May 2021
Hey Everyone, we hope that you and your loved ones are all staying happy and safe.
This month we would love to introduce you to our brand-new tutorial series. Hold on tight as we break down the tips and tricks of ice-skating so that it is not as hard as it seems. Keep your eyes peeled as we deliver this special series in both Arabic and English- Making us the first Arab skating team to do so.
As a head start, the very first tutorial is now available on our Instagram page at figureskating_egypt and on our face-book page at figureskatingegypt. This first video grants you insight into the basics of figure skating and how to simply glide on the ice. Our senior skater Sally has kindly demonstrated how to safely enter the ice rink, followed by the a short demo of progression from holding on to the edge of the rink, to gaining confidence and swiftly gliding to the centre.
For our new-comers this is a perfect introductory video on what you would expect to be taught in your first few lessons with us. We hope that you are just as excited as we are to get on the ice and have a blast! However, this is also accommodating for those of you who may have had a short break therefore it would be a great refresher video before returning to the ice.
To accommodate the very first tutorial we thought we would tackle some the commonly used skating terms so that everyone finds it easier to follow on in the series.
The term “off-Ice training” is often used by Captain Ahmed as we need to try to challenge ourselves in off-ice training, as it’s one of the best ways of gaining confidence on a new skill before trying it out on the ice. Check out the blog post titled ‘the one where we tackle off-Ice training’ for much more information.
For many beginners, you may our assistant coaches talking about the different parts of the blade as they’re trying to explain a move. It’s worth noting that these parts are used for different moves and jumps, but this is something more difficult to discuss so we will do so when it is required.
The toe pick is the spiky tip of the blade. Following the toe pick backwards you have the main body or main rocker of the blade itself which has different edges- we will mention this again later on so don’t worry! The very back of the blade is called the tail which is for stability. Watch out as the tail of the blade on the right boot and left boot don’t click or catch each other, otherwise it is a recipe for a disastrous fall. The image below helps to visualise these points discussed
As mentioned, the blade has different edges: an outside edge, straight or flat edge and inside edge. The straight edge simply is what you stand on and use when skating in a straight line. The inside edge is felt when you rock your ankles and feet towards each other and therefore the outside edge would be where you slightly part your ankles. Again an image below can help clarify this for you.
From all of us at Figure Skating Egypt, we hope that you have found this introductory blog to the tutorial series useful and we thank you for your continued support. As always, you can find out more about joining our team via our FAQs page on our website or by directly contacting our coach Captain Ahmad Saad.
Quote of the month:
‘Going back to basics strengthens your foundation’