I (19F) am having trouble with getting just the basics of my LTS class down. I just did my second class, I am stuck on marching still, I haven’t been able to properly march and glide without being unstable, wobbly, and falling. I have been clinging to the walls for dear life. I wanted to be able to do strokes but i’m not sure how I can do that yet if i can’t get basic marching and gliding down. I saw many beginners who got marching on the first class and were able to get the hang of strokes, moving up to level 2 which is a bit discouraging. I wanted to know if i can get some advice?
Having trouble with the basics
- Thread starter OoLkan
- Start date
I can't address whatever your specific problems might be without seeing you skate, but here are some things I often see in my beginning class: 1) Problems with the skates: Not lacing the skates firmly enough or all the way up, skates too big, skates broken down - any of these contribute to lack of ankle support, balance and control. Students who have purchased their own skates but don't realize they had to be sharpened, or that they were of poor quality. 2) Attempting to use a walking motion instead of marching. Weight transfer from foot to foot should take place directly beneath you. Do not attempt to step forward like you would when walking. Stroking will feel more like pushing from side to side. 3) Poor posture and alignment. Stand with head over shoulders, over hips, over feet. Bend your ankles and knees and avoid bending forward or sticking your rear out. Keep your weight in the middle of the blade.
Apologies if you already know all of this. Again, without seeing you this is just a shot in the dark.
Apologies if you already know all of this. Again, without seeing you this is just a shot in the dark.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
Getting ready to go out skating myself, but one quick suggestion -- I've seen many adult beginners obviously trying to walk in skates and I tell them not to lift their feet, to slide their feet along pressing down in their boots, as if they were trying to scuff a mark off their carpet or floor while wearing bedroom slippers, shuffling. Lots of other reasons for beginner stroking problems, but that's the first one that springs to mind. Good luck and keep trying!
Of course it's way too early to give up on skating. Hope you keep on going, and have fun doing it! 
Yes. As a former skate guard, I'd say these are the most common problems. Literally the majority of relatively new skaters get skates that are too big (they should be somewhat smaller (in the U.S. roughly 1 size smaller, though that won't always apply, and it also varies a lot by brand and the shape of your feet) than regular shoes) and don't lace them tightly enough, or not all the way. Skates have to be a lot more snug than normal shoes. For a while, I tried to help them check whether they did it right, but most people don't want to be told they have tied their boots wrong, or that they don't know their boot size.
If you see someone who looks like a good skater, you could ask them if you have laced tight enough, if the boots are too big, or are too broken down.
Also, you probably shouldn't be too afraid of falling. Hopefully they taught you how to do it without hurting yourself in the first lessons.
It's also a good idea to get some practice outside class. If you figure out the balance thing, it will be easier to enjoy class.
If you can afford it, you could approach the teacher and ask whether you could have a private lesson to help you figure this out. If there is no problem with the boots, that is one of the best ways to solve problems, though I admit it can be expensive. It's very difficult to give much private attention to students inside a group lesson.
This is a bit technical, but to have good balance, it helps a lot if the entire bottom of your foot is in contact with the footbed of the boot, with roughly equal pressure on both sides of your foot. E.g., if only one side of your foot is in contact, or has much stronger contact than the other side, you may tend to fall towards the other side. That's not something easy to fix in rental skates. I helped some people by suggesting they fold up some toilet paper from the rest room, and put it under the foot with no contact. That's a very temporary solution, and not a very good one, but a rental place wouldn't want you to modify the boots.
In terms of gliding forwards, it helps a bit if your heels are a bit closer together than your toes on the ice, when both feet are on the ice..
Yes. As a former skate guard, I'd say these are the most common problems. Literally the majority of relatively new skaters get skates that are too big (they should be somewhat smaller (in the U.S. roughly 1 size smaller, though that won't always apply, and it also varies a lot by brand and the shape of your feet) than regular shoes) and don't lace them tightly enough, or not all the way. Skates have to be a lot more snug than normal shoes. For a while, I tried to help them check whether they did it right, but most people don't want to be told they have tied their boots wrong, or that they don't know their boot size.
If you see someone who looks like a good skater, you could ask them if you have laced tight enough, if the boots are too big, or are too broken down.
Also, you probably shouldn't be too afraid of falling. Hopefully they taught you how to do it without hurting yourself in the first lessons.
It's also a good idea to get some practice outside class. If you figure out the balance thing, it will be easier to enjoy class.
If you can afford it, you could approach the teacher and ask whether you could have a private lesson to help you figure this out. If there is no problem with the boots, that is one of the best ways to solve problems, though I admit it can be expensive. It's very difficult to give much private attention to students inside a group lesson.
This is a bit technical, but to have good balance, it helps a lot if the entire bottom of your foot is in contact with the footbed of the boot, with roughly equal pressure on both sides of your foot. E.g., if only one side of your foot is in contact, or has much stronger contact than the other side, you may tend to fall towards the other side. That's not something easy to fix in rental skates. I helped some people by suggesting they fold up some toilet paper from the rest room, and put it under the foot with no contact. That's a very temporary solution, and not a very good one, but a rental place wouldn't want you to modify the boots.
In terms of gliding forwards, it helps a bit if your heels are a bit closer together than your toes on the ice, when both feet are on the ice..
Oops, I meant paper towels, not toilet paper. But it's still not a great way to correct bad fit.
Incidentally, a few people have trouble with balance because they become afraid, and get very stiff. E.g., they often keep very straight legs. When you learned to stand and walk, you learned to use many small body motions to maintain balance. Works for skating too. But the blades are much thinner than your feet, and a much smaller portion of the length of the blade is on the ice at any one time than is true of your feet (because your feet bend to conform), so to some extent you need to refine those balancing skills. So your base of support is both much thinner and much shorter than when walking. Plus, the toepick in the front means you don't want to roll too far forwards, both because of that reduced length of support issue (if you roll to far forwards, you may topple forwards), and because you could trip over the toepick while gliding, so you don't roll to your toe(s) to stop your forward roll - you instead mostly deepen your knee(s) at the end of the stride more than when walking, to transfer the roll force to them.
Anyway, practice helps a lot. Don't give up.
Incidentally, a few people have trouble with balance because they become afraid, and get very stiff. E.g., they often keep very straight legs. When you learned to stand and walk, you learned to use many small body motions to maintain balance. Works for skating too. But the blades are much thinner than your feet, and a much smaller portion of the length of the blade is on the ice at any one time than is true of your feet (because your feet bend to conform), so to some extent you need to refine those balancing skills. So your base of support is both much thinner and much shorter than when walking. Plus, the toepick in the front means you don't want to roll too far forwards, both because of that reduced length of support issue (if you roll to far forwards, you may topple forwards), and because you could trip over the toepick while gliding, so you don't roll to your toe(s) to stop your forward roll - you instead mostly deepen your knee(s) at the end of the stride more than when walking, to transfer the roll force to them.
Anyway, practice helps a lot. Don't give up.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2022
Hey! Just a beginner skater here myself. Since this was posted almost a year ago, I hope you're now much more confident in skating~
Just to answer your question, I think it being the 2nd session is way too early to make any conclusions. It took me a few years of on-and-off skating and I finally started skating seriously 3-4 months ago to get to Basic 6 level. Sometimes I feel like giving up when I can't master a skill at all and make a breakthrough the next session (or after many more sessions), it's completely normal. Good luck and keep going!
Just to answer your question, I think it being the 2nd session is way too early to make any conclusions. It took me a few years of on-and-off skating and I finally started skating seriously 3-4 months ago to get to Basic 6 level. Sometimes I feel like giving up when I can't master a skill at all and make a breakthrough the next session (or after many more sessions), it's completely normal. Good luck and keep going!
