So, you’ve picked up your first pair of ice skates. 

Or you want to pass on the near and dear tradition of ice skating to your kids. 

Lacing up those skates for the first time and hitting the ice is scary yet exhilarating. 

Ice skating for beginners can be challenging, and you’ll need a lot of practice before you can start skating confidently.  

The biggest hurdle is getting consistent access to an ice rink, which can be time-consuming and expensive. 

Now, there’s a solution.  

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LEARN TO SKATE (AND FALL) AT HOME WITH NO CROWDS WITH POLYGLIDE SYNTHETIC ICE

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With synthetic ice tiles, you can create your own rink in your backyard, garage, spare room, or driveway.  

That’s hours of fun for you or your kids and a great way to get accustomed to skating and learning the basics.  

While home ice skating for beginners solves many problems, mastering moves through feedback and coaching remains a challenge. 

You can do just that with home video training, using simple recording tools to become your own analyst or work with a potential coach.  

Why Home Video Training is Your Secret Weapon 

As your skating competence grows, you’ll be eager to learn different stops, turns, spins, and even jumps.  

Unless you have a coach who can come to your home rink, you’ll need a way to review your progress, track your mistakes, and adjust as needed.

Home video training may be the solution. 

You can get the most out of your beginner skating journey by setting up a camera to record your progress. 

You can then review your content, compare it to a coach online, or pass it to your skating coach for feedback.  

Home video training is yet another way to get the most out of your synthetic ice rink.   

You can save time, work on specific moves, correct bad habits, or improve posture. 

For those who want to be entirely self-taught, recording your progress is one of the best ways to improve your skills and stay on track.  

If you need some tips to get the most out of your home video training, check out the following:  

1. Choose the Right Equipment 

Home video training is not the complex recording sessions that are now common in professional sports.  

You’re making short, simple videos using inexpensive tools or equipment that’s already at your disposal.  

For starters, your iPhone camera and a tripod or extendable selfie stick are enough to get started. Set it up next to the rink with a clear view of the skater.  

Shoot in 1080p or 4K resolution, but note that long videos can impact the phone’s storage capacity. 

Lighting is equally essential so you can get a clear picture of the skates and mechanics to correct any mistakes. 

If the rink is outdoors, use natural light in the early morning or afternoon. 

A bright overhead light could help if the rink is indoors, but you may want additional lighting to capture the details.  

A ring light or inexpensive video light kit should do the job. 

You should also consider investing in additional storage for your phone to record and categorize multiple videos.  

2. Focus on One Skill at a Time 

Beginners will often have specific challenges on the ice. 

As you improve and add new skills, these obstacles will only compound. 

To avoid being overwhelmed, focus on recording and improving one skill at a time. 

If you’re having problems executing a specific turn, for instance, record yourself executing the turn multiple times. 

Review or share the footage with a coach, then work on the fundamentals that are causing the issue.  

When you feel you’ve got a hang of things, move on to recording the next skill.  

Skill stacking is the fastest way to improve, especially if you’re going at it on your own.  

 

3. Consider Multiple Angles and Perspectives 

Don’t just focus on a specific perspective or angle.  

You may miss something you’re not doing because you can’t see the front or side of your skates.  

For instance, you’re working on a jump and need to take off from an outside edge. 

For the untrained eye, it may look like you’re jumping from the correct edge from one angle.  

However, another perspective may say otherwise.  

Record your training session from one perspective, then move the camera behind or to the side. 

Repeat and record the moves.  

Watch both perspectives to help you find and fix any issues. 

 

4. Break Down Complex Moves 

Home video training is ideal for taking your skating to the next level.  

If you’re trying to learn and perfect a specific move, speak to a coach or watch a video describing the move. 

Next, break the move down into two or sub-moves.  

Finally, practice and record each sub-move before putting it all together. 

Watch each move closely for mistakes or collaborate with a coach to break down the film. 

 

5. One Video is Not Enough 

Ice skating for beginners can be difficult at first, but it is lots of fun. 

However, it’s easy to develop bad habits based on our human nature, such as favoring one foot over the other.  

One video is insufficient to pick up on poor technique or bad habits. 

You’ll likely need to record multiple videos in one session and several videos over a week or month. 

Comparing these videos will help you become a better skater and make your home video training more effective.  

 

6. Analyzing Your Work 

While you’re not a pro (yet), there are still ways you can analyze your skating to get the most out of your beginner status.  

You’ll simply be shining a magnifying glass on your performance.  

Go through your video without stopping to develop a general eye for your skills and technique. 

How’s your posture? 

What’s your balance like? 

Are your ankles rolling inward? 

What’s the angle of your toe pick? 

What does your take-off and landing look like? 

You can use video to examine these small details and then work on correcting them, either by yourself or with a coach.  

7. Find Your Feedback Tribe 

Don’t have a coach? 

No problem. 

Join a community or group that enjoys skating and can provide constructive feedback on your posture and skill level.  

Share your video in Facebook groups or Subreddits asking for recommendations. 

You can also share it on social media – but do so at your own risk. 

Once you find your tribe, share constant progress and also provide feedback to others who are just starting out and are behind you and eager to get their feet wet.   

Conclusion 

Home video training is a great way to get immediate feedback on your ice skating on your home rink.  

There are different types of ice rinks you can construct at home under the right conditions. 

However, synthetic ice rinks are preferred due to their versatility, durability, and cost.

If you’re a beginner ice skater choosing to learn at home, you’ll need as much feedback and analysis as possible. 

Home video training is a simple yet effective way to improve, share content with coaches, and get the most out of your rink. 

Make sure to break down the recordings into multiple shots and angles so you can work on the fine details and track your improvement. 

With ice skating for beginners, synthetic ice rinks and video training are a match made in heaven.