I’ve actually reached out to this community before for advice on sharing the ice with figure skaters and received some great feedback. Since then, I’ve been skating in harmony with everyone, until recently.

I’m a hockey player who frequently uses public skate sessions to practice edgework throughout the rink.

Recently, a woman has nearly collided with me twice from behind while I was practicing around the dot in one of the red circles. Both times, I’d been skating the same predictable pattern for 3–4 minutes. Accidents happen, but twice in a row started to feel intentional, almost like she was trying to push me out.

Both were dangerously close calls, and thankfully I managed to dodge her. As a bigger hockey player, a collision could’ve been particularly bad for her if I hadn’t spotted her at the last second.

I tried approaching her afterward to talk about it, but she ducked into the restroom when she saw me coming.

Have any of you dealt with aggressive or inconsiderate skaters? How did you handle it?

the first image shows my new skates, the bottom pick seems to be slightly shaved off, the second is my old skates and the pick is way more triangular. are these warped or something?

So, this is one part rant, one part cautionary tale, and one part has-this-happened-to-others.

I started figure skating at 36 as a fun thing to do with my niece. She has obviously far outpaced me by now (I am 42), but we still both take lessons, and she wants me to do doubles skating with her.

Here's the problem: we're working on taking the first skating test, and I have begun to dread spending time on the ice. I can NOT to backward outside edges to save my soul. No, seriously, I can't do them. I've been working on them for pushing 5 years now. I have tried everything. Every. Thing.

I have tried backward pumps and lifting a foot on repeat. I have tried practicing on the boards. I have tried using a walker to balance myself. I have tried skating them in the waltz position with my coach practically holding me up. I've tried gliding backward on two feet, finding the edge, and picking a foot up (either I fall onto my inside edge after a second or I tip over). I've worked with three different coaches. I've put in a lot of time, on and off the ice. I'm just not able to do the blasted things.

Two weeks ago, my coach was yet again trying to get me to do backward outside edges. She told me that I had a lot more space to lean in than I thought, and that I needed to trust that edge. I told her, respectfully, I do not think that is the case. I am a terrible skater, but I was a pretty good dancer, and I know when my body isn't balanced.

She insisted that I could do it - I needed to lean against the edge and trust it. Well, I did what I usually do with coaches: I believed her. She's the expert. I'm probably just being a pansy. Sometimes, you really do just need to suck it up and do what they say.

You can probably guess what happened. It was just quick reflexes on my part that stopped me from breaking a hip. I tried to lean in like she said I should, but as soon as I pushed slightly past where I'd been, I tipped over hip-first. She was pretty shocked and started asking about potentially having the blade moved out some because it might be a physical issue more so than a technical one.

I have a similar issue with crossovers, though that's less biology than bad muscle memory. My front crossovers are terrible. I can do them slowly, but my dance background really works against me. Any time you cross over in the styles of dance that I did, you want to do it with turnout - but when you cross over in skating, it has to be with the foot slightly inverted. I have spent probably a hundred two hour sessions just doing crossovers, and there is roughly zero sign of improvement.

This puts me at a bit of an impasse. The way I understand things, without forward crossovers, there really is no 'moving on' in ice dancing, and without a backward edge, there really is no moving on in figure skating. I think I need to either master these moves somehow, or give up entirely - but I don't want to keep fruitlessly trying and failing to do the same moves for the rest of my skating career if it really is hopeless. Has anyone else spent literal years stuck here, or is it just me? And if so, did you move past it, or did you finally hang the skates up?

Hi all. So, I’m a late in life skater and back in April, I fell really hard doing crossovers (left over right). I didn’t go to the doctor for 2 months thinking it would heal itself, but when I did, I ended up having a hairline fracture of my patella and torn meniscus. So, I did PT and am back to skating. Except, when I do left over right crossovers, my legs literally tremble. I can do a few, and I push myself and it’s awful. The coaches are super supportive. I even got my husband to enroll with me (he’s a lifelong hockey player and while they offered him the chance to move up, he’s sticking with me). I got knee pads now and all that, but what advice does anyone have for someone who has a mental block?

Just learned the Ann Arbor Ice Cube Pure Hockey has stopped sharpening figure skates. Someone messed up a pair and they stopped ever since. Anyone know other places in the area? I know theres Play it again but was told they don’t know how to sharpen figure skates well there?

Hola chicos, soy primeriza patinando, ya patino y toda la cosa el punto es que hay algunas veces que los patinadores profesionales dejan grietas en el hielo, o líneas muy marcadas el punto es que siempre que llego a una parte del hielo que las tiene muyyy marcadas me asusto y automáticamente mi cuerpo se pone en modo defensa, creen que eso ya es mental o si afecta como patinas?

I am a newer skater but played hockey growing up. I’m having a hard time getting my scratch spin. My coach says I am pulling in so my knees are bent, feet are next to each other, and pulling my arms in the middle. It’s like I’m squeezing everything in and bracing for impact. This causes me to come up on my toe pick and have a very scratchy spin. Any advice on how to stretch up and get my posture better?

My coach wants me to work on standing up and bringing my foot in front to eventually cross it over. Overall, I find it difficult to stop bending at my knees and waist when I skate and it’s more pronounced when I try to spin.

Hi! Does anybody here do video analysis or know someone who does? I’m not sure what’s wrong with my sal technique, obviously I know it’s bad but i can’t figure out what to improve..

I’m finally able to get myself into LTS classes that start soon! I’m really excited, but I have a small concern.

Since I am a beginner and have never taken classes, will I have to stay with the basic 1 group? I can do more than that, and I dont want to spend $200 to march on ice.

And also, in the classes, if I progress, will they let me move up?

I don’t know if anyone else who has my type of hair experience this but I have very thick hair slightly wavy and whenever I do a bun, it will either fall out very easily or it will look super super messy and never like those perfect tight buns. I try every time and it never works. Like, how do you guys genuinely do it cause I’ve seen people with a similar hair type to mine do it I just can’t do it like I do want to be one of those performative figure skaters, unfortunately. But I also feel like my spins are better when I do have a bun in my hair. Even if it looks slightly messy, I’m OK with that. It’s just my bun will never stay in my head and it will look very messy no matter how hard I try unless my mom does my bun for me. I don’t even live with her anymore. 😭

And I’m not even talking very specifically about the one in the picture it just looks perfect so I put it there, but I genuinely get pissed off when I try to do a bun in my hair

Hey all! So I (21F) recently got new skates and because of the sizing had to size down from a 9.5” to a 9.0” so on top of having to get new blades (same blades just new ones), they’re also shorter. I was wondering if anybody had any tips on how to get adjusted! I feel like I’m having trouble particularly finding my rocker which I know is normal with new blades, but I’m also having trouble with some jumps. Any advice is appreciated!

I’ve seen debate on it and in my mind why can’t adults learn it?? Is it harder than for children?? Yes but if you practice often and why not… I hate the people who say it’s impossible it ain’t… even triples could work for sure u just gotta practice more than a child would

Edit: I meant to ask is it possible to learn axel or doubles or triples when you START skating in adulthood and when does adulthood start in figure skating?? Is the cutoff 18 or what

Another edit: I just want to say I understand learning doubles when you’re an adult is hard but I’ve seen so many people start at 18 and learn doubles. I’m not saying that if you start 18 you’ll be able to learn doubles but I hate this narrative that it’s impossible for adults to be good at figure skating or learn doubles when that’s not true. I think most people think that way cause adults have a life to live that’s true but if you work enough off ice, you’re pretty mobile and you do a lot of on ice it’s 100% possible maybe not if you’re like 40 in starting but if you’re like 18 and starting, I don’t see why not.

I posted on here a few weeks ago and wanted to give an update that I got fitted for my first pair of ice skates! I got fitted in Jackson Synergy Elite with coronation ace lite blades.

Going in I really wanted to get edea, but on all the models except the showgirl my heel would lift ever so slightly on my right foot and they just didn't feel completely right. Almost got the showgirl since it fit the best but they recommended the jacksons because my heel wasn't moving at all and it felt more supportive. I wish I could have gotten Edea, but the feel of the jacksons was better. Overall happy with the purchase but nervous!

They also were not recommending edea in general for me because I have a lot of hypermobility. They thought I needed a more supportive boot around the ankle.

Had a great experience at the fitting! Excited to get started. Ive been practicing some of the LTS 1-6 moves with my inline rollerblades in my kitchen to prepare 😂

Lately, whenever I try to do back scratch spins it feels like my blade gets caught on the outside edge of my skate. As a result, I can't spin on my right foot at all. I used to be able to do them relatively fine, without my skate catching on the ice. I figured maybe my blades were getting dull so I got them sharpened, but I still had the same problem. I'm wondering what could be the issue? Are my blades still not sharp enough, or am I forgetting an important technique?

I’ve been wearing a pair of Risport Electras for nearly 2 years now, and I feel like even though I typically only skate an hour a week they shouldn’t still be painful. I was fitted at the recommended skate shop, but I’m trying to figure out if there’s something wrong with the size or fit. My toes go numb and lately my arches have started to ache too. I’ve tried lacing them looser in my mid foot but then I feel like my heel is lifting up too much. Are my skates too small? Is the toe box too narrow? Thanks :)

With Zuca going out of business I’m getting sentimental and debating getting one, the problem is I always had a tight fit with my Jacksons so while I am switching to auras if they’re going to be bulkier it doesn’t even feel worth it, they didn’t have my size in stock so crossing my fingers on this one

hi guys! i’m planning on buying a pair of edea guards! i’m still a bit confused about the sizing tho! i wear jackson’s artiste size 8 and my blade is 10 1/3!
does anyone know if medium or large would fit better?
thank you :)