How long did it take you to learn to ice skate?

[littlegohan]

So my first date with this girl is gonna take place in an ice skating rink. The last time I skate was like 8 years ago and frankly I doubt I can even skate in a straight line. The date is on thrusday so I guess I have like a day to pratice (other days I am busy).

Do you guys think is possible to get like decent (like being able to skate, but still fall occasionally) after a day's pratice???

 

[Eli]

Heh, I've never been ice skating. I don't think I'd be able to, considering I can't rollerskate worth crap.

Maybe with enough practice, but.. meh.

I just watch my girlfriend when she goes.

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

If you're not afraid of falling on your ass, yes. If you are, you'll have to work on it a bit more.

/edited since ass doesn't seem to be a banned word yet

 

[imported_Mike]

oh, lets see...18 years and counting

 

[littlegohan]

LOL
no I am not afraid of falling on my ass

Hopefully I can skate in a straight line on our date. She said shes not good at all but I think she was being humble

 

[Syringer]

I tried it for a day..after about 20 minutes I was doing pretty well. The trick is just to make sure your skates are a bit smaller than your normal shoe size, and make sure they're tied on TIGHTLY. If they're lose they'll bend to the sides a bit, you want it to be as perfect of an "extension" of your leg as possible in order for you to stay upright.

However, if you're with a girl, falling may be one of the more enjoyable parts of it

 

[MrCodeDude]

Hockey skates > Figure skates

Hockey skates you don't have to stand completely upright to keep your balance or whatnot. I never liked Figure skates.
-- mrcodedude

 

[grrl]

I'll have to say all my life. I still haven't mastered it.

 

[Whisper]

You won't be great after a day of practice, but you should be able to move and quasi-stop without running into the edge of the rink. The toughest part is learning to turn quickly enough to avoid other skaters, heh.

The most important thing to remember while ice skating is to ALWAYS LEAN FORWARD. Trust me, you're going to fall, and when you do, you'd much rather fall on your hands/knees than the back of your head. I've seen quite a few people do the latter, one of which cracked his skull and filled a quarter of the ice with blood. Not fun.

Also, double layer your socks to try and avoid blisters. I know that with hockey skates at least, skates generally run about 2 or 3 sizes larger than shoes. So if you wear an 11 in sneakers, try an 8 or 9 with your skates and see how that goes. Lace em up tight so as to avoid injuring your ankles, and you should be fine.

 

[notfred]

We don't have a hell of a lot of skating rinks here in California... I've never been ice skating.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: notfred
We don't have a hell of a lot of skating rinks here in California... I've never been ice skating.

ive seen two around here... quite far from my house. no way im driving that far just to come home with a sore ass. then again... this guy is going with a girl so id probably do the same.

 

[MikeO]

How long did it take you to learn to ice skate?

5 minutes?

I've known how to ice skate as long as I can remember... I played in two teams when I was younger and I just loved it. I haven't been ice skating in few years now tho, but for me it's propably like riding a bike or swimming, once you learn it you never forget.

 

[HiTek21]

If you know how to rollerblade you can ice skate pretty easily. My Ex GF took me ice skating and its not that hard at all, it only hurts when you fall on your @ss

 

[FuZoR]

no idea... took me a few days before i got the hang of rollerblading... though ice skating is prob totally diffrent.

 

[dman]

Originally posted by: FuZioN
no idea... took me a few days before i got the hang of rollerblading... though ice skating is prob totally diffrent.

Similar concept, ice skating is a bit more forgiving if you fall. Road-rash=suck.

I can skate forward, but not backwards, or do any tricks. I learned when I was a wee lad but never skated much so I never got better.

 

[Anubis]

im almost 22 and havent learned yet

 

[Spac3d]

If you can roller blade, you can ice skate. Stopping is the only problem I found with ice skating.

Syringer and Whisper gave good advice.

 

[focusyn]

I got ice skating down on the first try. But the again I had been rollerblading for a few years.

 

[nitsuj3580]

Ice skating is fun! I used to play hockey, so I've gotten pretty good

You're going to fall when you first start out but it's all good. Just go out and have a good time. Stay near the boards so if you find yourself losing balance you have something to grab onto.

My g/f and I go quite a bit. She's not that good but it doesn't matter, it's just fun being there with her

Good luck!

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

I'm more of in inline person myself(play inline hockey), but i learned how to ice skate as well, well enough to do the hockey stop and spray ice on people. hehe. IMHO Ice Skating is harder than inline

 

[littlegohan]

So after today's pratice, I can now skate at a pretty slow speed and turn. But I cant stop..............................

I only fall a couple times which is all good. Yeah, falling on ur back sux..

Any tips on how to stop?

 

[xyion]

if you can rollarblade then you can ice skate. I switched from rollar hockey to ice hockey pretty easily skating wise.

As for stopping, first you have to muster the guts to do it. If you fall it wont hurt that bad. After you do this (which isnt easy), then all you have to do it put pressure on your heels and turn sideways quickly. It takes practice, but the hard part is not being scared.

 

[Goosemaster]

15min....seriously

 

[littlegohan]

Originally posted by: xyion
if you can rollarblade then you can ice skate. I switched from rollar hockey to ice hockey pretty easily skating wise.

As for stopping, first you have to muster the guts to do it. If you fall it wont hurt that bad. After you do this (which isnt easy), then all you have to do it put pressure on your heels and turn sideways quickly. It takes practice, but the hard part is not being scared.

u made it seem really easy, ahha
Thanks for the tip

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: littlegohan
So after today's pratice, I can now skate at a pretty slow speed and turn. But I cant stop..............................

I only fall a couple times which is all good. Yeah, falling on ur back sux..

Any tips on how to stop?

Don't try the fancy schmancy hockey sideways stop like you'll see the better people doing. Your feet will come out from underneath you and you'll smash your head against the ice. Just do a plow like they do in skiing - putting your feet into a V form. But somewhat different - allow one of your feet to grind against the ice. It's a very slow way to stop, but it'll slow you down so you don't smack the boards too hard.