Ice Skating Tips for Beginners: How to survive the ice

Ice skating is a fun activity for people of all ages and individuals can take it as seriously as they want to. Ice skating is also an Olympic sport that sees thousands of competitions take place all over the world each year. These competitions attract the best ice skaters of all ages to compete. Ice skating events take place throughout the year with the Winter Olympics and World Championships being the biggest competitions. Fans can place bets in Indiana on the latest ice-skating events and get bonuses before wagering on the top skaters.

Before an ice skater can reach the heights of the Olympics or the Ice Skating World Championships, beginners must learn the basics of the sport. It takes years to become a good ice skater whether you want to compete in events or just spend time having fun on the ice at the weekend. Check out these ice skating tips for beginners to help you survive the ice.

Wear top-quality skates

If you want to get the best out of ice skating and advance on the ice, it begins with a pair of good skates. You don’t need the most expensive pair of skates with all the bells and whistles, but you need a top-quality set of skates that provide support on the ice. It is important that beginners get the correct size of skates, too. An oversized pair of skates could result in a twisted ankle or worse injury keeping you off the ice.

Warm-up slowly before skating

Since skating takes place in cold ice rinks, you need to prepare for it by warming up your body with warm clothing. Wearing warm clothing can prevent your muscles from being cold and tearing a hamstring. In addition, stretch and warm-up your body off the ice before skating.

Don’t take falling down too seriously (initially)

The first time you go out onto the ice, or even the second or third, you will probably fall down. It is important not to get discouraged about falling down. Simply get back up again and carry on learning how to skate.

Focus on direction

When learning to skate, you need to focus on moving in a straight line. Don’t look down at your feet as this makes ice skating dangerous. If you focus on your feet, you may become distracted and skate into other people. Do your best to keep your head up and looking straight ahead.

Bend the legs, stay upright

Your posture on the ice is what can keep you from falling and staying up right. As you skate, keep your knees bent in an athletic position to keep from falling over. Stay upright with your head looking forward. It may benefit you to put your arms out in front of you and able to move to the side to keep your balance. If your posture is not straight and upright, you may lean backwards causing your center of gravity to be off. Rather than lean backwards, keep your weight going forward as you skate.