Figure Skating Equipment
Let's get started with the most important equipment of all! The figure skates themselves! Nothing else matters compared to having a good pair of ice skates!
Figure skates in particular have a toe pick, unlike hockey skates or racing skates etc. Toe picks are used for certain jumps and certain moves in the field, they ARE NOT supposed to be used as brakes! That's a great way to face-plant into the ice.
Figure skating boots are made of several layers of stiff leather to provide good ankle support. A figure skater's blade is also curved, which allows for minute adjustments in balance and weight distribution. The blade has a groove or "hollow" on the bottom creating two distinct edges — inside and outside. In figure skating, the skater should glide on one edge of the blade and not on both at the same time, which is referred to as a flat edge. During a spin, skaters use the "sweet spot" of the blade, which is the roundest portion of the blade, just behind the pick and near the middle of the blade. You can see the "sweet spot" area in the diagram above, it is called the "spin rocker". |
Although ice is solid, as long as temperatures are above −20°C (−4°F) there is always a very thin layer of water on the surface that makes it slippery. Extra melted water is formed as the blade rubs against the ice and vastly reduces the friction allowing the skater to glide across the ice with little effort.
Figure skate sharpening
1" - basically dull & flat.
5/8" - Recreational sharpening- Beginners usually prefer this hollow. This hollow will allow you to sense how a proper edge should feel, and at the same time be forgiving in things like T-stops.
1/2" - standard freeskate sharpening. Advanced skaters usually prefer this hollow or the sharper 3/8".
3/8" - sharper freeskate or dance sharpening. A deeper hollow will be very unforgiving on freestyle blades, unless you are a child or have a very petite frame.
The bigger the bite out of the flat blade - the deeper the hollow on the sharpening and the higher the edges are on the inside of the blade, which means deeper edges. The shallower the bite out of the blade - the lower the hollow is to the ice and the smaller the edge, which means you will slip more without a great deal of lean etc.
I have read/heard/been told that most children will like a sharper blade (deeper hollow) because they don't have the weight to force the edges to grab the ice on a shallower edge. I find that I can spin better on duller blades, but that I can jump and ice dance better with sharper blades.
Figure skates generally have to be sharpened every 30-40 hours of ice time. So if you skate several times a week, you will probably need to get your skates resharpened every month. If you only skate once a week, you can probably go 4-6 months before you need to resharpen them. Always ask a local coach or figure skater where they get their skates sharpened. Getting your skates sharpened at the local rink is notorious for improperly sharpened blades.
If you are just starting out and not sure if you want to continue in this sport, it is always good to start out on rental skates from the local rink. The only bad thing about rental skates is they are rarely sharpened by the rink, so it is difficult to skate on them because they are so dull. However, when you are a brand-new beginner, ANY kind of skate will be difficult for you to skate on, so make sure you don't overspend money on skates until you're sure you want to continue in this sport.
Figure Skate Brands
Jackson and Riedell figure skates are some of the favorite brands for figure skaters of all levels. The price of Jackson skates is reasonable and have all levels of skates that fit the needs of beginner to advanced figure skaters.
SP-Teri, GAM, and Harlick are other popular figure skate manufacturers. MK Blades are probably the most popular blade type and come in a variety of types to suit the needs of all skaters.
Here are some online stores that sell figure skates:
https://figureskatingstore.com/skates/
https://www.discountskatewear.com/
*Note: some skates are only sold as the boot! You will have to buy a separate blade and have someone who knows how to mount the blade to the boot properly! So make sure you pay attention to what you are buying. Make sure you are buying a boot that has the blade pre-attached if you don't know anyone who can mount it for you!
Also be aware when buying figure skates that there is something called "underbooting" and "overbooting".
"Underbooting" means you are a high level skater and have purchased a beginner figure skate. Because of the high level spins and jumps being performed, the boot will break down quickly and not provide the support needed to the high level figure skater. This is very dangerous and could result in injury.
"Overbooting" is the more common problem and it means a beginner skater has ignorantly purchased a more advanced figure skate. When you are overbooted, the boot is too stiff and will never break down because it was made for higher level moves and more stressful jumps. This means the beginner struggles to learn what they need to because the boot remains too stiff.
Always select and purchase a boot appropriate for your level of skating. Don't underboot or overboot yourself, especially if you are a beginner. If you are a beginner, you don't want to go out and purchase a very expensive advanced skate, because you might decide to quit ice skating in a few months! So save yourself the money and buy ice skates appropriate for your skill level. You can always ask a local coach, local figure skater, or online figure skating forum for figure skate recommendations. In general, beginner freestyle skates are around $100, intermediate skates are around $300, and advanced skates are $500+. Be very wary of any ice skates priced less than $100, because they are likely very, very cheap and flimsy and will not hold up for more than a few months.
Is figure skating only for children and females?
Absolutely not!!
I myself skated at 14 years old and have returned at 26 years old to skate again. Yes, I am in lessons surrounded by 10 year olds, but it's to be expected. Ask yourself one question: Are you there to improve your skating or are you there to socialize?
The little kids don't care you're there. They just wanna skate.
Same goes for male skaters. The little-kid-female-skaters will just ignore you, which leaves you free to focus on your skating. If you are a little boy skater, you will be highly valued if you decide to do pair skating because little boys are so rare in the sport.
How dangerous is figure skating?
As with all sports, there are risks with skating. Ligaments can be torn just through skating too hard and bones can be broken through falling. A person can get a nasty cut if they are skated over by another person on the rink. The easiest way to prevent these things are to skate carefully and wear proper protective equipment. In general though, the most you will get is a collection of colorful bruises and a few ice scraps, nothing serious. And always remember, EVERYONE falls at some point, even Olympic champions. You will never outgrow falling, but it does become slightly more embarrassing as you climb higher in the levels LOL.
Can anyone teach figure skating?
*Note on Coaching: Sometimes you might find a kind soul who will show you a few things about skating. But this is highly discouraged for several reasons:
1. They are not a certified coach. Coaches that teach group or private lessons take a lot of certification tests, background checks, and actually pay money to renew their coaching license and pay money to the rink so that the rink allows them to teach lessons there.
Anyone who isn't a certified coach is likely to show you really poor technique and you'll learn things wrong.... which a real coach will end up having to correct later.
2. All certified coaches are required to carry liability insurance in case someone gets hurt during lessons. If someone regularly starts "teaching" you and it's serious stuff, don't be surprised if an ice rink official comes up to you to ask you to stop it. If you end up injured from taking "unofficial" lessons with someone who doesn't carry liability insurance with the ice rink club, there could be serious legal trouble for the ice rink. They won't tolerate it. They also won't tolerate anyone coaching on their ice without paying the coaching fees that are due to the rink for being allowed to coach on their ice. The rink has to make money somehow. Since the students are paying the coaches, the coaches are paying the rink.
3. If you have an interest in becoming a coach yourself, you first need to learn how to skate. Then you can talk to your ice rink about maybe volunteering to assistant-teach some basic group lessons to find out if you would actually enjoy teaching hyperactive little kids or not lol. Group-lesson-coaches require less certification than private-lesson-coaches. Once you know what you want to do and manage to pay all the fees for tests, certifications, liability insurance etc, coaching can be a fun job. But it will only ever be a part-time job that earns you a little extra cash. Plenty of girls I know part-time coach while going to college to earn a little extra cash. But in 99% of cases, it can never be a fulltime job because it will never pay enough. The only people who make fulltime careers out of coaching are those coaches who are famous for training Olympic athletes, or if you become the director or owner of the entire ice rink. Only those people make enough money to have a fulltime career in the ice skating industry.
1" - basically dull & flat.
5/8" - Recreational sharpening- Beginners usually prefer this hollow. This hollow will allow you to sense how a proper edge should feel, and at the same time be forgiving in things like T-stops.
1/2" - standard freeskate sharpening. Advanced skaters usually prefer this hollow or the sharper 3/8".
3/8" - sharper freeskate or dance sharpening. A deeper hollow will be very unforgiving on freestyle blades, unless you are a child or have a very petite frame.
The bigger the bite out of the flat blade - the deeper the hollow on the sharpening and the higher the edges are on the inside of the blade, which means deeper edges. The shallower the bite out of the blade - the lower the hollow is to the ice and the smaller the edge, which means you will slip more without a great deal of lean etc.
I have read/heard/been told that most children will like a sharper blade (deeper hollow) because they don't have the weight to force the edges to grab the ice on a shallower edge. I find that I can spin better on duller blades, but that I can jump and ice dance better with sharper blades.
Figure skates generally have to be sharpened every 30-40 hours of ice time. So if you skate several times a week, you will probably need to get your skates resharpened every month. If you only skate once a week, you can probably go 4-6 months before you need to resharpen them. Always ask a local coach or figure skater where they get their skates sharpened. Getting your skates sharpened at the local rink is notorious for improperly sharpened blades.
If you are just starting out and not sure if you want to continue in this sport, it is always good to start out on rental skates from the local rink. The only bad thing about rental skates is they are rarely sharpened by the rink, so it is difficult to skate on them because they are so dull. However, when you are a brand-new beginner, ANY kind of skate will be difficult for you to skate on, so make sure you don't overspend money on skates until you're sure you want to continue in this sport.
Figure Skate Brands
Jackson and Riedell figure skates are some of the favorite brands for figure skaters of all levels. The price of Jackson skates is reasonable and have all levels of skates that fit the needs of beginner to advanced figure skaters.
SP-Teri, GAM, and Harlick are other popular figure skate manufacturers. MK Blades are probably the most popular blade type and come in a variety of types to suit the needs of all skaters.
Here are some online stores that sell figure skates:
https://figureskatingstore.com/skates/
https://www.discountskatewear.com/
*Note: some skates are only sold as the boot! You will have to buy a separate blade and have someone who knows how to mount the blade to the boot properly! So make sure you pay attention to what you are buying. Make sure you are buying a boot that has the blade pre-attached if you don't know anyone who can mount it for you!
Also be aware when buying figure skates that there is something called "underbooting" and "overbooting".
"Underbooting" means you are a high level skater and have purchased a beginner figure skate. Because of the high level spins and jumps being performed, the boot will break down quickly and not provide the support needed to the high level figure skater. This is very dangerous and could result in injury.
"Overbooting" is the more common problem and it means a beginner skater has ignorantly purchased a more advanced figure skate. When you are overbooted, the boot is too stiff and will never break down because it was made for higher level moves and more stressful jumps. This means the beginner struggles to learn what they need to because the boot remains too stiff.
Always select and purchase a boot appropriate for your level of skating. Don't underboot or overboot yourself, especially if you are a beginner. If you are a beginner, you don't want to go out and purchase a very expensive advanced skate, because you might decide to quit ice skating in a few months! So save yourself the money and buy ice skates appropriate for your skill level. You can always ask a local coach, local figure skater, or online figure skating forum for figure skate recommendations. In general, beginner freestyle skates are around $100, intermediate skates are around $300, and advanced skates are $500+. Be very wary of any ice skates priced less than $100, because they are likely very, very cheap and flimsy and will not hold up for more than a few months.
Is figure skating only for children and females?
Absolutely not!!
I myself skated at 14 years old and have returned at 26 years old to skate again. Yes, I am in lessons surrounded by 10 year olds, but it's to be expected. Ask yourself one question: Are you there to improve your skating or are you there to socialize?
The little kids don't care you're there. They just wanna skate.
Same goes for male skaters. The little-kid-female-skaters will just ignore you, which leaves you free to focus on your skating. If you are a little boy skater, you will be highly valued if you decide to do pair skating because little boys are so rare in the sport.
How dangerous is figure skating?
As with all sports, there are risks with skating. Ligaments can be torn just through skating too hard and bones can be broken through falling. A person can get a nasty cut if they are skated over by another person on the rink. The easiest way to prevent these things are to skate carefully and wear proper protective equipment. In general though, the most you will get is a collection of colorful bruises and a few ice scraps, nothing serious. And always remember, EVERYONE falls at some point, even Olympic champions. You will never outgrow falling, but it does become slightly more embarrassing as you climb higher in the levels LOL.
Can anyone teach figure skating?
*Note on Coaching: Sometimes you might find a kind soul who will show you a few things about skating. But this is highly discouraged for several reasons:
1. They are not a certified coach. Coaches that teach group or private lessons take a lot of certification tests, background checks, and actually pay money to renew their coaching license and pay money to the rink so that the rink allows them to teach lessons there.
Anyone who isn't a certified coach is likely to show you really poor technique and you'll learn things wrong.... which a real coach will end up having to correct later.
2. All certified coaches are required to carry liability insurance in case someone gets hurt during lessons. If someone regularly starts "teaching" you and it's serious stuff, don't be surprised if an ice rink official comes up to you to ask you to stop it. If you end up injured from taking "unofficial" lessons with someone who doesn't carry liability insurance with the ice rink club, there could be serious legal trouble for the ice rink. They won't tolerate it. They also won't tolerate anyone coaching on their ice without paying the coaching fees that are due to the rink for being allowed to coach on their ice. The rink has to make money somehow. Since the students are paying the coaches, the coaches are paying the rink.
3. If you have an interest in becoming a coach yourself, you first need to learn how to skate. Then you can talk to your ice rink about maybe volunteering to assistant-teach some basic group lessons to find out if you would actually enjoy teaching hyperactive little kids or not lol. Group-lesson-coaches require less certification than private-lesson-coaches. Once you know what you want to do and manage to pay all the fees for tests, certifications, liability insurance etc, coaching can be a fun job. But it will only ever be a part-time job that earns you a little extra cash. Plenty of girls I know part-time coach while going to college to earn a little extra cash. But in 99% of cases, it can never be a fulltime job because it will never pay enough. The only people who make fulltime careers out of coaching are those coaches who are famous for training Olympic athletes, or if you become the director or owner of the entire ice rink. Only those people make enough money to have a fulltime career in the ice skating industry.
Figure Skating Clothing
The best clothing keeps you warm on the ice, but still able to bend and flex through complex jumps and spins.
Blue jeans and any other material too baggy, bulky, or non-stretchy is NOT recommended for ice skating.
Most skaters wear stretchy yoga pants with a plain tshirt or tank top covered with a light jacket that doesn't hinder movement. As for socks, you want normal socks, not too thin, not too bulky. Keep "long" socks in your skate bag. Socks should be long enough to protect your entire foot and ankle from the skate. Some people try to wear "short" socks and their legs get rubbed raw by the skate. Soft, stretchy gloves are a favorite among figure skaters too.
WARNING! It is recommended to use yoga pants that are tight around the ankle to prevent getting caught on your own pants while ice skating. This is especially important in the higher levels where even the tiniest bit of flare at the ankles can get caught on blades during a jump landing. There are several styles of yoga and skating pants that are tight around the ankles.
You can buy skating dresses and skating tights, but these are generally only worn at competitions/tests, or by little girls younger than 10 years old during practice sessions.
Online websites are the best places to buy skating dresses, skating tights, and brand-name skating pants and outfits, etc. But none of these things are necessary. Ordinary yoga pants from a local store and a tshirt with a light jacket is all you really need. And you don't need a fancy, brand-name skate bag either. Any basic skate bag can protect your skates.
The only equipment I absolutely do recommend you buy are skate soakers and blade guards.
The best clothing keeps you warm on the ice, but still able to bend and flex through complex jumps and spins.
Blue jeans and any other material too baggy, bulky, or non-stretchy is NOT recommended for ice skating.
Most skaters wear stretchy yoga pants with a plain tshirt or tank top covered with a light jacket that doesn't hinder movement. As for socks, you want normal socks, not too thin, not too bulky. Keep "long" socks in your skate bag. Socks should be long enough to protect your entire foot and ankle from the skate. Some people try to wear "short" socks and their legs get rubbed raw by the skate. Soft, stretchy gloves are a favorite among figure skaters too.
WARNING! It is recommended to use yoga pants that are tight around the ankle to prevent getting caught on your own pants while ice skating. This is especially important in the higher levels where even the tiniest bit of flare at the ankles can get caught on blades during a jump landing. There are several styles of yoga and skating pants that are tight around the ankles.
You can buy skating dresses and skating tights, but these are generally only worn at competitions/tests, or by little girls younger than 10 years old during practice sessions.
Online websites are the best places to buy skating dresses, skating tights, and brand-name skating pants and outfits, etc. But none of these things are necessary. Ordinary yoga pants from a local store and a tshirt with a light jacket is all you really need. And you don't need a fancy, brand-name skate bag either. Any basic skate bag can protect your skates.
The only equipment I absolutely do recommend you buy are skate soakers and blade guards.
Blade guards protect your blades from horrible surfaces like concrete and floors. NEVER walk in your ice skates on any surface except the ice and the rubber flooring around the ice. Ideally, you should wear your guards any time you are off the ice to protect your blades from tiny grains of dirt and filth from other peoples' shoes.
Skate soakers protect your blades from rusting. Always have a cloth like a handtowel in your skate bag and wipe the blades and bottom of the skates really well when you are done skating. They need to be as dry as possible and then immediately store them in your skate soakers. This will keep any moisture away from the blades and avoid rust. Blades are destroyed if they start to rust.
Never, ever store your skates with the blade guards on! They will rust! Always wipe them off and store them in the soakers! And make sure to take your skates out of your bag when you get home and let the inside of the boot dry out!
Never, ever store your skates with the blade guards on! They will rust! Always wipe them off and store them in the soakers! And make sure to take your skates out of your bag when you get home and let the inside of the boot dry out!
Figure Skating Clubs and Competitions
Olympic disciplines:
Singles women - individual skaters perform jumps, spins, step sequences, spirals, and other elements in their programs.
Singles men - same as womens singles, except men are known for their more powerful quad jumps.
Pair skating - team of a man and a woman. They perform elements such as throw jumps, in which the man throws the woman into a jump; Lifts, in which the man lifts the woman above his head in various grips; and side-by-side jumps and spin combinations.
Ice Dancing - is a couple consisting of a man and a woman, but the focus is on intricate footwork and dancing in time with music. Lifts must not go above the man's shoulder.
Other disciplines:
Synchronized skating - mixed-gender groups of 12-20 skaters with emphasis on precise formations and complex transitions between formations.
Theatre on ice - Disney on Ice is probably the most famous. It is a form of group skating that utilizes props and theatrical costuming.
The International Skating Union (ISU) is the governing body for international competitions in figure skating, including the World Championships and the figure skating events at the Winter Olympic Games. The standard medal colors are gold for first place, silver for second, and bronze for third place. In singles and pairs figure skating competition, competitors must perform two programs, the short program, in which the skater must complete a list of required elements consisting of jumps, spins and steps; and the free skate, also known as the long program, in which the skaters have slightly more choice of elements.
Competitive figure skating is an expensive sport, especially in the higher levels. The costs of ice practice time and coaching is what makes the costs so high. Top figure skaters spend A LOT of money to get the best coaches to train for high level competitions and there are usually entry fees to competitions. Prize money for winning competitions is relatively low compared to other sports. And most serious skaters start training from a very young age, 3-5 years old is typical, but a few started at 10-12 years old and were talented enough to catch up to their peers in a short amount of time.
That said, there are milder competitions or recreational figure skating the rest of us can enjoy that is much cheaper.
There are two figure skating associations in the United States: ISI and USFSA.
ISI (Ice Skating Institute) is for recreational skaters. There are test levels and competitions that are rewarding for every level of skater. All skaters win medals, trophies, or ribbons at ISI events. ISI programs focus on having fun and not being intimidating to skaters of all ages.
USFSA (United States Figure Skating Association) is the official governing body of figure skating in the USA. USFS has two tracks: competitive and recreational. Skaters compete in official and unofficial competitions. The USFS competitive track is the only way a skater can make it to the Olympic team.
You will have to check your local rink to find out if they have a club and if the club is ISI or USFS. My club was originally ISI when I took lessons 12 years ago, but since then they have switched to USFS. Unless you plan to be extremely competitive, either ISI or USFS will suit your needs. Levels and tests in ISI vs USFS are almost identical and cover the same skill sets, they're just organized a bit differently. For example, USFS likes to test freestyle elements and Moves in the Field elements separately, while ISI tests both together in the same level.
ISI test levels: https://www.skateisi.org/programs/testing-requirements/
USFS test levels: http://gofigureskating.com/tests/index.html
There are adult-track tests/competitions in ISI and USFS, so ANYONE can compete, don't let your age get in the way. Competitions often try to separate Adults by age, such as having two categories: Adults under 50 years of age, and Adults over 50 years of age. But it depends on the competition. If there aren't enough applicants, they may merge all Adult age groups together. Click here for More info on Adult Figure Skating. Here's a documentary on a lady who was still figure skating at 90 years old!
Edges - Trailer from Balcony Nine Media on Vimeo.
And if that breaking-the-age-barrier video didn't make you cry, here's a breaking-the-color-barrier video to make you cry. =)
For Great Britain, it looks like the National Ice Skating Association (NISA) is what you'll need to look into. It looks similar to USFSA, but I'm no expert.
Here is a list of figure skating associations from every country recognized by the ISU (International Skating Union). That means all of these clubs are verified to send skaters to the Olympics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_figure_skating
I also wanted to make a small note that it is possible for people with various physical or mental disabilities to learn to figure skate. How well they can learn to skate will obviously depends on how severe their disability is.
USFSA has a special testing track for people who are too disabled to test in the standard track.
There are even "special" teams included and allowed in Theatre on Ice competitions.
USFSA's testing track for Special Olympics/Therapeutic Skating information can be found here.
USFSA has a special testing track for people who are too disabled to test in the standard track.
There are even "special" teams included and allowed in Theatre on Ice competitions.
USFSA's testing track for Special Olympics/Therapeutic Skating information can be found here.
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Check out this incredible blind figure skater! Despite being totally blind since the day he was born, he does all kinds of jumps and spins! It is simply amazing!
From what little I could find out about how he was taught to skate, it involved him touching the actual marks the skates make on the ice so he can try to duplicate those marks with his own skates. He also listens to the sound of the skating move and tries to replicate it. Finally, they can use sticks to tap various parts of his body to teach him what needs to be changed. But it's still amazing someone who cannot see at all can learn to do spins and jumps. He does all of his skating in a circle in the middle, so he doesn’t have to worry about running into rink walls that he can’t see. |