It can be hard to decide what skates are best when starting out in ice skating. So are figure skates better for beginners? I have skated in both whilst learning and have learned a lot.
So are figure skaters better for beginners? In a word, yes. Yes they are. They promote better posture, teach you outside edges easier, aid balance and offer better progression through the sport.
Figure skaters offer more balance in the outset than ice hockey skates. Figure skates have a tail, which offers more balance in terms of falling backwards.
Figure skates also have a toe pick – this can be an issue
They also have a toe pick. This can be a double edged sword. In one way it can be a bad thing, because beginners can keep falling over it. But it does serve to put you in the right position. It prevents you from over leaning forward. This in turn gives you a reasonable upright skating position.
It also forces you to stroke properly forward. because if you attempt to ‘run’ forward on the ice, the chances are you will catch the toe pick, which could result in a fall.
Proper forward pushes are from the edge of the blade, this means that for a lot of the time, the toe pick is not pointing down towards the ice.
The temptation to toe push in figure skates
Ice hockey skates do have the advantage over figure skates that it is a lot harder to toe push in hockey skates, because they don’t have a toe pick.
People beginning to skate in figure skates, can fall into the habit of pushing forwards by using the toe pick. This should definitely be avoided. Toe pushing reduces the power of each forward push, it puts your body into a poor posture and most importantly, it greatly increases the chance of you falling, by catching the toe pick in the ice.
Are figure skates better for beginners if you intend to figure skate in the future?
It can be difficult to know what path your skating is going to take in future. If all of your friends are in hockey skates, there can be a temptation to go with the flow.
Figure skates from the beginning will offer a ‘no transition’ path to learning
If you do intend to figure skate in the future, the sooner you start to skate in figure skates, the better. Getting used to figure skates from the start, is definitely better than starting in hockey skates and then trying to convert over to figure skates later on.
You can do more in figure skates
Although hockey skates definitely have advantages in terms of speed and the ability to make rapid changes in direction (perfect for playing ice hockey), you can simply do more in figure skates.
There is the option of learning jumps for a start. Jumps are very difficult and in some cases (some jumps) are impossible in hockey skates. The toe rakes (toe picks) of figure skates also allow for intricate footwork like toe steps. Spins are also a lot easier in figure skates. This is because of where the rocker is.
The rocker is in a different place on a figure skate compared to a hockey skate
Both figure blades and hockey blades are curved for most of their length. The most curved part of the blade is called the rocker. On a figure skate, this is placed under the ball of the foot. Whereas on a hockey skate, the rocker is more in the middle of the skate.
This makes ice hockey blades fast to turn and stop in, but very difficult to spin in. Figure skates having the rocker, practically under the ball of the foot makes them very adept for spinning.
The learning structure for learning elements is more set up for figure skaters
If you want to progress to become an ice hockey player, there are definite routes that are available for you. The routes for figure skaters are even more defined in my opinion.
If you are a figure skater, there just seems to be more options in terms of coaches, learn to skate courses and generally people figure skating. Although, if you go to a public session in the UK, there will almost always be more hockey skaters on the ice, behinds the scenes, on the morning patch sessions, the figure skating community is very well supported.
Are figure skates better for beginners to rise through the levels of ice skating?
You can learn to ice skate in either hockey skates or figure skates, but there may well come a time when hockey skates begin to hold you back.
I found that I got to point in the UK learn skate program (Skate UK), that I was being held back by my ice hockey skates. I am not the only one who has felt like this.
Outside edges are easier to learn in figure skates
I found that outside edges were hard in hockey skates. If you look at how ice hockey skaters skate, most of the time, they have a leaning forward, slightly bent over at the waist position, skating on inside edges.
I know now, that hockey players can get a brilliant outside edge in hockey skates, but from the point of view of learning outside edges, I found it easier in figure skates.
When I first had to learn outside three turns, I realised, that it was time for a change to figure skates.
Predominantly, the greater proportion of skaters that got through to the higher levels of the Skate UK course, were also in figure skates.
Are figure skates better for beginners who in intend to hockey skate later?
Well there are two ways to look at this. One school of thought says, that if you are going to be a hockey skater later, why not learn in them from the start? Well this is one way to approach the problem.
The other way to approach it is that, hockey skates are very ‘rockered’ (curved). So it is easy for someone to fall forward or backward, as there is no tail on the blade.
Figure skates offer more stability in learning and assist in good skating technique. Although there is the initial obstacle of the toe pick to overcome, the benefits may be greater.
Once the correct skating technique is learned, the transition to hockey skates should not be too large. However, the skater will have to get used to having no tail on the blade and less backwards stability.
I personally transitioned from hockey to figure skates. Not the other way around. Common opinion online appears to support learning in figure skates and transitioning to hockey skates. As I have never done it, I cannot give a definitive answer.
Are figure skates better for beginners posture?
Well, this could be a matter of opinion, but, given the construction of a figure skate blade and from experience, I would say that figure skates are better for posture.
The configuration of the figure skate blade, generally speaking, keeps you more upright. You are more inclined to bend at the knee, keep you head and your chest up and generally have a more upright position.
This in turn, will help to keep the weight vertically downward through the skating foot, which will make learning outside edges easier.
Hockey skating posture
The construction on the hockey blade is with no toe pick, this allows a faster more forward position, lower to the ice, made for speed and fast direction changes. Skating is predominantly on the inside edges. Posture is often forward, bent at the waist. This can make learning outside edges and turns that require outside edges harder to learn.
If you liked this article, you might enjoy ‘How to choose figure skates – a buyers guide’
When choosing figure skates, there is much to decide. Knowing how and what to look for can be a great help.
- Choosing brand
- Getting your feet measured
- Trying them on
- Choosing skates at the correct level
And many other tips on purchasing figure skates. Read ‘How to choose figure skates – a buyers guide’ here.
