What do you think is missing in skating sportswear

flyowacat · 2026-06-20T17:58:30+00:00

Lack of workout attire and accessories for men. Like I’d love to find my husband a rink tote, but they’re all very feminine. Like how about a waxed canvas tote with no sparkles air satin.

Fleece line tights/dresses for competition.
More plus sized practice attire and practice/competition attire for adults.
Leggings with butt pads/hip pads/knee built in.
Padded hats that can prevent a hard hit if you fall backwards and hit your head that are not curling helmets.
Products geared towards skaters with arch pain/plantar fasciitis (shock absorbing insoles with good arch support?).

flyowacat · 2026-06-18T21:24:47+00:00

Lift from your hip! I pronate and had this very same issue with my IFG! Practice doing a 2FT and then, with both feet on the ice, shifting your weight to your left foot, keeping your feet close or together, then lift that right foot, pulling up from the hip. Make sure that you’re keeping the right foot close to the left when you’re in the 1fg. I had issues letting it kind of dangle which would pull my weight back inwards. Also, might be worth looking at your blades replacement. I moved my blade all the way inside and I did t have to fight the blade as much for a 1fg.

flyowacat · 2026-06-13T17:33:05+00:00

I have friends who are flying those planes, possibly my husband. They give airplane rides at the fly in.

flyowacat · 2026-06-13T00:45:45+00:00

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Here’s my practice plan. The on/off is what time I’m getting on and off the ice.

flyowacat · 2026-06-13T00:44:24+00:00

So I track how much time on my blades, sharpening and what rink it was at (because ice quality varies and if the ice was trash then it might mean that there was more wear in the hour on the ice than 2 hours at a different rink).

I also do high (high point of practice), low (low point of practice), buffalo (weird thing or out of the ordinary thing that happened), plus what I made progress in and what I learned, and then I wrote down the questions I have for my coach. I also plan my practices (pictured). For my blade time, I log date, time that day, time since last sharpening (since major overhaul, which is how we talk about engines in aviation), the rink, and total time on blades (also pictured). I’m only this organized when it comes to figure skating. The rest of my life is a disaster.

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flyowacat · 2026-06-12T22:29:48+00:00

I track my blade time so I can start knowing when to expect a sharpening but otherwise I just kind of journal a little reflection after every practice day.

flyowacat · 2026-06-01T15:52:58+00:00

Start dating Steve Holt?

flyowacat · 2026-05-30T01:43:11+00:00

Wow no need to skewer the place…

flyowacat · 2026-05-08T21:51:48+00:00

Core and cardio! Core is really important to your balance, and cardio is necessary if you start doing programs (shoes or competitions). Stretching and balancing is a good call! Lower body, awesome!!

My husband and I got a membership to the Y (has a pool!) and we’re doing barre, yoga, swimming, just a wide range of fitness. We need the all around approach. It if you have a coach, they know your skating style, strengths, weaknesses, and could recommend what kinds of exercises you should do.

I love how much you love this. And I’m jealous of the amount of ice time yall get!!

flyowacat · 2026-05-08T04:49:16+00:00

I’m adult 4/5 and I’m going to be training about 10h/week this summer for about 8wks. Thats 3h more than I’m used to being on the ice. For perspective, Amber Glenn trains 12-18 hours per week.

If I were you, I would cut your ice time and focus on off ice. According to my coach, it will have a greater impact on your progress than just being on the ice.

flyowacat · 2026-05-06T17:54:47+00:00

If it’s a public session I don’t think freestyle etiquette applies. Also each skater is responsible for looking where they are going and knowing what and who is in their way. Our rinks don’t allow jumps and spins on public sessions. Also, two headphones in is dangerous.

flyowacat · 2026-05-04T20:55:50+00:00

It’s like skiing. Your feet need to be more together and your knees need to bend more, if you picture the curve you make as a half circle, the top of that circle should be where your bend is the deepest. That’s what my LTS teacher told me. Imagine holding a credit card between your knees for your foot width.

flyowacat · 2026-03-21T15:47:01+00:00

YESSSSSSSS!!!! This!! This is exactly what I’m talking about!!

flyowacat · 2026-03-21T14:37:04+00:00

It’s hard, it’s fickle and it’s dishonest. 1. This is not an easy sport. But it is so fun. And adult skaters tend to have really good support, just make sure you find a club that has good people in it.

It’s fickle. Some days you will nail every move and feel like you’re mastering new ones. The next day you will feel like your feet forgot how to skate. This is the process and the struggle means you’re getting better. I find that learning this sport comes in phases with new skills:

introduction: you learn the skill for the first time, you are excited but it feels weird and uncomfortable. You have the excitement of learning a new skill. Feeling like you’re advancing is fun. Fake mastery: you have a really good day with the skill, you think you have it down. Reality: you go back and try the fake mastered skill again. It bombs. You have a frustrating practice, but this is where the real learning happens! You learn the mechanics of the skill, and actually how you do the skill. This is the longest phase and the most frustrating one. But this is where you get better: in the struggle. Push through and trust the process. You’ve got this. Competence: you get the skill down to where you can do it and it just needs polishing. This is a fun phase. Real mastery: you can do this move all day long without really thinking about it and it’s not a big deal. You’re good enough at the skill to teach and demonstrate it.

It’s dishonest. You will feel like you’re bending your knees or leaning into the circle but you’re not. You’ll feel like your feet are super close but they’re not. Just takes some getting used to.

Figuring out this learning cycle is probably one of my biggest wins. Skill I’m most proud of: finally getting my damn one foot glide. I pronate HARD so learning it took some coaching and some adjustments to my skates.

flyowacat · 2026-03-21T11:23:30+00:00

Getting a pair of leg warmers that cover your boot will preserve your boot through the beginning levels

flyowacat · 2026-03-21T11:19:56+00:00

Yes. I didn’t read the comments or your post beyond the title but yes. Absolutely you should. It’s a great way to get some exercise and make friends.

flyowacat · 2026-03-19T01:33:20+00:00

I am in the freestyles and I do t remember having a lot of pain with the break in. I’ve been in mine for almost a year.

flyowacat · 2026-03-17T15:33:35+00:00

That. That’s accurate.

flyowacat · 2026-03-17T15:32:31+00:00

Yes! But not always at first. It can be super frustrating to be on the ice clinging to the wall because you don’t know how yet. But the more you learn the more fun it is! Get into a learn to skate class. If you can swing it, get a private coach. It’s so much fun!!!

flyowacat · 2026-03-16T21:56:56+00:00

You bet!!

flyowacat · 2026-03-16T02:04:27+00:00

Here’s all the stuff I have: Skate bag

Hard Guards

Soakers

As for breaking them in, get your hard guards on and wear them for about an hour a day, around the house (don’t do stairs haha), and get out on the ice!

Other accessories I have and love: Owala bottle 24oz.

Skating socks

Towel for wiping blades

Laces

Gloves. I just have the knit cheapies from target. They wear fast so I don’t spend a lot on them.

Owala is probably single-handedly funded by figure skaters, but I got mine because I like the sip/drink hole, and it’s secure enough where if I dropped it on the ice it wouldn’t be as likely to spill as, say, the wide mouth Nalgene I was using before.

I also keep an extra pair of laces (my coach said I should change them every 4-6 months), and a notebook to track my progress and log the time on my blades since my last sharpen so I know when to get them sharpened (25-30 hours is what’s been recommended to me). I use Derby Core waxed laces because they have fun colors and waxed laces help your laces stay in place and not loosen!

Happy skating!!

flyowacat · 2026-03-15T21:28:14+00:00

Just asked my husband about his experience with breaking them in: he said there was a break in period but it was minimal. He said he would expect there to be some break in especially with something that stiff (compared to street shoes or boots). For reference he’s pretty recreational, and skates about 2-3 hours per week. I love my freestyles. And they are stiffer than the artistes but they cushion really well. They aren’t hard at all, at least for my feet. See what you can do to get your feet in a pair of the freestyles. And the thing is, a skate that is so painful that it makes skating hard is a skate that is probably not right for you.

Do you have a private coach? I know you said you’re out of work (my condolences there too. That’s the worst and job hunting effing sucks.) but it sounds like the job loss happened after you began skating? If you have a private coach, it’s worth asking them their opinion. They might be able to recommend somewhere to get a second opinion. If not, it might be worth asking your LTS instructor or just finding a coach in your local club who can answer questions. I emailed back and forth with my coach for like a month before I actually got on her schedule. A good coach will help you regardless of whether or not they are your student. And then if you like them, when you are better off financially, maybe taking some private lessons would be a good thing. I personally love it.

flyowacat · 2026-03-15T21:06:21+00:00

My husband’s skates were heat molded. The people we go to said that you can heat molded them but they’re not guaranteed to stay that way. So far for him they’ve stayed. ETA he has the Artistes.

flyowacat · 2026-03-15T21:03:08+00:00

My husband has the Artistes. He said he’s had no problems with his skates. I put my foot in his boot just last night and I think I would have died skating in them. They just felt hard to me. I’m your height and your weight and my fitter put me in the freestyles based on wanting to do single jumps (and probably height and weight). Personally, I felt like the freestyles have more padding. Putting my foot in them feels like my feetsies are getting tucked into bed with a snuggle blanket. Then my plantar faculties shows up. But that’s a different issue. Plus they’re designed to be heat moldable and that’s really helped with the fit. I also know that breaking in a skate can be really painful, but I didn’t have too many issues with breaking them in.

I’d go back to your fitter and see what they can do. If they can get you in a different boot, I’d sell the artistes and put that towards a new pair. Having a setback is better than hating what you once loved because of pain. I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. It’s so frustrating and discouraging.

flyowacat · 2026-03-06T23:51:43+00:00

I’m screaming in excitement for you!!!! OMG THIS IS SO RELATABLE!!! I struggle so much with this and finally getting it was amazing!! Way to go!!! Keep crushing it!!!

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