| Once you have learned the fundamental moves of | | | | onto one foot and glides. Beginners can first start with |
| skating such as forward skating, backward skating, | | | | quick, short glides, before doing it for longer periods. In |
| stops, edges, turns, crossovers, and mohawks, you are | | | | order to do stroking, with your feet together, you can |
| now ready to master them. There is no better way to | | | | slip one foot behind the other and push with the side of |
| master these skills than to practice as much as you | | | | that foot that is behind, while transferring your weight |
| can. | | | | to the other foot. You just have to bring your feet |
| Everyone starts out with learning how to properly and | | | | together again and do the same with your other foot, |
| smoothly glide on two feet. As soon as you become | | | | all these while in a relaxed position with your arms at |
| competent with the two-foot glide, you can then | | | | the sides, palms down. |
| proceed to gliding using one leg at a time in a straight | | | | Whereas stroking is a one-foot push, swizzle is a |
| line. After transferring your weight on one foot, you | | | | two-foot push, accomplished by bending both knees |
| can lift the other while continuing to glide. While doing | | | | with the toes pointing forward like in a V position, sliding |
| this, it is important that you lift your free hip as well, pull | | | | the feet apart in order to get momentum, and finally |
| in your stomach muscles, and avoid swinging your | | | | bringing them together again. With repetition of this |
| arms around. Gliding with the weight all on one foot is a | | | | skating move, the path looks like an hourglass. You |
| basic ice skating move that should be learned. | | | | must be able to do several in a row and do backward |
| As a beginner, you need to be able to maintain | | | | swizzles also. These moves provide a good exercise |
| balance first, and this is accomplished by means of | | | | for the knees. |
| having proper posture, which is that of bent knees, | | | | Lastly, crossovers are intended for skating around |
| upright torso, and the head up. There is a natural | | | | corners. This is a maneuver where one foot crosses |
| tendency to slouch or bend forward to be able to look | | | | over the other as one glides on a corner. The outside |
| down at the ice, but with this posture frequently leads | | | | skate is placed over the inside skate to move around, |
| to falls. | | | | and to achieve power, some skaters even push the |
| The next skating competency to master is stroking, | | | | foot that is underneath the foot which is crossing over. |
| which is a power move, where the skater pushes off | | | | |