How to Ice Skate: Falling Gracefully

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By WesleyJ
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How to Fall Gracefully while Ice Skating

You've gathered the courage to get on the ice. But without the confidence of falling, you will never learn how to skate. Here's how to fall down properly while skating

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Ice Skates
Place to Skate

Step 1

don't worry it takes time.

IT TAKES TIME. Everyone learns at a different rate. Some people fall less, while others must fall plenty at the start. Be patient. If you learn a little bit each time, the mini lessons learned will be impactful after a while.
Step 2

FEEL IT COMING. When you're balancing on the ice, you can almost instinctively tell when you're about to fall. Wobbling, Shakiness, and a slight loss of control are all signs of that ensuing flop. So before that fall, bend your knees and squat. (That's why you should be doing those squat exercises before you go on the ice)
Step 3

LEAN A BIT FORWARD AND NEVER LEAN BACK. Fall towards the side of the rink. You definitely don't want to fall towards the middle of the rink, because having no wall nearby makes it more difficult to get up. Never lean back because falling on your knees is less dangerous than falling on the back of your head.
Step 4

PROTECT YOUR HANDS. Keep your hands on your thighs. NEVER LEAVE YOUR HANDS ON THE ICE, NEVER! You don't want another skater to run over your hand because that can leave permanent damage. The only time you must touch the ice with your hands is to get up. I'll explain more.
Step 5

GETTING UP GRACEFULLY. Place your hands quickly on the ice in front of you (about 5 inches) for a split second to pop up. Quickly put your weight on your hands and pop up in one motion. Your blades will land back on the ice. Slowly rise after this, and you're back up. Follow the methods from the 'skating for beginners article' to propel yourself on the ice.
Step 6

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ALTERNATIVE METHOD - SLOW. Getting up slowly is more preferable by some. This is done by putting your hands together, one on top of the other on the ice. Raise one foot and place it firmly back on the ice. When you've felt your footing is back, slowly raise the other foot and place it firmly on the ice. Take your hands, which should have been between the space of your two feet, off the ice.
Step 7

MAKE SURE TO PAT OFF THE ICE. In order to look graceful, as if the fall never happened, you want to pat off all the ice. This way anyone who didn't see you fall when it happened won't know that it EVER did happen. Congratulations, you've just gracefully fallen, gotten back up, and acted like it never happened. That takes skill!