Ask yourself some questions: where are you going to skate?
And who will teach you? Finding the answers may be more complicated
than you might anticipate. The first step to answering these
questions is to identify your goal: What kind of skater do you want
to be?
Do you want to be, a casual or recreational skater? May be you want
to become an Olympian, to represent your country at the Olympic
Games. Or you may see skating as a your professional career, meaning
that the skills you learn will be critical to your ability to make a
good living in the future.
Once you determine your goal, you have to face the fact that
achieving it will require some sacrifices. Ice time is not always
readily or conveniently available- a skating rink may not be near at
hand, or its hours may be limited. (Few school districts have
skating rink.) This may mean traveling a good distance to practice.
The decision to become a certain type of skater bring with it
certain requirements, and to make the journey to that goal as easy
as possible, it’s best to resolve at the outset to take the steps
necessary to achieve it.
It is virtually impossible to answer all questions before you have
even started to skate. How can you know if you haven’t tried it? You
don’t have to identify your goals instantly and irrevocably. In
fact, your goals are likely to change as you develop as a skate.
However, if you are able to identify your objectives correctly early
on, the road to your goal will have fewer detours and you will
experience a greater probability of success. One thing is sure: No
matter what age, serious skaters need quality instruction.Where: Where will you skate? More often than not, where you
skate is dictated by where you live. Wherever you live, the
principal factors in making the decisions about where to skate are
location, the type of rink (indoor or outdoor), and the amount of
time available for the kind of skating you intend to pursue, the
type of programs offered, and the quality of the coaching staff. The
higher your goal, the more time you will require and the more stable
the conditions must be. If you pursuing the goal to become an
Olympian, an indoor rink offering long hours of practice will
provide your best option.Programs: A wide range of instructional programs for the
casual, recreational, serious, and competitive skate is generally
available at most rinks. Most of these are organized by the
different skating organizations. Instruction / Coaching/ Lessons: Instruction reduces the time
required to learn a new sport. Quality instruction is more expensive but
saves you more money, because you don’t need to relearn the things
having taught poorly. Basically, three different forms of instruction
are available in figure skating: group, semi-privet, and private. We
believe that best instruction form is a good combination between all of
three forms. Coach is a most important person for skaters carrier. Good
coach is a talented manager the same time. Coaching means a lot more as
just giving lessons. He/She teaches, plans, advises and manages your
entire training process. As usual good coaches never work alone, they
always have team of different professionals working together and
providing different supplement training for figure skaters. Hourly rate
for quality coaches can vary depending on credentials and location
between $40.00-$150.00. Skating Boots: Beginning figure skaters can purchase skating
boots and blades as one unit, while more advanced figure skaters
purchase skating boots and blades individually. A properly laced skating
boot-snug at the toe, loose at the instep, and firm but not too snug at
the top-can improve your chances of having a pleasurable time on the
ice. To put your skates on correctly from the very beginning and to
break the boot in properly, just follow these steps.
1. Loosen the laces, especially at the instep, and slide the skate onto
your foot while pulling up the tongue.
2. Start tightening the skate by pulling the laces firmly from the toe
up to the bend of your ankle.
3. Around the bend of the ankle, keep the lacing loose enough to
accommodate the forward flex that occurs there when you bend your knee,
but tight enough to provide support. Although the skate will certainly
not feel entirely comfortable when you bend your knee are straight.
4. At the outset, lace only one hook above the ankle, firmly, and tie
the laces.
5. After at least five outings in the new skates, lace up another hook
at the top.
6. Continue to add a hook every time your boots begin to feel
comfortable with the existing lacing scheme.
When you reach the top two hooks, leave them a little loose than the
eyes around the bend of the ankle, to allow the ankle to bend forward
freely when the knee bends. If the boots are very stiff, it’s helpful to
put on a pair of wet socks, then lace the boots up to the first hook and
wear them around the house. Doing this 5 to 10 times for 20 minutes each
time will make the break-in process on the ice much less forbidding. If
you have purchased boots and blades separately, make sure that the
blades are attached to the boots before carrying out this little trick;
to protect both your blades and your floors, wear guards on the blades.
In fact, any time you have your skate on and you are not on the ice, the
guards should be on the blades. The fine sharpening of the blades,
essential for good skating, is easily damaged by grit, dirt, and hard
surface. As an extra precaution, rinse the guards out every of weeks of
remove the grit that may have been trapped in them. Undamaged, properly
sharpened blades make foe a much happier and more promising practice
session. Boots are broken in when you can freely bend your ankle and
knee. As a general rule, you should purchase a skate that has enough
support around the ankle to keep it from flopping from side to side, but
not so much that the stiffness could precipitate a serious leg injury by
preventing you from bending the ankle and knee adequately. The skate
should border on the uncomfortable but not actually be uncomfortable.
Even more important than the degree of stiffness around the ankle is the
fit of the boots. Boots fit properly if they are snug yet relatively
comfortable, with adequate room at the toes. For the beginner, a skate
blade known as a combination style is best. This blade can be used for
all the techniques that the relatively inexperienced skater is likely to
confront. As you gain expertise, your needs will become more specific
and more varied. For example, there are blades designed specifically for
free skating, and for ice dancing, and there are many different types
within each category. Regarding of type of blade, you will need guards
to wear on them when you are walking around off the ice. There protect
the skating surface of the blade. (Blade should be treated the same way
you would a good knife, the cutting edge being fragile and sensitive to
impact against an unyielding surface like cement or pebbles.)Clothing: Skating is both athletic and artistic. Therefore, the
clothing you choose for skating should display both of these aspects to
the best advantage. Athletically, you want the observer to be able to
see your technique and prowess. Artistically, you want to show off your
beauty and theatricality.
For the beginner, the primary consideration is warmth. Just make sure
that the clothing is stretchy or sufficiently loose. If it is neither,
the outfit will feel confining and may even hamper your progress. When
you try on clothing in a store, take the time to find out just how much
you can move in it. Lift your legs and arms as far as you can in every
direction; do back bends and touch your toes. Squat. If the clothes
don’t prevent you from doing any of these movements comfortable, then
you’ve got what you need. What out for sweat pants those are baggy below
the knee, however. You could easily snag the toe pick or the heel of the
blade on them, causing an unnecessary and unpleasant fall.
As your skating expertise increases, you’ll want to start wearing
clothing that shows off your body line-in other words, you’ll want it to
tight. Body line and position are very important in skating, and you
want your coach, choreographer, and admirers to be able to see your line
and positions clearly. In competition, women are now required to wear a
skirt. For a man, a tight-fitting sweat suit or speed-skating outfit is
acceptable. Scott Hamilton wore a plain speed-skating-type outfit for
his 1984 Olympic gold medal performance. It was sleek and form fitting;
it showed his body line and yet allowed complete freedom of movement. Be
warm and comfortable, and yet give other the chance to enjoy your
elegant line and your perfect positions.
Accessories:
Should you find yourself performing an exhibition in a local skating
club show, you’ll need a costume. If you intend to use the costume
again, buying it or having it made (the latter being the more common
case) can be justified. On the other hand, if it is a one-time event,
renting the costume is the sensible alternative. When renting, you face
the problem of finding an outfit that fits perfectly, but it’s worth a
try. As your skating expertise improves, you will want to begin skating
to music. This of cause, is an integral aspect of singles and pairs free
skating, and of ice dancing, and constitutes a distinguishing feature of
skating as compared to nearly all other sports. When you compete or
skate an exhibition, music is a prerequisite to participate
Music: Except for the compulsory dances, music is chosen by the
competitors for each portion of competition. No vocal music is
permitted. Length of music runs anywhere between two minutes forty
seconds for the short program to approximately four minutes thirty
seconds for the long program. In ice dancing programs are relatively
shorter, running anywhere between two minutes for the original dance to
four minutes for the free dance.
Skating Boots $75-500 Skate Blades $35-500
Clothing/Costume $50-250 Music $100
Ice Time $8.00-15.00/Hour
Travel Expenses:
There are always travel expenses for involved as soon you start to
compete at any level. As usually skaters cover coaches travel and time (
putting on ice ) expenses and competition fees as well.
Click on the button for Learn To Skate Program Information &
Registration
Arabian: A jump in which the skater leaps off the ice with one foot and
assumes a camel position in the air, with arms and legs stretched out, and
the body parallel to the ice.
Axel: A difficult jump which takes off from the forward outside edge and
is landed on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. A single axel
consists of 1-1/2 revolutions, a double is 2-1/2 revolutions, and a triple
is 3-1/2 revolutions. This jump is easily recognizable because it is the
only jump that takes off from a forward position. Named for inventor Axel
Paulson, of Norway.
Camel Spin: A spin, which is done on one leg with the non-skating leg,
or free leg, extended in the air parallel to the ice. The body remains in
this "spiral" position while spinning.
Combination Spin: The combination of several spins where the skater
changes feet and positions while maintaining speed throughout the entire
spin.
Crossovers: A method of gaining speed and turning corners in which the
skater crosses one foot over the other. There are both forward and backward
crossovers.
Death drop: A maneuver in which the skater leaps off the ice with one
foot, assumes an Arabian position in the air, then lands and spins in a
sitting position.
Death Spiral: A dramatic sequence of maneuvers used in pair skating
where the man pivots on the toe pick and acts as the center of a circle
while pulling his partner around him. The woman, gliding on one skate,
clasps his hand and leans horizontally over the ice while spinning around
him.
Edges: The two sides of the skate blade on either side of the grooved
center, or hollow. There is an inside edge, the edge on the inner side of
the leg, and an outside edge, the edge on the outer side of the leg. There
is a forward and backward for each edge, equaling a total of four edges.
Edge
Jump: A jump where the skater takes off from the entry edge of the
skating foot without bringing the free foot in contact with the ice to
assist in the take off. The axel, loop and Salchow are common edge jumps.
Flip
Jump: A toe pick assisted jump, taken off from the back inside edge of
one foot, and landed on the back outside edge of the opposite foot.
Flying Camel Spin: A jump spin ending in the camel-spin position.
Flying Sit Spin: A jump spin in which the skater leaps off the ice and
assumes a sitting position at the peak of the jump. The skater lands in a
similar sitting position on the same or other foot.
Footwork: A sequence of step maneuvers carrying the skater across the
ice in patterns, generally straight, circular or serpentine. Intended to
show the precision and dexterity of the skater's movements.
Layback Spin: Generally performed by women, the layback spin involves an
upright spin position where the head and shoulders are dropped backwards and
the back arches.
Lifts: Dangerous moves in pairs skating involving any maneuver in which
the man lifts the woman off the ice with fully extended arms. The man often
holds his partner above his head with one hand.
Loop
Jump: An edge jump, taken off from a back outside edge and landed on the
same back outside edge.
Lutz
Jump: A toe pick assisted jump, taken off from a back outside edge and
landed on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. The skater glides
backward on a wide curve, taps his toe pick into the ice and rotates in the
opposite direction of the curve. The Lutz is unique because it is the only
jump in which a skater enters the jump moving in one direction and concludes
the jump skating in the opposite direction. The jump is named for its
inventor Alois Lutz.
Salchow: Another edge jump, taken off from the back inside edge of one
foot and landed on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. Created by
Ulrich Salchow, who won 10 world championships from 1901 through 1911.
Scribe: Used to trace the ice if and when practicing figures.
Shadow Skating: Describes a situation in pair skating when the athletes
perform simultaneous movements while skating in close proximity to one
another.
Sit
Spin: A spin which is done in a "sitting" position. The body is low to
the ice with the skating (spinning) knee bent and the non-skating or "free"
leg extended beside it.
Spiral: A move in which a skater demonstrates flexibility and a fluid
line by extending their non-skating leg behind them into the air during a
long glide.
Spiral Sequence: A sequence of steps which incorporates various spirals
in a pattern across the ice. Spirals in a spiral sequence may be done going
forward, backwards, in a straight line or on a curve, or on an inside or an
outside edge.
Step
Sequence: A sequence of steps that immediately follow one another,
executed in time to the music and are choreographically related to each
other.
Stroking: Fluid movement used to gain speed in which a skater pushes off
back and forth from the inside edge of one skate to the inside edge of the
other skate.
Throws: A pairs move in which the man lifts the woman into the air and
throws her away from him. She spins in the air and lands on one foot.
Toe
Loop: A toe pick assisted jump that takes off and lands on the same back
outside edge. The toe loop is similar to the loop with that one difference
that the skater uses the assistance of the toe pick of the free leg upon
takeoff.
Toe
Picks: The teeth at the front of the blade, used primarily for jumping
and spinning.
Twist Lift: A pairs move in which the man throws the woman into the air
and catches her after she spins one, two or three revolutions. After
catching his partner, the man puts her back onto the ice
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In the BeginningFigure skating grew out of the development of
the ice skate. When the iron blade replaced the wood or bone
runner, skating became a winter pastime. The steel blade created a sport of compulsory
skating, which led to the modern birth of figure skating. Figure skating was
one of the first winter-type Olympic sports, having debuted at the Olympic
Summer Games in 1908. ~300 AD The first ice skates were
created in northern Europe. They were used for transportation and made from
wood, bone or antlers.1572 Wood runners gave way to iron
blades for skates.1850 The first steel blades are
created for skates, which allowed for twists and turns to be performed.~1865 An American ballet dancer
introduced a new style of skating that resembled today's fluid, graceful and
dance-like sport. He also created the first all-in-one shoe and blade.1892 The International Skating United
was founded to govern the growing sport of skating in the world.1908 Figure skating debuted at the
Olympic Summer Games in London, England, with men's and women's singles, and
pairs.1921 The United States Figure Skating
Association was founded based on the principles of two similar organizations.1924 Figure skating was contested at
the first-ever Olympic Winter Games, held in Chamonix, France.1976 Ice dancing was added to the
Olympic schedule as a full-medal discipline at the Olympic Winter Games in
Innsbruck, Austria.1991 Compulsory figures, the exercise
that gave figure skating its name, was removed from 2002 Figure
skating broadcasts from the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City had the highest rating
in television history ever. Figure skating regularly draws some of the
largest number of television viewers during its Olympic and other high profile
events. 2006 Figure Skating becomes on of the worlds
most popular sport. More new member countries are joining ISU (
International Skating Union ), more new rinks are being build in non
traditional figure skating regions of the world. In Turin Olympics
Japans Shizuka Arakawa becomes, first ever Japanese Ladies Olympic Gold
medalist, and reaffirms changing landscape of Figure Skating. U.S. figure skaters have won more Olympic
medals (42) than any other country in history. Additionally, the U.S. has won
at least one medal in 15 consecutive Olympic Winter Games.
