Questions about a beginner ice-skater?

Question

My daughter is 6 and a half and started ice-skating lessons last week. Before that she had been on the ice only once, when she was 3. My daughter is very small for her age and shy. When the lesson started she fell hard on her rear and after that she really was scared to do anything. I took her out to practice tonight, and spent the entire time trying to get her to glide rather than walk.

My questions are. She got it, kinda.

1. If my daughter is not showing natural talent right away, what are the chances that she will begin to develop some talent within the next 11 weeks so she doesn't become discouraged?

2. What should I expect of a child that has only been on the ice twice?

3. What are some tactics I can use to help her develop her skills?

4. How long should I wait before deciding if we are going to stick with this?

5. I hear buying your own skates is the way to go, but we are on a tight budget and will HAVE to order online. Any suggestions? (rental skates hurt)

Answer 1

Well, figure skating takes YEARS and YEARS to develop. I'm personally not of the band of people who think a child should be placed on the ice the day they start walking. For one, the human body isn't designed to land triples at age 10 (unless you already know a doctor who is good at performing hip replacement surgery on children) and second a lot of kids who start so early will get sick and tired of skating sooner or later and will quit.

On a second note, I SUCKED at skating big time as a kid. Like, I really, really sucked. I started the sport when I was almost 15 and I'm quite good at it despite all I've been through. I'm probably a lot more passionate at skating than most saters who start early.

Keep taking her and perhaps skate with her if you can. Notice that if money is an issue, maybe skating isn't a good idea afterall. A decent pair of skates cost about 400 dollars and since she is a kid you will have to be buying new skates very often. Costumes cost about 100 dollars, rink costs, travelling, coaching, etc.. It's an expensive sport. If you have trouble just paying for a pair of skates, it's better to get out of it quick before she gets really passionate for it and you can't pay for it.

If I were a parent, I'd take my kid to try different sports, like tennis or martial arts (especially martial arts; knowing self defense can come in handy). I HATED and was scared to death of swimming and still hate it. No point in pressuring a kid to do something they hate because they will just hate it more. However it's nice you want to get your child into sports and exercise at a young age.

Answer 2

I have been ice skating for a while and here is what I have learned.

1. Tell your daughter that it takes a while to learn these kind of things.If she keeps trying then she WILL show some talent within 5 and 6 lessons

2. She will fall a lot for only being on the ice twice. At her next lesson ask her teacher if he/she could help her balance so she gets the feel of it.

3. When you are at home have her stand on the floor and have her balance on one foot so she works on her one foot glide. After every lesson have her show you what she learned that lesson.

4. Once you can see she is getting better ask her if she likes doing it and if she does ask her if she would like to learn more.

5. I agree rental skates do hurt. Look around on different websites and see what the cheapest price you can find is.

I have been skating for 9 years. Tell her that it takes a while to learn these kind of things.

Sophia Grubbs

Answer 3

give her butt pads and always let her watch skating movies to let her more interested to figure skating. always motivate her at all cause. if she really wants to be a skater let her have lots and lots of lessons. DONT rent anymore rental skates for her just buy used skates online! if you dont want to buy used skates just give her foot rap in the pro shop than the rental skates wont hurt anymore good luck=D

Answer 4

I skated competitively for many many years so here is what i can tell you from my experiences...

- don't pressure your child to enjoy it...throughout my many years i saw many parents push their kids to the point where the kids absolutely dreaded going to the rink and ended up quitting

- each kid is different, but i guess you would know within a few months or so if your child has a natural talent...but you should really let a coach be the judge of that

- you shouldn't expect much of anyone who has only been on the ice once or twice...skating can be a scary thing for young kids...i coached beginners many years ago and the kids were terrified for various reasons

- to help her develop her skills...again, don't push/pressure her, make it fun for her, go public skating as a family, watch skating on tv, maybe even get some private lessons

- i am not sure how long (how many weeks) the session is, but maybe wait til the end of the session, or a few months and see how your child is enjoying it

- if she enjoys and if she may not be the greatest skater...don't discourage him/her

- it is probably best to ask a coach which skates are best suited for your child. i am only familiar with top of the line (aka expensive lol) brands...not beginner level skates

hope this helps!