Inline Skate Stars

How to Improve at Ice Skating {9 Proven Ways}

Wondering how to improve at ice skating? Today, you’ll discover the 9 proven ways to improve your ice skating skills. However, this can only happen if you read to the end. So, let’s get to it!

How to improve at ice skating is a major concern for newbie and intermediate ice skaters. It can also be daunting, especially when you don’t know how to go about it. On the other hand, mastering ice skating is fun and fulfilling.

That’s why it’s crucial to transition from the newbie tag to the pro status quickly. Several things happen when you become good at ice skating. One, you can perform more advanced ice skating techniques. Two, you reduce the chances of picking injuries from falling. Lastly, getting better at ice skating helps prevent health complications like lower back and ankle pains.

Here’s the quick rundown of how to improve at ice skating.

  • Perfect your Balance
  • Master the Correct Ice Skating Position
  • Use Online Resources like YouTube Videos
  • Play Ice Skating Related Sports like Hockey
  • Practice Ice Skating Techniques More Often
  • Try Online Ice Skating Coaching Lessons
  • Enjoy your Ice Skating Sessions
  • Find an Ice Skating Buddy or Buddies
  • Stay Positive and Never Give Up

How to Improve at Ice Skating

But this is only the scratch on the surface. In the rest of this guide, I’ll walk you through how to improve at ice skating in detail. So, without much ado, let’s jump right in!

1. Perfect your Balance

Getting your balance when ice skating goes a long way to help avoid possible falls. The last thing you want is to fall when ice skating because of a lack of balance. This can hurt your head or other body parts. This is particularly true when you don’t have protective gear on, like helmets and knee pads.

More Reading: Can You Wear a Bike Helmet for Ice Skating?

That being said, ice skating rinks can be slippery, and the best way to avoid falling is to master your balance. So how do I go about it, you ask? The quick way to learn and master your balance is to do balance exercises. Perfect examples of such exercises include standing on one leg and using a Bosu ball.

Start by standing on one leg for at least a minute, then alternate to the other leg and hold for 1-2 minutes. Please note, this is a dry land exercise and doesn’t require you to wear your ice skates. Repeat this exercise several times a week before trying it when wearing your ice skating shoes.

When you visit the rinks, wear your skates and try doing the one-leg exercise. Start by lifting one foot for a minute or two, then alternate to the other foot and alternate for another minute or two. If you can, push and glide, then hold the gliding foot in the air for a few seconds.

You can also try the scooting exercises to learn and perfect your balance. Again, this should be pretty simple if you’ve used a scooter before. The exercise involves using one foot to push yourself on the rinks while the other foot remains on the surface like you’d ride a scooter.

Lastly, you can use a Bosu ball to perfect your balance. This exercise is like the leg raise exercise, so you need to perform it without your ice skating shoes. Stand on the Bosu ball with one foot while the other is suspended in the air. You can also do squats to make it more fun and effective. Do this for a minute or two. Then, switch to the other foot and repeat about 5-10 times.

2. Master the Correct Ice Skating Position

Using the correct ice skating position is an important technique many beginners and intermediate ice skaters struggle with. Unfortunately, failure to use the right posture can cause lower back pains, and it can also lead to falling on the cold hard rink surface.

What is the correct ice skating position, you ask? The correct ice skating position involves bending your knees at a right angle. The knees should be above the toes, while your shoulders should be over your hips. Skating in this position helps transfer your body weight to the footballs and away from your body.

The best way to master this skating position is by skating in this position. First, put on your ice skates. Then slide forward by pushing and gliding while in the correct ice skating position. Stay in the bent down position for as long as you can hold. You can also push yourself to the edge if you have to.

3. Use Online Resources like YouTube Videos

There are plenty of ice skating resources online. The first online platform to visit is YouTube since it has plenty of ice skating channels. The best part is, most of the channels publish free ice skating tutorial content regularly for beginners and intermediate skaters.

You can learn ice skating techniques like speed control, balance, and crossovers by watching YouTube tutorials. All you need is an internet connection and a personal computer or mobile phone, and you’re good to go.

To find excellent ice skating tutorials, you can search using phrases like balancing on ice skates or how to improve at ice skating. Also, remember that watching videos alone can only take you so far. That’s why you need to take action by practicing what you learn.

Relying on free online resources like YouTube is an excellent way to learn ice skating when you are on a budget and can’t afford paid ice skating lessons.

4. Play Ice Skating Related Sports like Hockey

Playing ice skating-related sports like hockey can help move the needle, especially when you’re into recreational ice skating. You, therefore, want to join and learn different skills from the sport as soon as possible.

For example, hockey uses emergency stopping, crossovers, back skating, and sprinting skills. These are essential techniques to learn to play or skate effectively. Unfortunately, trying to learn them outside the hockey rink can be a hurdle. That’s why joining the sport helps to flatten the learning curve.

It would be best to join hockey or figure skating to learn different ice skating techniques fast quickly. This also helps improve your commitment to learning and implementing new ice skating ideas. So, if you can do it, it’d recommend you go for it.

5. Practice Ice Skating Techniques More Often

Ice skating is a skill that gets better depending on how many hours one puts in. You need more hours to master any skill, and ice skating isn’t excluded. Perfection comes when you invest more time and energy into a goal, and that’s what you want to do with ice skating.

Ice skating is a winter sport, meaning you need ice to skate. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean you stop skating during the warmer months because it’ll only worsen things for you. This would be the time to frequent an indoor ice skating rink in your city or neighborhood.

Also, try to skate at least once a week. If you have the time and resources, you can visit the indoor ice skating rink to skate as much as possible. This is the best way to fast-track your learning and move you from a newbie to a pro skater with chops.

6. Try Online Ice Skating Coaching Lessons

Online ice skating coaching lessons are another sure way to flatten your learning and get better at ice skating. While you can do some ice skating techniques by yourself, it helps to have someone watching and monitoring your progress.

You, therefore, can enroll in an online ice skating coaching class and learn at your convenience. There are two ways to go about this. One, you can meet the coach from your local rink, then organize online lessons. Alternatively, you can find a professional trainer online and plan how you’ll be handling the lessons.

7. Enjoy your Ice Skating Sessions

Another quick way to learn new techniques and improve your skating skills is to enjoy the skating experience. This helps to stir you up and keeps you motivated. You’ll always be looking forward to the next training session when you enjoy ice skating.

8. Find an Ice Skating Buddy or Buddies

Also, you don’t want to skate alone because ice skating is a social sport, and it can get boring and lonely when you don’t have friends. Therefore, you should find one or two friends to keep you motivated and learn from each other.

9. Stay Positive and Never Give Up

Always stay positive and only give out positive energy. Honestly, many times you’ll feel discouraged and want to quit. That should be the last thing on your mind because winners don’t quit, and you’re one of them. The best way to handle frustration and discouragement is not to be too hard on yourself.

Wrapping Up

Ice skating is a fun winter sport. However, you can also enjoy ice skating during summer at an ice skating rink. So, if you’re starting or an intermediate, you shouldn’t worry so much about improving at ice skating. The information in this guide is all you need to get started.

If you stick to the recommendations in this guide, nothing should stand in your way. I hope you found this guide helpful. Happy skating!

Navick Ogutu
Navick Ogutu

Navick is a full-time freelance writer, blogger, and internet marketer. By day, he creates content for multiple sites including inlineskaterstars.com. Over the weekend, he goes out skating with friends.

Articles: 394