How To Stop On Ice Skates? Try Effective Methods

Even though it’s a challenging sport, ice skating can be a lot of fun. Learning to skate backwards on the ice can be challenging for beginners.

Even if you have experience skating, learning to skate backward can be challenging. It takes time and repetition to become an expert at this skill.

So, how to stop on ice skates? It is easy. You need to skate backwards, learn the “c” cut, and change direction with crossovers.

Continue reading for details.

How To Stop On Ice Skates?

Skate Backwards

To advance backward, turn your toes inward and skate in a curved motion. The basic technique for skating backward is straightforward: you simply push the outside edges of your skates forward and outward, curve them back toward your body, and repeat. Your skates would paint curved waves, resembling a child’s drawing of the ocean, across the ice if they had the ability to draw.

Bend your knees. If you are standing straight, you can’t skate backward. Your butt will be closer to the ice if you slightly budge your knees. Your torso should be upright like you were sitting in a chair

Skate with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your shoulders should be in a straight line over your ankles, and your skates should be facing directly forward. This is your “center” as you skate backward. You possess the necessary strength and power to skate with your skates shoulder-width apart. To maintain balance, hold onto the wall with both hands.

To begin moving backward, push off a wall. As you get used to moving backward, concentrate on keeping your knees bent and your back straight. Lean on a hockey stick for support if that makes you more comfortable.

When moving backward, tuck your toes in. You’ll notice your feet starting to separate as your skates begin to move outward if you slowly turn your toes to face one another. Imagine skating backwards as if you were leading with your heels; as your toes turned inward, your heels turned out to the left and right, and the rest of your skate followed.

As your legs separate, tuck your heels in. People usually find this to be the most uncomfortable because their legs are splitting apart and will continue to do so as long as their toes are pointing inward. The heels of your skates should now face backwards toward your body. Your legs will start to reassemble as you continue.

Pull your feet back to the middle of your body using the inner leg muscles. Use the muscles in your groin to bring your skates back to the middle while turning your heels to the center. But imagine you’re trying to click your heels together, even though you won’t bring them this close.

Back off and point your feet outside. Repeat your curve once you are back in your starting position with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Let your toes begin to splay back out to the side as you turn your feet so that they once more point inward. Pull them in again and repeat — these are the “S” shaped curves that you need to make.

Maintain your weight over your feet. Leaning too far forward, with the body over the toes, is one of the most frequent errors people make. Keep your athletic stance in mind at all times. Using your hands to support you and keep you from stooping forward while seated is a good tip.

Learn The “C” Cut

Use the “C” cut to skate backward quickly. The “C” cut, named because your skates make small The most popular technique for skating backward quickly is to make C shapes in the ice. You alternate pushing your skates out and then arcing them smoothly back in while keeping your knees bent and your torso upright.

Put your knees in an athletic flexion. Kneel down comfortably, allowing you to move your feet with ease. With your legs straight, it is difficult to spring into action. Lifting your skates and maintaining balance should be simple for you. For a good athletic stance:

Your skates should be shoulder-width apart as you face forward. To balance and skate comfortably, point your skates in front of you while keeping them about shoulder-width apart.

Go backwards a little bit. Shuffle your feet as though you were retreiving gradually from something. Imagine reversing your direction by taking a small step at a time.

tuck your toes in. Point your skate tips in the general direction of each other as you shuffle backward. Naturally, you ought to begin to advance more quickly.

With your right foot, step to the right. Push out and away from your body with your toes pointed inward. This is the top half of the “C” shape. Try to sweep something off the floor with your skates by pushing from the middle of your blade.

To return to the center, pull your right heel. By leading with your heel, you can bring your skate back to your body’s midsection. Turning your heel to face your left foot after pushing out and to the side. Your toes will turn to face forward as you return, completing the “C” shape.

Adjust the angle of your right skate. Once you’ve finished the “C,” turn your right skate so it faces forward, returning to it’s starting position.

Using your left foot, advance and move to the left. As you return your right foot to the center, start the “C” shape with the opposite foot by pushing it out and forward. To gain momentum, turn it back around to the center and repeat while switching each foot.

Change Direction With Crossovers

While skating backward, use crossovers to change lanes. Moving around is made simple by using crossover steps. Simply put, you step backward by crossing one foot over the other and relying on your forward momentum.

With your knees slightly bent, stand upright. Although you can perform crossovers while moving forward or backward, it’s best to practice from a standstill.

Cross your right foot over your left foot. Your legs should be crossed at the knees as you place your skate down on the ice.

You should position your right foot behind your left calf. Bring your right foot around the back of your left and place it on the ice to straighten your legs. You should now be standing as you did before.

To move horizontally, repeat this crossover movement. Continue lateral movement across the ice by crossing over.

Begin gliding backward. You can push off the wall, make perfect “S” shapes, or speed along with “C” cuts. In order to glide backward, you must first gather some momentum.

Top Common Mistakes When Ice Skating Backwards

Don’t Lean Too Far Back

Leaning too far back is one of the most frequent errors people make when skating backwards. You might become unbalanced as a result and trip and fall. Instead, make an effort to maintain your upright posture and a balanced weight distribution on both feet.

Don’t Look Over Your Shoulder

Looking over one’s shoulder while skating is another common error. Additionally, you might become unsteady and tumble as a result of this. Try to maintain a positive attitude and keep your eyes on your destination instead.

Don’t Rush

When learning to skate backwards, it’s important to take your time and move slowly at first. You can start moving more quickly once you’ve mastered the fundamentals. Rushing, however, can lead to errors and accidents.

How Long Does It Take To Learn How To Ice Skate Backwards

One lesson will teach you how to skate backwards on ice. However, it can take a month or two to truly master skating backwards. Skating backwards can be done using a variety of complicated techniques. This implies that some may require more time for you to learn than others. The S-shape curve and the C cut, for instance, are simple to learn and easy to master. However, some people may find it very difficult to cross over backward. It might take you up to a year to learn it in some circumstances. However, the majority will wait months before doing so.

FAQs

Final Words

On the ice, learning to skate backwards is not that difficult. But there are various ways to move, and the one you’re learning might be a little challenging for you. With enough practice, however, nothing is impossible to learn in a month. You’re just filling the script because you already know how to skate.

Many thanks for reading.

Relate Articles:

• How To Stop With Ice Skates 
• How To Sharpen Ice Skates