Adult Skaters -- when did you stop feeling wobbly?

[LT]

How long did it take you to feel comfortable on the most basic things?

I just properly started skating last week for the first time at age 33. So far, I've skated for about 5 hours total on 5 different days, including one LTS class.

The first class we learned forward and backward swizzles, two foot glide, snowplow stop, one foot glide, dip, little hop thing. Class was great...but I am still soooo shaky and wobbly feeling every time I skate. I feel like I'm getting worse not better. I can barely lift my foot for a couple seconds on the one foot glide before I feel like I'm going to fall over, and I barely pick my foot up on the forward stroking for the same reason. 

I don't know if I just have really unrealistic expectations, but I thought I would at least feel comfortable making my (slow) way around the rink by now, but I still feel so shaky the whole time. I'm not holding onto the boards or anything...but then I wasn't doing that on day one either. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to be useless at this! lol

So help me...do I just need to give it some more time or what? How long did it take from when you first started until you felt comfortable just skating around?

[Skittl1321]

I'd give it a little more time.  Are you wearing a helmet?  It is possible you just need to 'go for it' and be a bit more brave.  It is difficult to skate if you can't pick your feet up, and it is hard to pick your feet up if you are scared of falling.  Wear some nice thick pants (like snow pants, NOT jeans) to add a little cushion.

I've taught adult LTS before, and some adults are great after an hour or two, others are still nervous wrecks after 8 classes.

[Icicle]

If you find it scary to skate on one foot, spend more time doing two-foot glides and swizzles. Those are excellent exercises. If you are scared of something, it's your body's way of saying that you aren't quite ready for this exercise. So do things you are comfortable with. And don't worry: you'll feel more at ease soon. I agree with Skittl: it's all up to an individual.Personally,  I would try to spend as much time on ice as I could. Good luck!

[ls99]

If it helps any, I started skating at 62 or 63. Spent the first moth or two falling down, a lot.
Skated 2 to 3 times a week. Around one year mark started getting comfortable.

[AgnesNitt]

How long did it take you to feel comfortable on the most basic things?

I just properly started skating last week for the first time at age 33. So far, I've skated for about 5 hours total on 5 different days, including one LTS class.

The first class we learned forward and backward swizzles, two foot glide, snowplow stop, one foot glide, dip, little hop thing. Class was great...but I am still soooo shaky and wobbly feeling every time I skate. I feel like I'm getting worse not better. I can barely lift my foot for a couple seconds on the one foot glide before I feel like I'm going to fall over, and I barely pick my foot up on the forward stroking for the same reason. 

I don't know if I just have really unrealistic expectations, but I thought I would at least feel comfortable making my (slow) way around the rink by now, but I still feel so shaky the whole time. I'm not holding onto the boards or anything...but then I wasn't doing that on day one either. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to be useless at this! lol

So help me...do I just need to give it some more time or what? How long did it take from when you first started until you felt comfortable just skating around?

I am not a coach.

As I started at 55, I learned the hard way, no matter how much I thought I was bending my knees, it wasn't enough. A good knee bend isn't 'flex your knees' it's BEND . YOUR. KNEES (insert coach voice)! I had a coach who made me look in the glass and bend my knees  so that I was 3-4 inches shorter to teach me how much knee bend I needed.

(oh and you'll need to consciously BEND.YOUR.ANKLES (insert coach voice) too in order to keep your feet underneath you)

I can almost promise you that based on your gliding problems (I had these too) you aren't bending your knees enough.

Try an experiment. Just for five minutes try skating with your knees bent so that you feel like you're almost ready to sit down. It was a deceptive feeling for me when I started . I thought my  thighs were parallel to the ice, but actually I was just a little deeper than the correct knee bend.

You'll find that once you get enough knee bend that your legs and knees will be much more responsive, and will flex more naturally. This will help smooth out your skating and give you more glide. It will not come overnight. Don't give up.

[ChristyRN]

I'm supposed to stop feeling wobbly? 

It took me about six months to start feeling comfortable on the ice and another six to start enjoying it. I was 38 when I started.

[LT]

Thanks everyone!!! I went to the rink for a couple of hours this afternoon and found that all the tips made a big difference...I definitely did not have enough knee bend, and I found that with the added knee bend, swizzles came a lot easier. After several laps of swizzling around the rink I was able to do a one foot glide for a little longer...not a lot but about twice as long as I had previously. And the added knee bend also helped the wobbles.

I'm a timid skater so I know I do need to just go for it a bit more, as well. But I definitely feel like I made much more progress today. Thanks SOOO much!!!

[LT]

Also...just a note to myself...checking skatingforums from my phone for new tips definitely should NOT be done while on the ice next time. LOL I almost wiped myself out reading AgnesNitt's reply 

[LT]

LOL Christy right now I can't imagine really ever feeling comfortable...I guess I can't expect to after a week

[icedancer]

I have been skating since I was six so can't quite relate BUT

I can tell you that skating takes a tremendous amount of strength of the type that most average people don't actually possess - I know this because if I am off the ice for even a week I can really feel it and realized just how much strength it takes just to stand on one foot on a four mm blade.  So don't beat yourself up if after a week you feel wobbly!

Skating takes a long time - weeks, months, years are NOTHING in the skating world - but it is a lifelong pursuit, and totally enjoyable... and very addicting!

Have fun skating!!

[AgnesNitt]

Also...just a note to myself...checking skatingforums from my phone for new tips definitely should NOT be done while on the ice next time. LOL I almost wiped myself out reading AgnesNitt's reply 

BTW, did 'bend the knees' work out for you? After a while you'll get a sense of how much knee bend you'll really need (your group coach will be able to help), by my finding was group coaches never emphasized it enough, nor did they stay on top of it. The suggestions I made may be a little exaggerated, but I assure you, you will find that initially you'll have to put your mind to it or your legs will go back to being just flexed. Coaches don't show much knee bend as you'd expect, but they're not in the learning phase.

[Doubletoe]

Also, how do your skates fit?  They should be snug (without squishing or pinching) and fit perfectly in both length and width (including snug at the heel).  If there is extra room in your boots, they could be contributing to your wobbliness. 

But you definitely can't go wrong with correct posture and good knee bend!  When you are bending your knees and ankles correctly, you should feel the front of your ankles pressing against the tongue and laces of your boots.  Your toes should also be hidden by your knees when you look down.  Correct alignment is chest-over-toes-over-knees, with your chest a little forward but shoulders back.  You should be pressing the blade into the ice with every stroke.

[LT]

Agnes -- yes, the knee bend is definitely a huge part of my problem. I went again today and noticed that as soon as I stop concentrating on bending my knees I go quickly back to a shaky, stiff legged stance almost immediately 

My skates fit good, I think. I got them at a pro shop and was fitted in several different models/sizes before we found the perfect fit for my foot...I have a very narrow foot and my skates are the Riedell Bronze Medallion. The 133 was a little too wide in the heel for me, I could lift it up and down, and other brands just did not fit at all well in the toe or heel.

[mamabear]

I'm going join the chorus of "I'm not supposed to feel wobbly???"  I took up skating at 37 or 38-I can never remember precisely when we started-I guess I could check my bank statements because that would certainly tell me LOL.  I do eventually stop feeling wobbly with something but that usually just means it's about time for the coach to show me something new!  I thought for example that this post would be about spins. 

When I get frustrated with my progress or lack of progress I try instead to focus on what is better-you can do a swizzle!  You probably didn't know what that was before lessons.  Or that you now know what a correctly fitting skate feels like. 

[alainajane]

I'm 32 (almost 33) and started skating in November.  I am also a timid skater.  I was just looking back last night at some of the things I was tested on in Adult Basic 1 and I actually felt a bit of accomplishment.  I was surprised to think about the fact that just 5 months ago I could hardly stand on the ice.  I'm still a complete beginner, but I can do a heck of a lot more than I could a few months ago.  I suspect you'll feel similarly in a couple months.

[LT]

I hope so! Over the last couple of weeks I have gotten comfortable enough to start forward crossovers on a circle (very very very slow), two foot turns (not bad at all), t stops and backward cutbacks (small and slow). Oddly, while I'm not very wobbly doing any of those, I still have major issues with forward stroking and one foot glides. I seriously cannot manage more than 4-5 seconds on one foot and that is on my good foot. LOL

It seems like while everything else improves at least incrementally with practice, the one foot gliding definitely does not.  I'm slightly better at gliding in T position. But I can't lift my leg up for long if it is next to the other leg. Sigh.

[blue111moon]

Please keep in mind that some skills can take YEARS to develop to the point of feeling comfortable.  It seems to me that you're expecting these things to become natural in a very short time.  It also takes a lot  - and a really big LOT - of practise to learn something new.  Patience is the key along with persistence. 

If you come back here in two or three years and say that you still can't glide on one foot, then that might be a problem.  Otherwise cut yourself some slack and take pleasure from incremental progress.  It will come.

[sampaguita]

I started at 20. And it took me two months to get comfortable with basic one-foot stroking.

Two-foot turns in just a few weeks? It took me at least a month to get that. So you're doing fine!

I'm a timid skater as well. I think that it's my body's way of telling me that I'm not quite ready for some move. Of course, I can just go for it -- but with my job I can't risk an injury. My progress is slower than others, but at least I'm still skating and not recuperating due to a bad fall. I just hope that eventually, I'll learn how to the stuff that I want to master.

[treesprite]

I returned to skating about a year and 4 months ago, and still feel wobbly every time I step on the ice.

[Robin]

How long did it take you to feel comfortable on the most basic things?

I just properly started skating last week for the first time at age 33. So far, I've skated for about 5 hours total on 5 different days, including one LTS class.

The first class we learned forward and backward swizzles, two foot glide, snowplow stop, one foot glide, dip, little hop thing. Class was great...but I am still soooo shaky and wobbly feeling every time I skate. I feel like I'm getting worse not better. I can barely lift my foot for a couple seconds on the one foot glide before I feel like I'm going to fall over, and I barely pick my foot up on the forward stroking for the same reason. 
I don't know if I just have really unrealistic expectations, but I thought I would at least feel comfortable making my (slow) way around the rink by now, but I still feel so shaky the whole time. I'm not holding onto the boards or anything...but then I wasn't doing that on day one either. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to be useless at this! lol

So help me...do I just need to give it some more time or what? How long did it take from when you first started until you felt comfortable just skating around?

Keep in mind that when you skate, you are using muscles in ways that non-skaters don't. Until you develop the muscle strength--which can only come through skating--you are likely to feel wobbly. Let's put it this way: I've been skating my entire life but if I take time off from the ice, I always feel shaky and rubbery for the first few days back on the ice because my muscles need to become re-conditioned to skating. Give yourself time. Five times out and one class are not enough to get your muscles used to skating. The best thing to do is go to the rink twice a week every week consistently. Skating for half an hour on two separate days is better than skating one hour once a week. You'll get there. Have patience.

[Robin]

I have been skating since I was six so can't quite relate BUT

I can tell you that skating takes a tremendous amount of strength of the type that most average people don't actually possess - I know this because if I am off the ice for even a week I can really feel it and realized just how much strength it takes just to stand on one foot on a four mm blade.  So don't beat yourself up if after a week you feel wobbly!

Skating takes a long time - weeks, months, years are NOTHING in the skating world - but it is a lifelong pursuit, and totally enjoyable... and very addicting!

Have fun skating!!

What she said. ^

[Weeze]

Hi, I'm in the same boat, tho' a bit older (55).  I have yet to get to the point where I'm not wobbly/frightened when I get on the ice.  I too wonder when it finally "clicks" and you feel steady enough on your feet to get down to brass tacks.  Sort of like when you figured out how to balance on a bike - then you could go on to riding down hills, up curbs, etc.  Hang in there - I'm going to!

Weeze

[LT]

I never learned to ride a bike either!  Maybe that's my problem 

[Weeze]

But I learned that when I was a kid!  That seems to be the trick - learn it young!   

[Skittl1321]

Learning most anything young makes it easier.  But it CAN be done as an adult too!