First time on Ice some question

[Joeybsmooth]

Hello,

I am in my late 20s and just got on ice for the first time .. and I am in love.  I have a few question however .

Hockey vs figure skates: I have been doing a lot of reading about this subject and I am bit confused on what to buy. Many people suggest Figure skating to start. However I have read people saying if you inline skate you should get hockey skates to start. The ones I used at the Rink were hockey, and I did pretty well until I started having issues with the tightness of the skate. So should I stick with Hockey since I used them and when they were on correctlly I did really well  ?

How much should I be looking to spend on skates?  I see the rang of these things are crazy.

Thanks .

[icedancer]

Well, since you've already tried the hockey skates and you did fine in them then maybe hockey skates are fine for you.

I think the reason that figure skates are recommended at first (and maybe just for little kids) is that the toe picks on the front of the figure skate blade actually stop you from falling flat on your face the first time you get on the ice - the blade flatter as well, which helps.

So you have to decide if all you want to do is skate backwards and forwards, because really this is all you can do in hockey skates.  If that is your goal (which is great, by the way!) then stick with the hockey skates! 

But if you want to learn to skate, do turns, learn freestyle, ice-dance, etc., then you really do need to eventually get some figure skates!

It is an expensive sport but as a beginning skater I think you don't need to spend THAT much.  I have no idea how much hockey skates are but if you are actually thinking about playing hockey I know that gets expensive with all of the sticks and other gear that are required.

Once you have your (figure) skates there is very little else that is required - it may be a big expenditure at first but once you have the equipment then that is it.  Then you just need to pay for ice time... and lessons... etc.

Have fun - skating is a great and lifelong sport!

[nicklaszlo]

I think the reason that figure skates are recommended at first (and maybe just for little kids) is that the toe picks on the front of the figure skate blade actually stop you from falling flat on your face the first time you get on the ice - the blade flatter as well, which helps.

The usual reason I hear is that figure blades have a longer heel.

Typical inline skates are more like speed skates.  So that's a third option.

In my opinion, cheap skates are okay for beginners.  Just realize they will not last very long at all.  Use that time to figure out what kind of skates you really need.  Simply speaking, boot price correlates with stiffness.  Too stiff and you can't move.  Not stiff enough and you get broken ankles.  If you are an active adult male like me, expect to move up in stiffness rapidly.

[FigureSpins]

I think the reason that figure skates are recommended at first (and maybe just for little kids) is that the toe picks on the front of the figure skate blade actually stop you from falling flat on your face the first time you get on the ice [snip].

You think so?  I've never, ever heard that, only that the picks cause the skaters to trip going forward.  That's usually caused more by bad skates and poor fitting/tying than the teeny-tiny toepicks on beginner skates.

Among coaches, I've always heard to recommend figure skates for beginners because they can be tied tighter and the blade is longer and flatter than a hockey blade, thereby requiring less effort to balance front-to-back.  The short hockey blade that curves sharply at both ends requires more front-to-back balancing.  Figure blades let the skater master side-to-side much more quickly because the skater isn't face-planting and falling backwards as much.  Most beginners and their parents can't tie hockey skates tightly - the molded plastic resists efforts to tug the laces tightly.

So you have to decide if all you want to do is skate backwards and forwards, because really this is all you can do in hockey skates.  If that is your goal (which is great, by the way!) then stick with the hockey skates! 

But if you want to learn to skate, do turns, learn freestyle, ice-dance, etc., then you really do need to eventually get some figure skates!

ITA

[icedancer]

You think so?  I've never, ever heard that, only that the picks cause the skaters to trip going forward.  That's usually caused more by bad skates and poor fitting/tying than the teeny-tiny toepicks on beginner skates.

Yes I do think so!  But that is MHO of course.  I've seen a lot of people go face forward in hockey skates - finding that balance point.  I've never skated in them so I really have no idea...

[TropicalSk8ter]

The usual reason I hear is that figure blades have a longer heel.

Typical inline skates are more like speed skates.  So that's a third option.

In my opinion, cheap skates are okay for beginners.  Just realize they will not last very long at all.  Use that time to figure out what kind of skates you really need.  Simply speaking, boot price correlates with stiffness.  Too stiff and you can't move.  Not stiff enough and you get broken ankles.  If you are an active adult male like me, expect to move up in stiffness rapidly.

I agree with you, I'm in my early 20s male. I have been skating for a year and I went from hockey skates to figure skates. At first I thought figure where to tight and hockey were much more comfortable. But the more I skated,I noticed the more I wish I had ankle support. The first chance I got to change from hockey to figure I did it. BEST DECISION EVER! I wasn't so enthused about the tightness (small price to pay) but was loving the ankle support! It's like they said, it all depends on wether you want to just skate forward and backwards or be creative on the ice. Decision is yours. good luck.


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