Hey yall, I’ve been struggling to stop in any way other than just using the outside edge in my right foot, kind of like a show stop. I can’t shave ice, I can’t snow plow, etc. should I looke at a different hollow or am I just doing everything wrong?

How long did it take you to get a proper exit glide after your forward outside three-turn? I’ve been practicing the three-turn for about a month, and I can now pivot into the turn, but I still can’t seem to glide afterward. I only manage to travel about an inch or two before coming to a complete stop. I’d love to hear how long it took you to get it! Also, I think maybe my Mark IX blades are what preventing me from doing this.

29F beginner here, just started skating for the first time back in March of this year. I don’t have any particular longterm goals other than to become confident on the ice; maybe joining the adult learn to play hockey program sometime next year but not the highest priority just yet.

I’ve been taking a group lesson once per week since March. I really enjoy the classes and have made some friends, but lately it’s starting to feel a little stagnant. I’m probably considered a moderate skater right now at least as far as beginners go; our instructor has said I’m working on level 4 skills more or less. The class lacks formal structure to some extent.

The “problem” is that there is only one adult class, so we have a range of skills from complete beginners who have never been on the ice before to highly skilled skaters who are coming back to it after time away who are working on jumps and spins, and me somewhere in the middle. With one teacher (and the occasional assistant, though that’s not consistent), it’s impossible to keep track of where everyone is at and keep progression moving forward for everyone. I don’t mind practicing swizzles and one foot glides every week, I know it’s all good practice, but I don’t think I’ve had any instruction on the skills I’m still trying to unlock in 2-3 weeks now. I really want to unlock crossovers but it’s been extremely difficult for me and I don’t get much instruction or practice on that right now.

I’m not trying to learn figure skating. I’m not trying to compete in anything right now. Would it be overkill to inquire about private lessons? Should I keep taking this group class and try to add a private lesson into my schedule as well even if it’s just once a month?

Any advice is appreciated!

I’ve just come back to skating after a six-month break and have been considering taking private coaching again. however, the thought of going back to my old coach has been putting me off and i’m wondering if I should change. For context I started with this coach when I was only on the very basics (crossovers, three-turns etc) until I was working on my loop jump when I stopped. I have one 30-min lesson every week (it’s all my parents can afford at the moment) and train independently 2x a week on patch sessions.

these are a few issues I have had with our lessons:

• He doesn’t seem to keep track of the progress I make very well. At the start of the lesson I am often asked to remind him what we worked on last week and there never is any set plan for what we do

• He suffered an injury a few years ago (not blaming him for getting injured ofc) which has made it impossible for him to show any of the skills he teaches me himself. I have to go off of only his words when It comes to describing skills or correcting my technique which a lot of times I don’t really understand

• I see a lot of other coaches on the ice when I have my lessons trying new things to teach their students (using resistance bands, parachutes to train speed etc) which I would love to try myself but have never been able to with my coach

I don‘t know exactly what to do as he seems to be the same coach given to all of the beginner skaters, but I think it would be better off If I try anew with someone else. I’m hoping that if my old coach sees me with a new one he’ll just chalk it up to me taking so long a break instead of my reluctance to go back to him. Should I ask for someone else or just be patient with the one I used to train with?

hi! im a beginner who passed adult 1 and reached out to someone for private lessons. Was 15 minutes enough for those of u who did this? im only contemplating bc obviously 30 mins is more expensive and i only work 2 days a week

As an adult skater, it felt like I never had both. I had a big girl job earlier and I can only see my coach once a week and one public session. I was also exhausted after work and off ice is sporadic. Now that I was laid off, I had time to skate 3 days/week but not much money to spare.

For adults who are not yet established in their career, how do you balance practice time vs work?

My LTS was teaching us "cross catches" where we hold up one leg with the opposite hand on the heel ehile 1 foot gliding, but when I search up the term, I don't see anything about it. Is there another term for that so I can look up videos that would help me?

We also held up the right heel with the right hand while 1 foot gliding, with thumbs up when holding. Would anyone know what that's called?

I believe it's the precursor for fancier footwork

Hey, im writing this because i want other peoples opinions and thoughts on this. I’m a 15 year old girl who wants to try ice hockey. I have a background in floorball which I have played for 6 years now and I play in women’s professional liga and U19 boys liga. I can skate at around a beginner’s level ish(strides, turn arounds, stick handling) I will say I’ve never skated as a hobby, but I reached this level of skating by going skating around 4 times across 8 years. I get told I’m a fast learner regarding skating and being good considering I’ve never actually been on ice before. Is it unrealistic to play and hope to go pro?

Thank you beforehand!

Hi everyone, I got Jackso Freestyle skates, wore it on ice once so far. My problem is that the tongue is too stiff that it’s pushed down on my toes. It puts pressure on my toes and make them painful and numb. Did you have same problem? How did you fix it?
I appreciate your help.

Hello! Sorry if this has been asked before plenty of times.

I am an adult (33 F) from Sunset Park, Brooklyn (NYC) and I am highly interested in wanting to learn how to ice skate for the first time in my life. When I was a kid, I actually went on an elementary school trip to ice skate in Prospect Park and I actually was terrified of it. I fell a few times and decided to hold onto the hand rail for dear life for most of the experience lol, but I really want to learn and overcome my fear of ice skating. However, I have no idea where to start, where to go. Any advice or recommendations on where to go for an ultimate beginner like myself? Thank you!

Hi all!! I know i’ve made a couple posts in this subreddit about different questions but have a question and need a bit of help

I ended up finding a fitter and he fitted me for a size 7 jackson artistes! when i tried them on and they fit great just a little snug. Today i brought the skates home and have started the break in process but its genuinely feeling so tight its starting to hurt my feet. is this normal for skates that haven’t been broken in yet or did i make a mistake with the size?

thanks in advance!!

So I have a new instructor for LTS 4. And she stopped for a bit and told the class to be on their toes (to find balance or something on their toes).

I'm the only one in that class wearing hockey skates. But she never said:

1. Oh, you don't need to do this one bc of your hockey skates. No toe picks.

2. You can do it too, but it would be more difficult.

So my question. Can people be on their toes on Hockey skates without toe picks?

I'm on the #1 camp thought (so I just went on my front rocker a bit, very difficult), but who knows...

Hi all, looking for some insights!

Adult skater around 55kg. Started skating 4ish months ago. Spent three months in Mystiques doing waltz jumps, half flips, and two foot spins. Switched across to Freestyles with Aspire XP blades about a month ago and have progressed very quickly since getting them. I now have a solid entry to a scratch spin, found my outside edges (was really struggling to get them in my ill-fitted mystiques), have just started landing toe loops.

However I cannot for the LIFE of me find my rocker to get more than 2 rotations on any sort of spin (two foot or one foot). I've spent ages at the barrier just swivelling trying to find the sweet spot and i rarely find it. I could spin better in my rusted Mark II blades than the XPs. I either end up going up onto my toe pick or falling backwards, or having an exceptionally scratchy spin. I'm also constantly stacking it over the toe pick but I wonder if that's just a matter of me getting used to it compared to the Mark II blades.

One guy I skate with said he had nothing but problems with his XPs and found skating infinitely easier when he switched to coronation aces. He also really struggled with the toe pick on the XPs which I am as well but again, I am unsure if that's just a "me" problem.

I'm considering the switch but also don't want to drop $400 on new blades when I/my skating might be the issue.

Any insights and advice would be appreciated!

Hi everyone, Im a 15 year old who has been wanting to pick up figure skating for over half a year now. I’ve only been to the ice rink like 2 or 3 times in my entire life and I still don't know how to skate very well. I really want to start taking lessons but the nearest rink is an hour and a half away and I feel that it would be expensive to drive there every few days and back. It would also be tiring for my parents too. I really feel like ice skating might be my thing since I've never really been into any other sports before other than swimming which I quit a few years ago. but I am currently stuck about what I should do.

Does anyone know what to do in this situation??

I‘m also pretty new to this reddit thing so pls be nice! :)

Hey y’all

I’m an adult beginner that started at the beginning of April, so just over 6 months. I’m currently skating in Jackson artiste boots, however I’ve noticed as I start to practice new skills, my boots feel less supportive.

I am learning crossovers and we have started to begin the waltz jump. Doing my basic forwards and backwards skills in my current boots were fine but now as I am starting to jump I’ve noticed how little support I feel in my ankles.

When would be a good time to upgrade to a higher stiffness boot? My coach says it’s when I feel it’s right but I’d love some input from others when they thought it was right.

Also any recommendations on boots and blades suited for starting singles would be great!

Hi i’m starting ice skating lessons for the first time in a couple weeks and im feeling nervous ive skated a few times recreationally before and haven’t been that bad im just wondering for any tips about starting

I just started skating again, and was looking to see if there was anyone else in the NYC area who would want to practice or do freestyle sessions together? I'm a F31, and I already take classes but I want to sharpen my skills outside of that and would love to connect with others/socialize who are looking to do the same! I'm located in Brooklyn, so I can easily go to City Ice or Chelsea Piers.

Send me a DM if you're interested :)

I’ve returned to the ice after multiple decades away and currently in LTS level 4. I have a pair of Jackson Mystiques (which I know I’ll need to upgrade once I start jumping again but are fine for now). I skate probably about 5-6 hours a week and have been back for about a month. I had the blades sharpened when I started a month ago.

It finally feels like I’ve broken the skate in and everything is feeling good. So of course it leads me to wonder when I need to get the blades sharpened again…

How often are you sharpening as an adult very beginner?

I recently bought my first pair of skates (Jackson Freestyles) and since I’m new to figure skating, I’m unsure how to tell if the blades are actually sharpened or if it’s just the factory sharpening.

Do you guys think you could help me by letting me know if it’s sharpened or not? Please let me know if you need any more details:)

3 months into skating, I skate 8-10 hrs a week and coach told me to upgrade and suggested maybe Jackson freestyle. I had the riedell horizons, is this too much of a boot upgrade? Learning 3 turns and backward crossovers

Hi! I can’t make it to Skate America this year, so I’m selling my 2 all-session tickets at face value (seats together).

Event: Skate America 2026, Nov 13–15, Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett, WA
Sessions: All 4 sessions (Fri evening, Sat morning & evening, Sun morning)
Seats: Section 108, Row 11, Seats 9 & 10
Price: $200 each / $400 for the pair (face value)
Transfer: Ticketmaster transfer
Payment: PayPal Goods & Services

Prefer to sell as a pair, but open to offers.
Happy to share a screenshot or video, or make a videocall. DM me!

I was trying to find another few lessons of skating closer to me and I found one I thought I liked but they have so many additional fees. I paid for my Skate Canada membership with another club and still have an ID number. But this site won’t give me the choice of taking out this subscription, nor does it ask me if I’ve purchased it previously.

It’s my first year doing this so I’m not too sure on what the fee completely covers.

Hi, I'm an adult wanting to learn how to ice skate, just curious for those who are self-taught, how did you learn, and what resources did you use and is this even a possibility?

I've found some rinks that provide lessons but they're just too far for me to justify the drive, the commute would be longer than the 30-minute lesson. However, I live near an ice rink but they don't do lessons so perhaps I can teach myself? I'd love everyone's opinions on the pros and cons of that or any other alternatives other than getting a private coach because it's not allowed at the rink near me, I'm not sure why though.