Ice Skating

Ice skating is a great hobby for people of all ages to take up. It’s also a perfect activity for couples to do together, and it’s a very inclusive sport in terms of gender and ability. You don’t need much gear or training when you first start out-just a pair of skates and the will to learn!

Ice skating is widely popular all over the world, but it’s generally considered to be most popular in Canada and northern regions of America. It’s likely that you’ll need special clothing if you plan on doing recreational or competitive ice skating, but there are ways to practice it with non-specialized gear.

A pair of skates like figure skates will work for most people because they allow for “two-foot” skating which is easier than hockey/hockey training skates, although hockey players may want to consider getting one of each kind so that they can switch them out between practices.

Benefits of Ice Skating

I am sure you have heard of the benefits of skating. You might not know that it has so many more than just physical ones. Skating is also good for your mental health, stress levels and helps with depression. It’s a great hobby to start in life because it provides something to do in retirement, keeps you active, and gives you an all-over workout. With these 10 Benefits of Ice Skating as a Hobby, I’m positive that this is the sport for everyone!

Physical Health

Skating can help strengthen muscles in your legs, arms, and core while burning calories at the same time! Plus skating will give you an overall all-over body workout without overworking any one part of your body like some other sports might. Skating is also great for your metabolism and heart rate.

Mental Health

One of the many benefits of skating is that it’s a fun hobby to do by yourself or with your friends, family, or even pets! It provides something to do in retirement while keeping you active. This can keep depression away, reduce stress levels, and lower anxiety.

Depression & Stress-Free

Overall All-Over Body Workout

Skating is great for strengthening muscles in your legs, arms, and core while also burning calories at the same time. Additionally, skating will give you an overall all-over body workout without overworking any one part of your body like some other sports might. Skating is also great for your metabolism and heart rate.

Helps Maintain a Healthy Weight

Another of the many benefits of ice skating is that it can help maintain a healthy weight throughout life because it helps burn calories, strengthen muscles and keeps you active.

Enables You to Spend Time Outdoors

One of the best things about Ice Skating as a Hobby is that you get to spend time outdoors! This gives you Vitamin D, provides fresh air, and gets you out of the house. It’s a great workout for your heart and lungs while giving you a chance to set aside your worries, get some fresh air and enjoy yourself!

Enables You to Meet New People

Another of the many benefits of skating is that it can help you meet new people and make friends because it’s such a popular hobby. The best part is that skating can break up an otherwise boring day by providing something to do in retirement.

Mix with some outdoor exercise, this will keep depression at bay, provide fun things to do outside and get rid of any pent-up energy that life might throw at you!

Ice Skating Helps Reduce Stress

One of the best things about ice skating as a hobby is that it can help reduce stress. It provides fun for the whole family, gets your heart pumping, strengthens muscles, and burns calories all at once! Skating can keep depression away, gives you something to do in retirement while providing an excellent workout.

Helps You Make Friends

Another of the many benefits of skating is that you can make new friends because it’s such a popular activity. The best part is that skating can break up an otherwise boring day by providing something to do in retirement. Mix with some outdoor exercise, this will keep depression at bay and provide fun things to do outside while giving you a chance to set aside your worries, get some fresh air and enjoy yourself!

Cost Affordable for Anyone

Like most hobbies, ice skating is fairly inexpensive to get into. Depending on the location you purchase it from, some skates can cost anywhere between $50 – $300. However, if you don’t already own some skates, you’d have to purchase them first before heading out onto the rink… which can be more expensive.

Different Types of Ice Skating

First of all, there are different kinds of Ice Skating that anyone can enjoy! There are four main types of skating that you could choose from but they usually break down into either Figure Skaters or Hockey Players/Skaters depending on how fast-paced the sport is and whether or not you are interested in competing with other skaters.

In Figure Skating, there are different categories from which you could enter contests depending on your level of skill and experience. As a beginner there is Novice but for those that have been skating longer or if they’re more advanced then they can compete in Intermediate, Advanced, or Professional Categories. There are also Showcase events too where you would perform for the judges rather than compete against other skaters.

There’s also Hockey… and this is a type of ice skating that requires two teams: one team with five players and the other with six players per side and each player has their own role to play such as Goalie (You can’t score points with them), Defensemen (Physical Position) & For (Highly Skilled) among others. Ice Hockey also has a fast pace and is a contact sport that requires a lot of skill, coordination and teamwork to succeed!

There are other kinds of skating too such as Dancing on Ice where performers have pre-choreographed routines set out by the judging panel who then gives their own evaluation score based on the performance they witnessed… it’s like figure skating for non-figure skaters (known as show skaters)!

There’s also Freestyle or Artistic skating which is mostly freestyle where you can make up your own routine however if you not very creative with coming up with new tricks or ideas then you may also like to learn some of the most popular moves from several artistic programs and perform them to music (Which can be any song you like!). There’s also Speed skating where skaters must skate around a 400m or 500 meters course as fast as possible.

How to Get Started with Ice Skating as a Hobby

The Basics

When you start out on the ice, it’s important to remember that when you’re skating backward or moving from side to side, your feet should remain to point forwards.

Don’t have your toes pointed inwards like a duck waddling around! It will cause stress and strain on your joints and muscles and hurt much more if you fall over because of it!

So make sure both feet are facing straight ahead at all times unless you intend to stop skating, turn around or change direction abruptly.

The best way to get comfortable with this style of skating is to start with your feet closer together and turn on the spot, moving both feet as one unit. The more you skate and the better you get at it, you can spread your feet apart a little bit wider and move them in big circles instead of small ones.

If you want to go backward on the ice, just do the same thing but face away from where you’re going! Usually, when people first try to skate backward they tense up their legs because they’re worried about falling over, causing their ankles and knees to be sore afterward. If this happens, try pushing yourself towards forwards gently before turning around or relaxing into it more.

You’ll need a good amount of space when you first start out so that if something does go wrong, you don’t hit anybody or anything. When you feel more comfortable with the ice (and more confident in your stride!) you can practice moves like crossovers and backward crossovers which are particularly useful for hockey players who only want to skate forwards! Otherwise, it’s important not to skate too fast on your first few times because doing so will make it harder for you to control where you’re going.

When people first start out, they often look at their feet while riding the ice but it’s actually much better if you look ahead of yourself instead. If this is difficult, try looking at something that’s directly above your head rather than focusing on just one spot. You’ll need to change focus slightly during turns as well so this is a good idea!

Most people don’t realize that ice skating can actually be quite dangerous when practiced incorrectly or without proper safety equipment! The most common injuries that happen on the ice stem from falls and collisions, so helmets and strong elbow pads are highly recommended because if you fall hard enough, you could seriously hurt yourself!

It’s also important to note, however, that even though many injuries can be prevented by wearing safety equipment such as helmets and skates properly sized for your feet, it doesn’t negate the need to practice good skating techniques. You may not get injured much or at all if you never skate faster than a brisk walk or factor in crossovers every now and then, but if balance is already poor it will only make matters worse!

Equipment

The first step, of course, is to acquire the gear. A pair of blades and a helmet and knee and elbow pads can be purchased at any sports equipment shop. You may also want your own hockey stick, but you can borrow one from someone else until you feel comfortable playing with your own.

The next thing to consider is the type of ice skates. Figure skates have a longer blade that is used for what is known as “two foot skating” where you balance on both feet at the same time. Hockey skates are shorter and allow for more maneuverability, which makes it easier to move around on the ice quickly.

The third type of skates is hockey training/youth skates which are somewhere in between figure and hockey skates.

It’s important to buy your blades from an authorized skate shop because they must be sharpened correctly in order to function properly, but you can also rent them there as well if you don’t want to invest in equipment right away.

Skating rinks often offer short-term rentals but these typically only last about an hour. If you want to skate for longer than an hour, you can typically rent skates from the rink in weekly increments for a relatively low permanent cost that covers maintenance and cleaning, etc.