Ice skating is an exhilarating, relatively inexpensive activity that provides an excellent source of exercise and entertainment for the entire family. I will provide some ice skating tips for beginners, guidance for taking ice skating lessons. Plus, I look at the health benefits of ice skating and a list of ice skating rinks to help you find the rink nearest you.

If you think ice skating is a modern adventure sports then you are wrong. The earlier evidence available of the existence of ice-skating was found when a pair of skates were retrieved from the bottom of a lake in Switzerland. These skates dated back to about three thousand years before the birth of the Christ. Isn’t it an interesting fact?

Getting started: A warm-up is essential. Stand up straight, arms in front of you, feet hip distance apart. This enables you to find your center of balance. Squat slightly. Just a tiny bit, to get you used to lowering your center of gravity. Do this about 3 or 4 times. Next, squat further, not all the way down, but until you really feel your knees are bending. Here’s a skating secret: if you can’t bend your knees, you can’t skate! The stronger your knees are, the better skater you’ll be. Again, do the more advanced squats a few times. You will probably find yourself putting a lot of weight on the toe pick. Finally, go down as far as you can.

How to ice skate: The sculling technique is an excellent method for beginners. The first thing you’ll need to do is move away from the barrier, so that if you fall you can’t possibly hit it. It will also help you focus on the task at hand without relying on a crutch (the barrier) if you start to fall. The following are some tips that will help you learn how to ice skate forward by performing the sculling manoeuvre.

Stand with the feet roughly six inches apart and the body weight evenly distributed between the two skates.

Arms straight out to the side. Stand with good posture, looking ahead, back slightly arched.

Bend knees and tighten the ankles.

Turn the toes out away from each other.

Shift the body weight until the skates begin to separate (legs will straighten).

Once the legs are almost straight, turn the toes back in toward each other in a pigeon-toed position.

After the skates are near the location where they started, turn the toes back out and repeat this motion continuously without stopping.

How to fall: The goal for every ice skater when falling should be to avoid injuries and get back up quickly. If you are a beginner or concerned about falling, it is a good idea to wear ice skating skate protective gear. Try to be relaxed when you fall; a limp body is far less likely to get injured than a stiff body. If falling forward, keep your chin up. If falling backwards, tuck in your chin - this, along with number two, will help you keep from hitting your head on the ice. Try to prevent the wrists, elbows, hips and knees from hitting the ice first. Always wear gloves when practicing falls. To get up from a fall; move to your hands and knees, place one skate under you, and put the other skate under you as soon as practical, and lift yourself up.

How to stop: The T-Stop is probably the best stopping technique for beginning ice skaters to learn. The T-Stop is performed with the skates forming a T-position as the name implies. To execute a T-stop, you should begin skating slowly in a forward direction. Turn one skate at a 45 degree angle and drag it behind the other skate. Pull the skate that is being dragged into the instep of the lead skate. Shoulders should remain straight and forward in the skating direction. Arms should be out to the side. Lean back slightly and shift the body weight to the rear skate that is being dragged.

(The writer is a city based gemologist and owns an adventure club, www.clubfootloose.com. Mail him at solisethi@gmail.com)