My First Time Ice Skating
“Glide. That’s the first sensation you will feel.”
Ice melts beneath the blades and reduces friction to near zero. Soon you’ll begin to glide…Glide. That’s the first sensation you will feel. But be careful, without resistance, your natural walking stride causes the legs to split!
Easy to fix, use a marching method. Slightly lift your knees and flat foot placement done repeatedly in cadence. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot…
Before you know it, you are moving at a good pace! Harness that speed into a glide by keeping those feet parallel as if they were railroad tracks headed off into the distance. Slightly bend those knees to lower your center of gravity and to give yourself great balance!
Another sensation you will feel is the rink’s chilly air; felt on the skin and likely to cause a shiver or two. If it’s your first time, you’ll start off bundled up like an eskimo, but after skating a while, you’ll start removing layers. Don’t fret the cold. The air entering the lungs will be crisp and refreshing.
“We all fall at some point and getting up is a part of life.”
Don’t be surprised if at some point, you find yourself off your feet and sitting on the cold ice! We all fall at some point and getting up is a part of life.
The simplest way to stand up, is to position yourself on hands and knees with hips raised. Then lift one foot back to the ice and plant it firmly while continuing to rise higher using hands and one foot. Then allow the second foot placement on the ice, too.
Slowly lift those hands while in a semi squat position until you have found full standing balance again. Ta da!
Prepare to feel like you’re taking your first steps again. Infants don’t crawl then run, they must walk first. Go at it slowly and safely at first. Build up confidence, speed and you will quickly discover the joy of figure skating.
Take the time to appreciate the sights, the sounds, the smells. And most importantly, the family of skaters you will meet while learning and practicing.