lanterns.

   • Flashlights will help you learn the basic movements used in figure skating without taking your feet off the ice.
   • Keep practicing flashlights until you are completely confident with this exercise. Eventually, you will be able to start alternately lifting your legs as you move in the same way, drawing multidirectional arcs.