#sywltfs

[soyouwanttolearnfs]

I can skate a little and I was wondering what I should do next? I can do 2 foot glides, forward swizzles, dips, rocking horse, backwards swizzles and glide a little bit on one foot but I'm not sure what to do next?

If you want to keep progressing I would recommend signing up for group lessons at your local rink!

[soyouwanttolearnfs]

tips for backward outside 3 turns??? i find myself sliding up onto my toe pick or just falling over :/

Lean back on your edge and make sure to use the “down-up-down” motion. Bend your knee right before the turn, straighten it slightly as you turn, and then bend it again as you come out onto the inside edge. Backward outside three turns are placed mostly at the back of your blade, near the heel. 

[soyouwanttolearnfs]

Hi! So I just got skates and I bought soakers online, but it turns out they're too small. I'm going to buy some this week when I go to the rink, so they should be fine without them if I've never worn the skates before, right?

Soakers absorb the moisture that condenses on skates when they’re cold. Since you haven’t skated in them yet, leaving the blades uncovered should be fine.

[soyouwanttolearnfs]

Hi, I'm wondering if you could tell me how to know whether your boots has gone too soft? Are there any signs, clear or otherwise? Because I've had a pair of boots for years now, but recently I've had a feeling that something is wrong about them or that they've maybe changed in some way so I was thinking that they've might have gone too soft, but I don't know how to find out...

if your ankle is dipping in, like when you bend your knee and the boot bend in or goes really easily down then the chances are your boot it too soft. 

(when I don’t have exams I’m going to do a post showing what that looks like)

[soyouwanttolearnfs]

does doing push-ups or working on arms in the gym / off ice help with jump rotations? I heard some people say the stronger your arms are the better you'll spin and I'm very confused.

Working on arms does help jumps, as does working on core strength and everything else. You whole body, but particularly your upper body has to be really strong to maintain the air position and rotation of those multi-rotational jumps.

[soyouwanttolearnfs]

I'm looking into buying my first pair of skates :) Does higher support/stiffness help support ankles? I've injured both of my ankles and love skating too much that I don't want to get injured and miss lessons ;-; I know I shouldn't get too stiff skates or else I can't use them but I really need the support. I've also been taping my ankles

Yes higher support/stiffness does help support your ankles. Try on the skates at your level and if they don’t feel supportive enough then try the ones from the level up. I would recommend against going up more then one ‘level’(e.g. if you’re getting skates for learning jumps, you’d probably be good with skates that are built for doubles but skates for triples might cause issues.)

Please take care of you ankles!

Good luck.

[soyouwanttolearnfs]

I saw you or someone else mention at group skate lessons coaches watch. Is this true? Are they looking for someone to coach? This part has been a little confusing for me..

Coaches will sometimes scout group lessons to see if anyone catches their eye. It’s not at every rink but a lot do.

[soyouwanttolearnfs]

Edea ice flys or riedell 2010s? Which one is a better boot in your opinion, and which blade would you personally put on it?

I don’t know much about Riedell beyond that they are good boots. I have more experience with EDEA.

I’d say if you want something stiffer go for the ice fly but if you prefer a lower heel/arch then go with the Riedells. 

EDEA is a very good boot, most of the champions currently wear them but it does come down to what works for you because the wrong boot will severely impact your skating. Out of the two I’d personally recommend EDEA, but that is because I have more knowledge about it.

Funny story: My training partner just got new skates off a girl at a nearby rink who ordered a pair of EDEA ice flys only to find they were the wrong size and colour for her so my friend bought them, only he didn’t realise they were the top range EDEA boots so he is currently preparing for death (also the heel/arch of EDEA and feel of the boot is very different from other brands so transitioning can be an issue).