Ice skating is a great fun and healthy activity to partake in during the cold months of the year. It is fun, festive, and is a great recipe for an excellent date night or a family outing. The best thing about skating is that it does not discriminate against individuals based on age or body sizes and shapes. Therefore, you can do it with anybody; friends, parents, siblings, children, or even your colleagues at work.
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If you are thinking of joining the fun world of ice skating, the fundamental thing that you must do is first learn to ice skate. But what should you wear for your ice skating lessons? This article discusses some of the basic items that you will need to put on for your lesson series. It also touches on what you are not supposed to wear when taking your lessons on ice.
The Things to Wear for Your Ice Skating Lessons
Of course, wherever you intend to skate, indoors or outdoors, will dictate the choice of your attire. Some of the dressing tips will vary based on your choice for indoor or outdoor skating. For instance, if you intend to skate indoors, you may not need to put on a hat, but you will need them when ice skating outside.
That said, however, always remember that there are a few basic policies that will apply to both outdoor and indoor ice skating. You must have proper skating attire as well as proper protective gear.
I. Proper Attire
It is mandatory for all sports personalities, skaters included, to dress appropriately for their respective sport. For ice skating, it goes without saying that you will be doing your thing under very cold conditions. Therefore, the main challenge will be keeping warm.
Besides having a proper pair of skates, you should also wear long, warm pants, an appropriate jacket, gloves, and layers that can occasionally be added or removed. Removable layers will be appropriate in scenarios where skaters get warm when moving. To ensure that you can move with ease, it is recommended that you wear flexible and sweat-wicking fabrics. In general, proper attire consists:
Proper Skates
Obviously, the key success factor in your endeavor of learning to ice skate is purchasing a proper pair of ice skates. Having a good pair of skates will greatly affect your comfort, safety, confidence, and consequentially your learning speed.
Ensure that your skates fit well and that you have tied them correctly before taking off. It is advisable that you buy your own skates and avoid rental skates as much as you can. When shopping for your new pair of ice skates, research thoroughly by reading reviews, and do not be afraid to seek advice from seasoned skaters who have been in the game earlier than you.
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To ensure that your skates fit properly, it is recommended that you visit the skates store physically so you can try them out before purchasing – online sizing charts can be misleading. Also, ensure that you get skates made by popular brands and buy them from a pro shop. Your instructor should be able to advise you on some of the reliable shops that sell great skates. This way, you will be safe from counterfeit skates.
Long Pants
You should wear pants that fully cover your legs and those that allow you to move around easily. The great options include yoga pants, close-fitting sweat pants, joggers, zipped wind pants, or any other stretchy pants flexible for movement. The good thing about pants is that they will also help whenever you take a tumble, and they are suitable for boys, girls, men, and women alike.
Avoid non-flexible pants such as jeans. Jeans pants do not have the ability to stretch, are slow to dry, and they absorb moisture easily. For this reason, they are not ideal for skating.
Layers
Skating on ice means you will be exercising strenuously. Therefore, it is essential that you dress in thin layers that can be removed with ease as your body warms up. If you arrive at the skating ground feeling cold, you will want to remain bundled up as you set foot on the ice, and therefore, you can keep the layers on. With time, as you continue to skate, you will generate heat and will be forced to remove the layers to account for the heat generated.
Gloves
Another essential skating attire is gloves. Gloves are essential during ice skating because they perform two roles.
First, they keep your hands warm. Of course, your hands will get very cold while skating on ice, but gloves will help you alleviate the cold.
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Secondly, gloves will provide protection in the event that you fall on ice. Since you are new to ice skating, you will surely fall down severally before you master the skill. Therefore, gloves will offer a softer landing on ice as you fall.
Gloves make both a skating attire as well as proper protective gear as well.
Proper Socks
One of the crucial elements of your skating attire is a pair of thin, seamless socks. They may be an after-thought for many, but they are very essential. Socks will offer you some warmth while preventing you from getting blisters during the skating exercise.
Choose socks that are seamless and thin enough to just provide warmth and protection without compromising comfort. Socks with seams usually rub against your feet and cause blisters.
Thick socks can squeeze your feet and reduce circulation, which will make your feet feel cold faster. However, if you intend to skate on rental ice skates, you can consider having thicker socks over the thin ones. This ensures extra padding in case the rental skates do not fit perfectly.
Hat
This is not a crucial gear, but for purposes of keeping your head and ears warm, you can put on a warm wool hat. Keep in mind that your hat should not cover your head in a manner that obstructs your vision.
II. Protective Gear
You do not want to hurt yourself and spoil the fun that comes with ice skating. Keep in mind that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, after you have bought your skating attire, the next thing to do is to invest in proper protective gear. Some people may perceive buying protective gear as a waste of money, but this is a very primitive way of thinking.
Remember, the costs involved in treating yourself after getting skating injuries are always higher than the cost of purchasing protective gear. Furthermore, having protective gear boosts your confidence and learning speed – you will skate better when you are not scared of hurting yourself.
It is normal to fall down when you are learning any sport, especially skating. Since you intend to learn how to skate on ice, just take a second to imagine how slippery ice is. The imagination should be enough to trigger you to buy helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, and hip pads. Any kind of gear is okay, as long as they fit you well.
Helmet
Falls on ice can be very nasty and can cause serious lasting injuries. Therefore, as you learn to skate on ice, and even at advanced stages after you have gained skills, it is recommended that you wear a helmet to protect your head. Remember that head injuries can be severe. You do not want to suffer instead of having fun.
Additionally, helmets will keep your head warm when skating on ice.
Wrist guards are essential equipment made to protect your wrists whenever you fall. It is natural that a skater would use their hand to minimize injuries in the event that they fall down on the ice when skating. Keeping in mind that you are a learner, and learners fall a lot, it is advisable that you invest in a good pair of wrist guards to guard you against injuries to your wrists.
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Knee pads
The second most likely body parts that will suffer upon coming in contact with the ground in the event of an ice fall are the knees. Remember, the ice surface is usually very hard. Knee pads are meant to minimize the shock and impacts of the hard ice ground surface. This helps to prevent patellar fracture. Besides, knee pads will also protect you from being pierced by sharp objects that may have fallen on ice.
In general, proper knee pads will ensure that you continue ice skating even after a nasty fall. You can as well use them for slowing down or stopping. Knee protection is mandatory for novice skaters who are still finding their ice-skating techniques and balance.
What you Should Not Wear for Ice Skating Lessons
Shorts
Why would you even think about wearing shorts when it is very cold? In fact, shorts are out of fashion during the cold months of the year. Wearing shorts on an ice-skating surface will expose your knees to serious injuries in case you fall.
Dresses without leggings
Dresses are fashionable for most ladies. However, they fall under the same category as the shorts when it comes to leg protection during falls. If you must wear a dress for your next ice-skating learning session, it is recommended that you accompany the dress with a pair of leggings as these will offer some protection.
Tight Pants
Skating on ice should never be done with tight, skinny jeans on. It is a great mistake to wear jeans on an ice rink. They will hinder your movements, prevent you from grasping balance, and consequentially slow down your learning curve. Generally, tight clothing is a big NO when it comes to ice skating.
Thick socks
It is essential to have socks that will not tamper with your skates’ fit. Thick socks will hinder your skates from giving you the proper support. As an alternative to socks, you can get silk sock liners. They will give you warmth and will offer better circulation.
Winter Coats
Always avoid dressing in a bulky winter coat. This is because heavy coats will make it difficult to move freely. You can choose to wear a warm turtleneck alongside a warm, close-fitting sweater as these will permit you to move freely while keeping your body warm.
Scarves
You should never come to the skating ground wearing a scarf. Scarves are notorious for causing vision problems. They are known to obstruct skaters’ vision or even catching a skate. Most rinks prohibit wearing any kind of scarf on the ice.
For the same reason of possible vision impairment, you should avoid wearing head coverings such as hoodies.
If you have long hair, you should pull your hair back off your face to prevent them from getting into your eyes and impairing your vision.
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Jewelry
Skaters should not have any form of jewelry on. You do not need them on the rink anyway. Jewelry, whichever type, can break and fall on the ice, becoming an accident causing hazard. Remember, you are not alone on the skating ground, and if your jewelry drops on the ice, there is a high chance that they will trip another skater.
The Bottom Line
You have decided that you will not be left behind by people close to you during their next ice-skating sessions. Perhaps you have made up your mind to register for skating classes at your local ice rink to learn how to skate on ice. This is why you are here looking for tips on what to wear for your ice skating lessons.
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This article captures all you need to have on as you set out to the rink. Ensure that you buy attire and protective gear of good quality, which will last you for long. Remember, though, that you may need to improve on the quality after you have progressed skating. Before you make buying decisions, you can visit the rink and observe what other skaters are wearing, or you can ask your coach to advise on the brands to buy and where to buy them.
