I’m 22 years old. I’m in good shape, and I’m reasonably athletic (this means that I can hit a baseball, grab a basketball rim, and ride a bicycle pretty well).
Over the years, I’ve tried to learn to skate. I just can’t. I’ve been on roller skates, inline skates, and ice skates. I failed equally at each. What in the world is wrong with me? I’ve even taken lessons, to no effect. Does anyone else have this problem?
These are what I used when I learned to skate. Worked like a charm - I skate effortlessly now.
Of course, I learned to skate when I was two. 
There’s no real secret that I’m aware of. Practise lots and don’t forget to laugh.
You may have a mild balance disorder. Not bad enough to keep you from riding a bike, but bad enough to keep you from skating. I had a friend once with the same problem. Sorry I don’t know much else about it.
I don’t think it’s that. I can play other sports that require balance. However, I have noticed that I have trouble “getting started” when I attempt to skate. That is, I can’t do the push-offs.
I’m the same way really. I can rollerskate ok…with the ‘classic’ style skates. But I have to stay right by the wall and not go very fast. But get me on inline skates or (godforbid) ice skates and I can barely walk on them, let alone actually skate. My mom tells me it’s cause I have weak ankles. Who knows…maybe she’s right. Or maybe my body’s sense of self preservation is keen enough to know not to invite the danger of me plowing into a wall at high speeds.
I’ve heard the “weak ankles” argument too. But how can I reconcile that with the fact that I can almost dunk a basketball (I’m 6’0")?
What do you mean by can’t skate? Do your legs fly around in a cloud while cartoonish music plays before your fall on your ass?
Heh, almost. No, what I mean is that I can’t propel myself with skates on, and I fall fairly often.
I think the theory is, most people who can’t iceskate normally have they ankles buckle outward, making it impossible to keep your balance, let alone propel yourself. Your ankles aren’t ‘strong’ enough to maintain your balance while centering your weight on the significantly smaller surface area of the blades.
I suppose it could be technique. You don’t use the same motion or muscles as you do for walking - at least not the same way. You use the skate as an extension of your leg and you have to use the inside edge of the skate tilted against the ice like this \ for the right foot and this / for the left. And you’re pushing off sort of using the middle of your foot against the ice. The pushing foot is pushing at the slanted angle while the non-pushing foot glides straight ahead.
As soon as you’ve pushed with one and while you’re gliding on the other, you bring the pushing foot forward alongside the gliding one and at the end of the glide, you use the gliding foot to push and put the new gliding foot on the ice to let it glide. Etc.
It seems a lot of people try to walk or to push from heel to toe or use some other method that the foot is used in other activities when they skate but it won’t work for skating. You’re really using your leg as a unit from knee to skate bottom.
Now if you were doing all that and still unsuccessful, you do have a problem. I’m curious - when you were taking lessons could the teacher spot your problem?
No, the teacher couldn’t. I do have a left foot that turns inward when I walk. I suppose that this could be the reason that I can’t push off to start skating.
My dad can’t skate, ski, or do anything else that requires keeping your feet pointed straight ahead. His feet turn out (so the ankles are together with the toes pointed outwards–like a ballet 1st position, if that makes any sense).
Why do his feet point out? Because sometime back in his childhood, his mother told him that’s how athletes’ feet are. So he started holding them like that, and now he can’t stop it. :rolleyes: (No idea why my grandmother said that. But dad stuck to it!)
The key to pushing off is that you should push off sideways. Imagine there’s a big clock painted on the ice and that you’re standing in the center (that is, you are the axis around which the hands are rotating), facing towards the twelve. Following the intuition you’ve learned from walking, you’re probably inclined to exert force towards the six (or maybe to the five with the right foot and the seven with the left). Instead, push off towards three o’clock and nine o’clock.
Do the following exercise (without skates and off the ice): stand straight up with your feet 10 cm apart and put your balance on your right foot. Both your nose and your bellybutton should be right above your foot. Your weigth should be on your heel; you must be able to wiggle your toes. Now move the balance to the other foot. And back. No forward movement, just go from side to side. Increase the distance between your feet. Wiggle your toes like crazy. By the time your feet are about a meter apart, you’re experiencing how a push-off should feel. More forcefull push-offs feel like jumping side to side.
Now get yourself in “skating position”. That is, lower your body by bending your knees. Your torso should not move forward, just move your ass towards the ground. Wiggling your toes, shake your booty. If you’re feeling sexy, you’re doing it right. Holding your body like this, repeat the exercise above.
Next step, do this on ice, without skates. After you’ve shifted your balance you will glide on for one or two feet. Then just glide back. Try to make the glides last as long as possible, but remember: no forward movement.
Now you can put on your skates. Balance on the right skate and put the left skate at an angle. Looking down your skates should look like this: \ | (\ represents the left skate). Now do the the balanceshifting, moving your body to the left. The skate will start moving along \ direction. Don’t forget to wiggle your toes before you shift back.
Does the above adress your problem? Which step is the difficult step?
N.B. My experience comes from speedskating, though I’m pretty sure it applies to other forms of skating as well
I can’t push off to get (and keep) going. I can stand on the skates, but I can’t skate.
I dunno but I can’t either. I can’t lose the fear of falling down.
Can’t swim in water too deep to stand in, couldn’t ride a bike til
I was 13. Headstands and cartwheels? Hell no. Let’s not even talk
about tennis and juggling. In school I was somewhat mollified by the
fact that at least, because of me, The Fat Kid wasn’t always the slowest
or the last one picked.
I did kick ass mightily at archery, though, and I can draw pretty good.
So it’s not entirely a motor skills issue.
So when you try to push off, do you do something that resembles my explanation? Do the intermediate steps present a problem as well? Or are you trying to do things in a different way?