How to Become a Figure Skater

As in many things, figure skating is not just something you can wake up one day and be completely great at. Figure skating is a sport which takes a lot of time, dedication and passion to master. You must start out taking the small steps around a rink to develop the necessary skills needed to become a great athlete.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Figure skates
• An ice rink near you
• Money to pay for lessons

How to become a figure skater

1. First things first, have you ever stepped foot on ice before? If not be prepared for something you're not used to. Most rinks have figure skates available for renting during open ice time, which is where the beginner skater should start. Lacing up figure skates correctly is very important to ensuring you are safe on the ice. Figure skates need to be laced securely and tighter then you expect in order to support your ankles and keep them from turning while you're on the ice.

2. When you first set foot on the ice, make sure you hold onto the wall. If you don't, and you're not used to standing on thin steel blades, you may fall a few times. Get back up and try again. Practice makes perfect. So hold on to the wall and make your way around the rink slowly getting used to the ice beneath you and standing on the thin blades. As you become more and more comfortable, let go of the wall a little. Keeping your arms outstretched a little will help balance you. Be careful of the "toe pick" which is at the very front of the blade. This helps you lift off for a jump or helps you stop during a spin. However, if you're skating and catch it on the ice, you'll go down face first on the ice.

3. Keep circling the ice maybe picking up speed as you go and become comfortable on the ice. This is a good way for you to start learning how the feet move on the ice. As you become more comfortable on the ice, on you can do a couple things. Start working on spins or footwork. Expect to take a few falls as you're not used to this. Or you can find out about any lessons the rink you're at may offer or any skating clubs that are in the area that you could join to learn more about ice skating, either as just a hobby or as a competitor. Many skating clubs have beginner lessons to start out and will get you familiar with the ice and moving around the rink.

4. The bottom line is to have fun. Figure skating is about grace and agility but it's also about getting out and exercising and having a good time. It is a great work out to figure skate and you can develop some great muscles.