First time ice skating: a beginner's guide
Your first time on the ice is mostly about trust: trusting the blades, your knees and the fact that everyone else fell over once too. This guide takes you from the skate-hire counter to your first glide and stop.
1. Get the skates right
Most problems on a first session come from badly fitted, loosely laced skates.
- Ask for your usual shoe size and try them on at the counter. Your toes should just brush the front when standing, and your heel should not lift when you bend your knees.
- Wear one pair of normal socks, pulled up smooth. Thick or doubled socks make the boot loose and your feet colder.
- Lace from the toe, loose over the toes, firm across the instep and firmest round the ankle, then tie at the top. You should be able to slide one finger down the back of the boot, no more.
- Keep blade guards on (if provided) until you step onto the ice, and never walk on concrete in bare blades.
2. Stand like a skater
Step on with the barrier beside you. Feet slightly apart, toes very slightly out, knees bent so you could not see your toes over them, arms out in front at waist height, eyes up. Standing straight-legged is what makes people topple backwards.
3. March, then glide
Start by marching on the spot, then march forwards in small steps. After a few steps, stop marching and let yourself roll. Next, turn the marching into short pushes: push one foot out to the side and slightly back with the inside edge of the blade, then bring it back under you. Push, glide, push, glide.
4. Stopping: the snowplough
From a slow glide, bend your knees, turn your toes slightly in and push your heels outwards so the inside edges scrape the ice. The scrape slows you down. Practise with one foot at a time first if both feels too much. Do not rely on the barrier to stop: it is how people catch fingers.
5. Falling and getting up
Everyone falls. When you feel it coming, bend your knees and sit down sideways onto your hip, keeping your hands close and fingers curled. To get up, roll onto your knees, put one foot flat on the ice between your hands, then the other, and stand up slowly. Get up quickly so other skaters can see you.
6. Skate with the crowd
Go the same way as everyone else, look where you are going, and keep the barrier side free for others who need it. Faster skaters usually keep to the middle; stay steady and predictable and they will go around you.
7. Getting better quickly
- Little and often beats one long session a month.
- Move away from the barrier as soon as you can.
- Take a short course of lessons: a few weeks of coaching will teach you more than a year of public sessions.
- Once you are skating weekly, think about your own skates.
More quick answers are in the beginner's FAQ, and for kit see what to wear and protective gear.