Is it too Late to Start Figure Skating at 14?

Is it too late to start figure skating at 14? Figure skating is a fun recreational, and competitive ice-skating discipline. While some people are privileged to start at a younger age, some aren’t’ and only start when they’re teens or adults.

So, if you’re wondering if 14 is too old to start figure skating, the answer is a no for recreational figure skating. However, if you desire to participate in elite-level competitive figure skating like the Grand Prix, Nationals, or Olympics, starting figure skating at 14 will be too late.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. In the rest of this guide, I cover in detail why starting figure skating at 14 may work or not work for you.

But this can only happen if you stay with me till the end. So, without much ado, let’s jump right in!

Is it too late to start figure skating at 14?

Honestly, there’s no right or wrong age to start figure skating, provided a person can stand on their legs and walk.

That’s’ why the recommended age to start figure skating is between 3 and 5 years. However, starting as a teenager aged 14 can be daunting.

While you can get into figure skating at this age, the best you can do is recreational figure skating or low-level competitions.

This boils down to your goals in figure skating. Do you want it just for fun or to participate in competitions?

You have to let go of the idea of getting into figure skating for elite-level competitions at 14 years old.

Recreational figure skating is fun and has tons of health benefits. It’s’ the best figure skating deal offer you can get as a teenager.

This is because elite-level competitive figure skating is demanding and requires more time to prepare.

Normally, participants start to practice as early as 3 to 5 years. So by the time they’re’ becoming teenagers, they already have the hang of the profession.

This isn’t’ possible when you start late!

While it’s impossible to participate in elite-level competitions like the Olympics, that doesn’t’ mean your hopes of participating in competitive figure skating are shattered.

Luckily for you, there are adult figure skating competitions you can participate in in the US. However, you should prepare to practice harder!

How to Improve your Figure Skating Performance at 14

The odds are against you at 14 years because learning figure skating at this age can be daunting.

The good news is, that doesn’t’ mean it can’t’ be done. You only need to put in more hours in practice every day, and in a little while, you can be the pro everyone looks up to.

Below are some tips to become a better figure skater at 14 years old.

1. Be Patient with Yourself

The first key to success is patience while tirelessly working on your groove. You need to learn several figure skating techniques, and you’ll find them hard initially.

The last thing you want is to give up when you shouldn’t’.

It’s’ important to keep grinding as you work on one skill at a time. In due time you should be better than when you started.

Remember you’re’ starting late, and it’s’ going to take a while to get the hang of things.

The good news is it can be done. It would be best if you only were patient with yourself as you get better.

2. Control Your Expectations

Expectations are awesome because they help you stay focused. But you don’t’ want to have too many unrealistic expectations because you’ll’ end up more frustrated.

So many aspiring figure skaters have thrown the towel because of unrealistic expectations. You don’t’ want it to come to that. Do you?

This is why controlling your expectations goes a long way. You want to start with learning the basics, mastering them, and then proceeding to figure skating.

This way, you establish a solid foundation for a successful figure skating career, whether doing it for fun or competitively.

3. Stay Focused

Focus is your secret weapon to learning and mastering figure skating. You should learn several figure skating techniques, and trying to master everything at once can be daunting.

The techniques can be tricky and require enough effort and time investment. They include;

The toe loop (a toe jump)
The loop (an edge jump)
The salchow (an edge jump)
The flip (a toe jump)
The Lutz (a toe jump)
The axel (an edge jump)

Also, it would help if you decided what you want first. For example, is it recreational figure skating or competitive figure skating?

Whichever you choose, put in the required effort, and you’ll see the results. But, more importantly, focus on your goals and never give up.

4. Be Confident in Yourself

You also got to believe in yourself. No one is ever going to believe in you but yourself. Even if you hire the best figure skating coach, they can only do so much when you have low confidence.

The right confidence level boosts your self-esteem and strengthens you to keep going.

Things will get pretty hard and ugly along the way, but with the right amount of confidence in you and your abilities, nothing can stop you.

5. Join Figure Skating Programs

Lastly, you can only do so much when learning to figure skate alone, which is why you want to team up with like-minded individuals.

There are many amazing figure skating programs you can join to improve your skills. The easiest ones to join are organized by your local figure skating rinks.

You also want to join national programs like the US Figure Skating Adults Program.

While it’s’ true you can’t’ participate in elite-level figure skating competitions as a new 14-year-old figure skater; this program changes everything.

It’s’ your best shot for participating in other figure skating competitions.

Is 10 too old to start figure skating?

Starting to figure skate at ten may be too old for competitive figure skating in elite-level figure skating competitions like the Olympics.

At ten years old, the kid is around five years late. They’ll’ require more effort during practice to catch up with the rest.

Is 11 too late to start figure skating?

Starting figure skating at 11 may be too late, considering the ideal age is between three and five. However, this doesn’t’ mean you can’t’ be a great figure skater if you start late.

Is 12 too late to start figure skating?

Twelve is too late to start figure skating, especially if you intend to get into elite-level competitive figure skating. However, you can get into adult figure skating programs for other figure skating competitions.

Is 13 too late to start figure skating?

Thirteen is too late to start figure skating because you won’t’ have enough time to learn and prepare for elite-level competitions. So the best you can do is participate in other smaller competitions or get into figure skating for fun.

Is 15 too old to start figure skating?

Getting to figure skating as a 15-year-old teenager may not go well for you if you intend to get into competitive figure skating.

The sport requires a lot of time for practice and preparation and starting at 15 may be too late for you. However, if you want to do it for fun, 15 can never to too late.

Is it too late to start figure skating at 16?

Starting to figure skating at 16 is too late if you plan to participate in elite-level competitive figure skating at the Olympics, Grand Prix, and the Nationals.

However, there’s no age limit for getting into recreational figure skating, and 16 should work fine for you.

Is 17 too old to start figure skating?

17 may be too old to start elite-level competitive figure skating. However, this shouldn’t bother you if you only intend to start figure skating for fun.

Is 18 too old to start figure skating?

18 is too old to start figure skating, especially if you intend to participate in elite-level competitive figure skating like in the Olympics.

But, recreational or low-level figure skating competitions should be fine.

Is 20 too old to start figure skating?

No doubt, 20 is too old to start competitive figure skating. However, if you’re’ only looking to have fun or participate in low-level competitions, you can start figure skating at any age, including 20.