Win Gold? How to Become a Figure Skater in Record Time!

Figure skating is a beautiful, graceful sport that needs a lot of mental and physical power. Being a great figure skater means always being determined and being incredibly flexible. You also need to be disciplined enough to train several times a week and strong enough to get back up when you fail, lose, or compete. But don’t give up. You can learn to skate beautifully if you’re ready to start as soon as possible, train your body, and practice with and without help.

Part 01:

Start of a Training Plan

1. Make the choice to start. Ice hockey? Have you played since kindergarten? Have you never been to a rink? If you’re just starting out, don’t put yourself down. You can get better no matter what level you’re at now. Start right away! Most expert figure skaters began taking lessons when they were four years old, or whenever they could hold their balance and talk well enough to understand what was being said.
2. If you’ve already started school, don’t give up. Olympians have started competing as late as nine years old and still done very well.
3. Group lessons are a fun and easy way to learn how to skate if you’ve never done it before. This is a good way to try ice skating and see if you like it enough to keep doing it.
4. If you already know a little about the instrument, try to practice every day before you start taking private lessons. This is a good sign: you should be able to go to the rink at least twice a week.

2. Put on the right clothes. To not only look the part, but also do as well as possible, you’ll need the right gear. Wear the right clothes to practice. When you work out, you get hot, and ice makes you cold. Even during one practice exercise, the temperature will change, so it makes sense to wear layers. To practice, it’s best to wear clothes that let you move around easily.

• Look around before you buy ice skates. Try on pairs from a number of different brands until you find the right ones for you.
• For a while, wear extra socks with your skates if they are making you feel bad. Many skates will feel awkward the first few times you use them, but they’ll get used to you quickly.
• If your new skates fit well but are giving you blisters while they break in, you can cover the sore spots with bandages or moleskin patches.
• Another thing you need are blade guards and soakers. Blade guards protect your skates from damage and soakers keep your blades from rusting.
• Don’t skate around the house to get them used to them. When you walk and skate, your movements are different, so this will hurt the skates.
• Some places sell figure skating tights that should be the right color for your skin. These aren’t necessary until you start racing.
• Don’t come to practice in pants or long skirts! They can make it hard to move. Tight clothes are usually safer than loose ones.
• Tie up your long hair. It looks best in a bun, but a ponytail will do. You can also use a headband to keep your bangs or hair that falls out of your eyes.

3. Get good at the basics. As you learn the basics of skating in a group class or review, you’ll want to work on them on your own. There’s a good chance that your national or local figure skating group has a list of skills that you need to learn, ranked from easiest to hardest. Here are some things you can do:

• Get good at the basics. As you learn the basics of skating in a group class or review, you’ll want to work on them on your own. There’s a good chance that your national or local figure skating group has a list of skills that you need to learn, ranked from easiest to hardest. Here are some things you can do:
• Stroke (a basic step, like a pace) back and forth. Try going in a different way until you can easily switch between them.
• Move one foot forward, then the other. One leg might be easier for you to balance on than the other. Keep training until both are strong.
• Do crossovers, which are moves where you cross your feet over each other to speed up. Going forward, this will help you get into jumps because it feels like a “grapevine” movement when you walk.

Get a good coach. If you want to be the best, you should get help from someone who has already been there. People at your rink can give you advice, or you can look up teachers online. Most importantly, you should look for someone who has knowledge and fits your style and personality well.

Plan when you will practice. Think about how often and when you’d like to go to the rink. How often you have lessons, how often you can get to the rink, and what other plans you have during the week will all play a role in this. Try to work out at least twice a week.

• Once you know how often you want to practice, talk to your parent, guardian, or the person who drives you to practice. You and they can work together to make a good plan that will work.
• Talk to your coach or teacher about how often you should practice if you and your parents or guardians need help. Say, “I’m trying to improve to compete in a state competition–what should I be focusing on, and how often should I be practicing?”

Do not fall. You’re going to fall. Even people who have won Olympic medals do it, so you should get used to it now. Instead of getting mad, think about getting up. It’s usually a good thing to try something new or take a risk when you fall.

• Lean forward a bit and then drop to one knee if you think you’re going to fall. After that, you can use your hands to try to slowly slow your fall.
• If you fall and are caught off guard, try to land as softly as possible.

Part 02

Getting Your Body Ready

1. Do muscle training and cardio at the same time. While practicing skating is important, there are other ways to get stronger and last longer. You can work out in a lot of different ways, even if you hate gym class.

• Running will make your knees stronger and help your lungs work better. Make sure you stretch a lot if you run a lot.
• Pilates and yoga make your stomach stronger and make you more flexible.
• Weight training can also make you stronger if you get help from a good teacher.

1. Work on your balance. These will make your stomach stronger and also make your legs stronger. The best part is that you don’t need any tools to do them at home. Start with shoes, socks, or no shoes at all. Stand with your shoulders straight and your feet hip-width apart. Then do these steps:
2. Raise one knee until it’s about hip-height.
3. Now, bring your foot back and lower your upper body until you’re in an arabesque pose, which looks like a T. One leg should be on the ground and the other should be raised behind you.
4. Move the foot that was raised forward until your knee is back up.
5. Do this 10 times, then switch feet. If you feel strong enough, you can do this practice more than once a day.

1. Try a Bosu ball or a balance ball. The bottom of this big, soft globe is made of hard plastic. The top is a great way to improve your balance because it’s not a stable surface. Skaters and other professional sports use balance balls in a lot of different ways.
   
   Try these!
2. Stand two feet away from the balance ball. Step forward with your front foot on top of the ball. Hold on for a second, then move back and do it again. When your knee goes out farther than your front foot, you’ve gone too far with your lunge. Do this eight to twelve times, and then move to the other side.
3. Step one: Lunge forward, then bring your back leg forward until your feet are straight. While you do this, you might find it helpful to bring your hands back to your hips. Return to the starting position by kicking the leg back.

1. Stretch. Being flexible is just as important as being strong, so stretch before and after every workout and whenever you have some free time. It’s okay to stretch even during TV ads. There are probably some stretches that your gym teacher or coach likes best, but here are some that everyone knows.
2. Sit on the ground with one leg stretched out to stretch your hamstrings, which are the backs of your legs. If you bend the other leg, the knee should touch the ground and the foot should touch your other knee. Turn your body toward the foot that is outstretched.
3. Stand on one leg straight up and bend the other back so that you’re holding your foot. This will stretch the quadriceps. If you can’t keep your balance, squeeze your core.
4. Put your hands behind your back to stretch your shoulders and arms. Then, put your arms straight and flatten your hands so that your palms are facing the floor.

1. Don’t change your plans. You should follow a schedule when you work out, just like you do when you skate. Aim to work out about twice a week. Make sure you don’t work out too hard when you’re already tired, and never work out before you skate.

1. Remember to drink water or Remember to hydrate. Figure skaters are athletes, and skating on the ice all the time can make you sweat. Even if you don’t feel thirsty because of the cold, you still need to drink water. Fill up a 32-ounce water bottle with water that is at room temperature. This way, you can stay refreshed without getting sick from the cold.

Part 03

Getting ready to compete

Write down your plans. You should think about where you want your skating to take you if you’re getting stronger and better at the basics. Write down the question,

1. “Do I want to compete?” How high?
2. Would I give up other sports to do this?
3. Could you tell me what kind of promise you can make? What are the limits for me and my family? Your sister might only be able to take you to the rink once a week, or you might not be able to pay for individual lessons as often as you’d like.

Keep working on it. You still need to improve your skills, even if you have a great guide. A good rule of thumb is to train for 30 minutes for every 15 minutes of coaching. If you don’t see steady progress, don’t give up. This is called a peak. You should get better and better if you keep practicing.

• Create a home practice space away from the ice. Let your body rest for a while.

Make a practice place outside of the rink at home. If you can’t get to the rink, this will help. You can still work on the tricks that are giving you trouble, and hopefully they will get better! Set up in the garage or basement, but make sure you get permission first.

• You can work on your jumps on gymnastics boards. You will damage your skates if you wear them. If you can’t get those, work on your skills on something soft.
• Put painter’s tape on the floor to mark a spot. Then, use that spot to start your spins and jumps. Look back at your trick when it’s over to see how far you went.
• Stretch some more.
• Go for it.

You will likely have to pass a few skating tests before you can compete at a high level. These will be different based on where you live, but you need professional coaching, a lot of practice, to be fit, and to be able to bend and stretch. The rules for each game may be a little different, but they will all expect a lot from you.

• It’s possible that your teacher and rink can help you find competitions. They should also have links on the website of your national or neighborhood figure skating club.
• To make your first routine, you and your teacher can work together. This will show off your skills and push you to learn new ones.
• Remember: Try again if you don’t pass the first time. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose as long as you keep training and giving it your all.