Does it matter which skates you learn to ice skate with?

Question

We have recently signed up our 4 year son for beginner ice skating lessons to prepare him for ice hockey in the fall. Last week he used the traditional ice skates, but this week we bought him youth size hockey skates and he used those. What is the best way to train him? Do we start with the tradtional skates until he gets a hang of things and then switch him to the hockey skates, or does it matter? Please give me your opinion.

Answer 1

It's probably best to start him with hockey skates if you intend to get him into hockey in the future.  That way, there is no transition period for him and he won't have to "get used to" a different type of blade and method of balance.  The rocker on a figure skate blade is much different than that of a hockey blade and therefore will have slightly different technique and feeling for him.  While he's a little guy, it might not make that much of a difference in the greater scheme of things, if he's on hockey skates already, he can skip any transition and get comfortable on hockey skates right away.  Whatever you do, don't get him into double blade skates!  :)  Those are a bad idea from the beginning!  Good luck to you and your son!

Answer 2

I am a coach for the younger kids im a figure skater as well. im only 14 but i do know that most of the kids starting out in skating to get to hockey ARE using hockey skates, figure skates have picks [sharp pointy pieces at the top] and hockey skates are curved, when he feels the big difference in that he might not want to move over to the hockey skates because of the fear when he first tryed them cause he wasnt used to them. i am almost certain to put him in hockey skates, but dont go out and buy expensive ones cause he will grow out of them fast. but hockey skates over figure skates if hes interested in hockey..

Answer 3

Start you boy with hockey skates.

Answer 4

Jackson makes a nice beginner skate

Answer 5

i will use hocky skates bc he will be used to them, Figure skates have a Toe Pick which is like a life saver to most ppl.  If he gets to comfortable with figure skates then he might not do so great on hocky skates.

Good luck

Answer 6

I'd reccomend hockey skates too. Let's just say the day he switched from figure to hockey blades will make him lose about 4 months of training just to get used to the new blade.

Now regarding to learning some figure skating, I'd say if the kid ever wants to become REALLY REALLY good at hockey and doing fast moves with perfect edge control; learning chocktaws, counters and such from figure skaters is the way to go.

It makes me want to cry everytime I see these 12 year old hockey skaters hog dog around the rinks and they can't even do decent crossovers because their edge control is so poor.

Answer 7

It is usually best to begin to figure skates and then work them up to hockey skates especially at such a young age. Most hockey skaters begin on figure skates and then later learn on hockey skates.

Answer 8

I would just start him with the hockey skates so he can get used to them faster instead of making him switch once he learned how to skate