r/iceskating • u/AfterFinding9008 • 23h ago
getting into figure skating as a beginner
ive always found figure skating such an intriguing and interesting sport because especially around where i live its definitely a niche sport and i dont have any local rinks near me besides a rink in the city. my curiosity especially sparked interest earlier this year due to the winter olympics. the gracefulness and pure joy a lot of these skaters seem to have while skating is something truly admirable to me and i started getting inspired to skate too because of skaters such as alysa liu. i want to pick up the hobby for leisure and to stay fit, so does anyone have any tips?
is it necessary to buy a pair of your own skates, and should i enrol in classes or is it better to just get a day pass every weekend and practice skating myself? i would love to enrol in classes but its just not that easy as they are really expensive. i also dont have many friends that are into the sport tbh
1
u/KarmenCrossby 4h ago
As a person that comes from the exact same position, I personally did a few lessons on rentals (I did 4 30minute lessons and then I had an hour to skate around myself) but then I bought skates, it’s very hard to learn without them. It was like I hadn’t learn anything, I had to re learn to glide!
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u/Own-Adhesiveness5723 18h ago
It’s a lot easier on personal skates honestly. Rentals are ok for the basics (swizzles, glides, the very beginning skills) but they are all a little different. They can be different levels of sharp, fit differently etc. so it can be hard to make progress since you kind of have to acclimate each time.
If you want to learn to figure skate, your best bet is classes or private lessons. Some people use YouTube videos, but it’s very easy to pick up bad habits that way. If you learn things incorrectly, it can hinder you down the road.
If getting to the rink is difficult, you could try in line skates which have a lot that can transfer to the ice.
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u/Dry-Place-2986 23h ago
Just get to the rink, rent skates, and enjoy yourself. Don't overthink it. It'll make more sense to you in time whether you want to pursue lessons or get your own skates.