How to get Better Balance for Ice Skating

How to get better balance for ice skating can be a struggle for many newbies and intermediate ice skaters.

However, mastering your balance on time can help prevent ice skating-related injuries when you fall on the hard ice-cold rink surface.

That’s why it’s important to do your best to establish your balance when ice skating. But, with that said, it’s not a walk in the park, especially when you don’t have a dedicated trainer.

The good news is, I’ve put together this detailed guide to help you break through the ice and learn fast.

Below is a quick rundown of what to do to get a better balance when ice skating.

Practice with a Bosu Ball
Master Outside Edging Technique
Strengthen Body Muscles for Ice Skating
Use the Correct Ice Skating Posture
Skate More Often
Do One Leg Raises and Squats on a Flat Surface
Practice on a Slider Board
Do the Scooter Exercise (one leg push)
Practice with a Dumbbell and Soft Pad
Practice with a Booyah Stick and Soft Pad

Ways to get Better Balance when Ice Skating

But, this is only the tip of the iceberg. In the rest of this guide, I walk through every recommendation in detail. So, let’s get to it!

1. Practice with a Bosu Ball

A Bosu ball is like a normal ball, though in half. Standing on the ball can be a hassle because of instability.

That’s why practising your balance on a Bosu ball can go a long way. First, place the Bosu ball on a flat surface, then have one foot on while the other is suspended in the air.

Next, squat while balancing your body on one foot. Repeat this for 1-2 minutes until you can do it comfortably.

Getting better balance when practising with a Bosu ball takes some time. So, you want to keep at it until you attain your goal.

The good news is that a Bosu ball helps work on your foot and leg muscles and strengthens them for ice skating.

If possible, you should practice with a Bosu ball 3-5 times a week to speed up the process.

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2. Master outside Edging Technique

Learning to skate on the outside edge can help improve your balance. However, skating on the outside edge is pretty challenging and uncomfortable because you’re likely to lose balance.

Therefore, many beginners and intermediate skaters prefer skating on the inside edge with their feet pronating.

However, that’s one thing you want to avoid if you desire to get better at ice skating. Besides balancing, skating on the outside edge helps with acceleration, turning, and stopping.

There’s no doubt this is one hell of a skill you want to have. So, how do you go about it? You’re probably asking.

You can practice the technique on ice and off the ice without ice skating shoes. Here’s how to practice outside edging without wearing your ice skating shoes.

First, stand on a door, leaning your shoulder on the door frame. Next, have your feet on the corner between the door frame and the floor.

Ensure your trunk is straight from your shoulders to your feet, then stay in this position for a minute or two.

Next, switch to the other shoulder and repeat the drill for 2-3 minutes. This exercise helps align your body for the outside edging technique when you put on your ice skating shoes.

Next, put on your skates to practice the technique on ice. Remember to be in the correct skating position because it’s the only way you can pull off the outside edging technique.

Push yourself slowly on the outside edge while keeping your trunk in the diagonal position (remember the door exercise above).

Repeat several times until you can comfortably skate on the outside edge without falling. It’s going to be hard initially, but it’s worth the effort. So, keep going!

3. Strengthen Body Muscles for Ice Skating

Next, you can also strengthen your body muscles for ice skating. Beginner skaters often lose balance because of weak foot and leg muscles.

The good news is, there are several workout exercises you can do to get your muscles strong for ice skating.

Ice skating uses the core, gluteus, hamstrings, and adductor muscles. Ideally, these are the muscles you want to activate and strengthen for ice skating.

Exercises to strengthen these muscles include squats, cycling, dance, hill walking, climbing stairs, push-ups, and sit-ups.

4. Use the Correct Ice Skating Posture

Using the correct ice skating posture goes a long way to give you the balance and stability you need when skating.

However, it’s often a hassle for many beginner and intermediate skaters to pull off. So, what’s the correct ice skating posture, you ask?

The correct ice skating posture involves staying low, knees above the toes, and shoulders over the hips.

Also, your feet should be shoulder-width apart. This stance helps transfer your body weight to your toe balls and helps to prevent falling on your back.

Remember, ice skating shoes have a thin and short blade base. So balancing on them on a slippery ice skating rink can be daunting.

The good news is, this is where the correct ice skating posture comes into play. If you haven’t mastered this posture, start small and practise more to master it.

5. Skate More Often

Skating more often helps build your body muscles, giving you the muscle strength you need. But, it doesn’t stop at that.

The trickle effect is that strong muscles help with balance and stability, and that’s what you’re looking for.

How often should you skate? You’re probably asking. Ice skating at least once a week is a good spot to aim for, especially when you have things going on.

However, if you can spare some time between the week, you can skate 2-3 times. Most importantly, it would help to avoid the urge to overskate because it can hurt your body muscles.

6. Do One Leg Raises and Squats on a Flat Surface

Standing on one leg and doing squats works the same way as using a Bosu ball.

Overall, these exercises strengthen your foot, leg, and gluteus muscles, giving you the stability you need when ice skating.

Therefore, do these exercises several times a week for 5-10 minutes, and you’ll get better at balancing when ice skating.

7. Practice on a Slider Board

Slider board presents an opportunity to practice on a surface closely similar to an ice skating rink.

The only difference is that the board isn’t made of ice. But, overall, it’s just as smooth and slippery as an ice skating rink surface.

A slider board helps with the correct skating posture, strengthening the gluteus, core, hamstrings, adductors, and foot muscles.

Wear slider booties and push yourself from one end of the slider board to the other. Repeat this exercise 5-10 times to get bet better balance.

8. Do the Scooter Exercise (one leg push)

The scooter exercise is more like what you do when riding a scooter. It’s a simple exercise yet works your foot muscles and helps with balance and stability.

Put on your ice skates, then push yourself slowly using one foot while the other is stuck on the surface.

Start by pushing yourself from one end of the rink to the other without lifting the gliding foot. Also, ensure you’re doing it in a straight line.

Then, repeat the drill with the other foot several times. A more advanced way to do the scooter exercise is to skate on one foot.

So, push yourself slowly, and as you glide, hold the pushing leg in the air for a few seconds (5-10).

9. Practice with a Dumbbell and Soft Pad

This exercise requires dumbbells and two soft pads. First, have the two soft pads stuck on each other behind you, then stand a few inches away from them, holding the dumbbells in both hands.

Then squat on one foot as you rest your knee on the soft pad. Repeat the exercise 10-15 times for about a minute or two, then advance to one soft pad instead of two.

10. Practice with a Booyah Stick and Soft Pad

This is the same as using a dumbbell. However, the only difference is that instead of a dumbbell, you’ll be using a Booyah stick.

Otherwise, follow the same instructions to work your foot and gluteus muscles for a firm and steady balance when skating.

How to get Better Balance for Ice Skating | Wrapping Up

Getting a better balance for ice skating can be daunting in the beginning. However, you only need to maintain the right attitude and keep working on your skill.

You’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve with consistency. That being said, below is the rundown of what to get better.