Learning to skate

Kopitar11Fan said:
i have played roller hockey for 13 years and the reason i never tried ice is because the closest ice rink is over 2 hours away.

i recently moved to Northridge for school and really want to learn to ice skate so I can start playing some ice hockey.

One question I have is this. In roller hockey, we wear pants, but I know in ice, obviously they where the big socks and shorts. It is really necessary to switch to the shorts and socks for ice? Or i could I stick with the pants while I am still learning to skate?
Click to expand...


You can start out w/ your roller pants for sure but you'll eventually want to make the switch, some leagues wont allow them...
 
I skated for the first time today on my new skates. It was awesome, and having ur own skates is like a kajillion times better than rental skates, makes a huge difference.
 
i just wanted to post here with some info... since i read this a few posts up.

most companies are now going towards a MAP (minimum advertised price) and this should make the prices at your LHS (local hockey shop) and online store the same now.

so now you have no excuse to buy online unless you live hours away from a shop. different models fit different feet and if you want to learn how to skate, you NEED to try the skates on in a shop first to make sure they fit right and are comfortable. the wrong type of skate will not help if you're trying to learn how to skate and can cause foot issues later down the road.
 
I'm in the process of doing this same exact thing actually. Went down to Hockey Giant and got a pair of mission inlines and skated 2-3 times a week for about a month.

then i started doing the public skate session at my local ice rink (valencia) once a week. i bought my own ice-skates after the 2nd time. ive been doing that for just over a month now. im going to be signing up for a beginning skate class this wednesday and hopefully ill be able to jump into an ultra beginner league after i take 2-3 10 week classes.

any tips or pointers??
 
yea, i learned to keep my knees bent while skating inline. i've always heard the "keep your head up " thing over the years so ive tried to remember that.
 
skating backwards and stopping seem to be what's going to give me the most trouble. im assuming this is normal for anyone. turning backward while moving is something im not even gonna consider till ive got some gear on haha
 
One question I had on ice skates was whether or not it's normal for your foot to slip out from under you as you're pushing off? I went ice skating a while back and granted they were rental skates, but whenever I'd push off, the foot I was pushing with would slip out from under me.
 
It's the dull rentals. Once i got my skates that stopped happening to me
 
I have a very hard time skating backwards. But then I realized I was holding both of my hands on the stick. I still need to work on that and my skating in general.
 
I tried ice skating today and got my ass kicked. It felt like I never had a very good connection with the ice, maybe it's bad habits or style learned from inline that just doesn't work on ice...

Ice skating is nothing like inline!!!
 
Last edited:
This thread is indeed Gold. I'm curious to see how it turned out for PM (where'd he go?).

I used to play a little pond hockey between the ages of 9-10, but not advanced by any means. Since then I was only on skates once...and that was when I was about 12-ish.

I'm 23 now and I tried out a public skate last night. Different physiology now that I'm ten years older, and it was far more awkward than I was expecting at first, but by the end I felt quite a bit better. I'm hoping to make this a ritual for me, as not playing organized hockey is probably my biggest regret.

I've been on the lookout for a pair of skates, maybe a pair of NBH Vapor IX's or something. Not overly expensive but not a crap brand. I'm guessing that the experience will be much more enjoyable with my own new gear. Thinking about getting pads as well. As a skier, I know that falling is an integral part of the learning process, and I don't feel nearly as rugged as I used to.

I did the Sunday evening skate and the ice was pretty crowded. I'll probably try the 11:00 weekday skates and hope I'll have more ice to myself without the kamikaze kids and their laissez-faire parents. Unfortunately it was a counterclockwise flow for both hours of the session and there were far too many people to find a quiet spot to mix it up.
 
Last edited:
Chartrand said:
I've been on the lookout for a pair of skates, maybe a pair of NBH Vapor IX's or something. Not overly expensive but not a crap brand.
Click to expand...

I picked up a pair of Vapor IXs a little less than a year ago and they're awesome. Only $70 or so and they fit perfectly right out of the box, no discomfort or breaking in period at all. They're durable, too. I took a slapshot to the ankle and while I could hardly walk for a couple days afterwards, if I were on other skates in the same price range no doubt I would have broken my ankle. There's hardly a mark on the skate itself where the puck hit.

Oh, and they look cool too, just like the XXXXs (your Be a Pro character in NHL 09 can wear them, too) :good:

Chartrand said:
I'm guessing that the experience will be much more enjoyable with my own new gear. Thinking about getting pads as well. As a skier, I know that falling is an integral part of the learning process, and I don't feel nearly as rugged as I used to.
Click to expand...

I'd tried to go the used gear route, too. Trust me, it's much better with your own gear. No matter what, your gear is going to smell. But at least if you buy it new, you know who's smell it is.

While piecing together your equipment, get your skating down at a couple public skates, then get in on a few sticktimes and we'll see you at the next LGK Ice Game :)
 
Juniordog said:
I'm in the process of doing this same exact thing actually. Went down to Hockey Giant and got a pair of mission inlines and skated 2-3 times a week for about a month.

then i started doing the public skate session at my local ice rink (valencia) once a week. i bought my own ice-skates after the 2nd time. ive been doing that for just over a month now. im going to be signing up for a beginning skate class this wednesday and hopefully ill be able to jump into an ultra beginner league after i take 2-3 10 week classes.

any tips or pointers??
Click to expand...

What rinks have"ultra beginner" leagues? I know disney has a "d" league but that's to far for me.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
ben dover said:
What rinks have"ultra beginner" leagues? I know disney has a "d" league but that's to far for me.
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

I play pickup with JuniorDog, Zero46 and some guys in SCV. Wide skill range, bunch of older guys having fun playing ice hockey.

Good times.
 
Kubrick said:
This thread is gold!

I'm finally going to learn how to ice skate this year and this thread is filled with tons of help.
Click to expand...

Two years later...

My first skating class is this Friday. I'm stoked.

pat_00ED_n_0020_ccm_0020_vector_0020_03_0020_hielo.jpg

Picked these up from Hockey Giant a while ago.
 
All of you who have issues shaking just need ot go out ans skate a ton. Work on your crossovers and skating backwards first. After you get that down work in reverse crossovers. Then work on puckhandling while doing a crossover forwards and backwards. Skate around the circles, forwards and backwards with crossovers for the entire length of the ice. Then do it with a puck after you have confidence in the drill.

Get the basics down and skate like hell. That is the only way you will get better. Don't just play pickup. You will develop bad habits. Every time you play pickup, you should be doing at least one sticktime.
There is no substitute for this development if you want to skate well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Now Chirping

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom