Various Essential Beginner Secrets For Ice Skating
Ice skating is a wonderful sport. Not only is it graceful and beautiful like figure skating, it is competitive and exciting especially ice hockey. When done for exercise, it can be fun and it will give you a good cardio workout, as well as work on the muscles in your legs. If you’re new to skating, these tips can help you feel a bit more confident as you step on the ice. Quite a few people blend a skating regiment with doing exercise on hardware like AeroPilates reformers, which in turn can build muscle, flexibility, and grace.
Most people prefer to learn by taking skate lessons. This can be done through one-on-one lessons using an instructor or through group lessons. One-on-one training is good for those hoping to take it beyond a hobby with specialized instructions. Group lesson usually include a variety of people of all ages, just learning the basics and is perfect to help you feel comfortable and confident on the ice.
Before beginning, invest some money in a good pair of skates. If you are planning to be an occasional skater, rental skates are fine. However, if you really are serious about doing it on a daily or weekly basis, you want the right fit and comfort for your feet and only a good pair of skates will do that.
You also want to make sure that you learn how to tie them correctly. They need to be laced up the right way and they need to be tied comfortably, but tightly. Your ankles are delicate and need the right support for this very physical activity. This will also help prevent unnecessary injuries while learning because you’ll be spending a lot of time on the ground, and twisting an ankle is easy if the skates are not tied properly.
It is also important to warm up your muscles before beginning. As with any sport, your muscles need to be stretched a bit before you use them, and this is especially true when you are outdoors in the cold. Having warm, flexible muscles will also help you skate better and prevent you from hurting yourself.
It’s a good idea to walk around in your skates before getting in the rink. This will not only help you get used to wearing them, but also help you learn to balance on them. Do a few squats to find your center of balance while you are walking around. Being a good skater requires a good balance.
To make your experience easier on the ice, there are some things to keep in mind. First, don’t skate looking down at your feet. This is easy to forget and most people are so busy watching their feet they forget to look at where they are going. You also want to make sure you use your balance and not lean back when moving. If you feel yourself leaning back, bend your knees to correct the balance and prevent yourself from landing on your backside.
These useful ice skating tips can help any beginner feel a bit more comfortable and confident before they hit the ice. It is always important that you have fun while you are learning. It doesn’t matter whether you are doing it for exercise or a goal in mind like ice hockey, if you don’t have fun; learning will be that much harder.
Macon Lichmark makes use of his AeroPilates 4650 to improve his ice skating proficiency by means of improved core strength and flexibility.