Tell me about ice skating

[Rainman]

More particularly figure skating... It might seem a strange interest that I've developed recently, but I'm really interested. I played hockey for a while, so I'm not a total noob, but I know virtually nothing about figure skating. Just whatever info ya got..I'd like to start learning about it. -Rain

[skysaw]

I used to figure skate quite a bit. If you're coming from hockey skates, watch out for that toe pick... it'll kill ya! Good clean lines mean learning the edges.

[Rainman]

Yeah my friend was telling me about the toe pick...why does that make such a difference? and what are good clean lines and how do I use edges/what are they lol.

[skysaw]

Yeah my friend was telling me about the toe pick...why does that make such a difference? and what are good clean lines and how do I use edges/what are they lol. The toe pick is lower on the blade than your brain will generally think it is. It gets in the way very quickly if your weight shifts forward on the blade. The result is a potential quick face-plant. The purpose of the pick is for toe jumps, such as the toe-loop (cherry flip), flip, and Lutz. If you're learning jumps, you'll generally learn the toe-loop first (well, there's the "waltz-jump" but I don't count that, as it's trivial), but not until you've mastered the 3-turn, which means edge work! If you look at the blade on properly sharpened figure skates, you'll see that it is somewhat hollowed out along the bottom. This creates two edges. The "inside edge" is the left edge on the right skate, (right edge on left skate), and the "outside edge" is the right edge on the right skate (left on left). In Hockey, the most important thing is to get where you're going as quickly as you can, ie a straight line from point A to point B. In figure skating, you are mostly using your edges, which means your lines are arcs, as the skating on the edge causes you to trace a large circle. The more you lean, the smaller the circle becomes. Moving from one edge to another on a single skate (not easy, by the way) will make you skate in an "S" shape. Skating a clean line means you have control over this arc. A good skater is able to glide on one foot, forward or backwards on either edge, and trace a circle. Two more important tips: 1. Make sure the skate is tight on your foot. Generally you want a half-size smaller than your shoe size. And wear a dress sock -- thin is important! These are the most important things for beginner skaters. Whenever someone tells you they can't skate because they have "weak ankles," it really means they were trying skates that were too large for them. 2. BEND YOUR KNEES! Bend them always, and more than you think you need to.

[Rainman]

Thanks a lot My friend has me working on backward crossovers at the moment...I can only do them going counter clockwise. For some reason I'm totally inable to do them clockwise. And even doing counter clockwise I cant do it for mroe than a few seconds and I can't build up speed. How do i use edges to make myself go faster? She does it with ease and literally zooms up and down the ice while I move incredibly slowly... haha

[skysaw]

Thanks a lot My friend has me working on backward crossovers at the moment...I can only do them going counter clockwise. For some reason I'm totally inable to do them clockwise. And even doing counter clockwise I cant do it for mroe than a few seconds and I can't build up speed. How do i use edges to make myself go faster? She does it with ease and literally zooms up and down the ice while I move incredibly slowly... haha Everyone finds one direction easier than the other for crossovers, jumps, and spins. Most people (including me) like counter-clockwise, and do all their spins and jumps in this direction. Crossovers you will need to learn in both directions. It's extremely rare to find a skater who jumps in one direction but spins in the other, and it's pretty much discouraged in practice. Don't worry about building up speed on your back crossovers until you have completely worked out your form. Good form will assist your speed, but working on speed first will hinder your form. One thing that hinders speed is losing energy by not holding a line precisely. If you wobble left-to-right or front-to-back even a very tiny bit, it will use up some of the energy you have built. When your lines become cleaner, it will take less energy to build and maintain speed.

[Rainman]

Oh i see. For me it's a matter of balance..doing the crossovers I feel like I'll fall at any second. I prolly should start working on clockwise...Idunno how far i'll even get with ice skating but it's sort of a newly formed passion for me. I need to get some skates..the rental ones have no support. What dictates good form with crossovers? I just do all this amatuerly I don't know anything about the technical aspects of this sport, though I'd like to learn.

[skysaw]

Oh i see. For me it's a matter of balance..doing the crossovers I feel like I'll fall at any second. I prolly should start working on clockwise...Idunno how far i'll even get with ice skating but it's sort of a newly formed passion for me. I need to get some skates..the rental ones have no support. What dictates good form with crossovers? I just do all this amatuerly I don't know anything about the technical aspects of this sport, though I'd like to learn. Being fitted for a good set of skates will make a world of difference. I would definitely suggest looking for some group lessons, and maybe get some advice from a pro on what kind of skates to purchase.

[Rainman]

Thanks a lot for all the advice. It's helped a lot. I could ask questions all day about skating...how good were you? i mean you seem to know a ton about this

[skysaw]

Thanks a lot for all the advice. It's helped a lot. I could ask questions all day about skating...how good were you? i mean you seem to know a ton about this Being a solidly built 6'1" man meant I was never going to be anything amazing on the ice, but I did get pretty far before I hung up my skates. I could do a toe-loop (probably still could today), and a Salchow, and was just starting to get my spin working up a bit. One day after a lesson I was slowly skating off of the ice towards the exit and must have hit a divot or something. I twisted my ankle terribly, had to be taken off on a stretcher, and ended up on crutches for two weeks. I still had some pain for several months, and just sort of lost steam on the whole skating thing... gave up my lessons, and rarely went back to the ice over the years.

[Rainman]

Aw man. That sucks, I'm really sorry to hear it..I think maybe you should try it again and see how it goes...you may re-ignite that flame. I'm 6'0, but slim. Should I even bother, er am I too tall? I doubt I'll even want to go really far, but I'd like to be a decent figure skater. For somereason skating makes me feel really good.