Ice Hockey Safety For Kids and Toddlers

Hockey safety begins with education. Education for the toddler to young hockey player is essential to reduce or eliminate the risk of injuries sustained on the ice. Of course, safe equipment plays a major role in hockey safety as well but it is a combination of proper equipment and education of the young skater. Hockey and skating accidents occur as skates are sharp and hockey sticks are utilized in a hockey game. In addition to the obvious risk associated with sticks and ice skates, hockey is a very strenuous activity and physical injuries are prevalent. Muscle strains and sprains are commonplace. As safety starts with the basics to the toddler and young hockey enthusiast. First and foremost, a young skater is required to learn how to skate properly.

The initial stage and a prerequisite to playing hockey is satisfactory ice-skating. Skating properly for hockey means skating forward, backward, sharp turning, stop and go and learning how to get up quickly after falling (remember, everybody falls from time to time, even the professionals).

Safe Equipment (helmets)

The next essential element for toddlers and youth skaters is equipment. There are many choices for the youth skaters but the most integral and first piece of equipment to purchase is the helmet. Helmets should be purchased for anybody who touches foot (or skates) to the ice. Many facilities provide helmets for toddlers and young skaters but we highly recommend purchasing the right helmet for your young skater. The helmet should fit properly and be comfortable. The helmet should be certified by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) and should include a full face mask, with a chin cup and chin strap. It must fit properly and must be fastened in place at all times while on the ice. this is essential and will prevent serious injury for all skaters, regardless of age.

Ice Skates

Ice Skates are the next essential safety equipment element. Of course, Ice skates are essential to anyone playing ice hockey or learning how to ice skate in any fashion whatsoever. However, for the toddler and youth skater, it is of the utmost importance that the skates fit properly. If the ice skates are too loose, the young learning skater will be at a disadvantage because it will be too difficult to learn to skate properly. If the ice skates are too tight, pain will occur and it will defeat the enjoyable experience attained by the young skater. Ice skates for the beginner should offer Ample support and have a hard plastic toe. Additionally be sure to keep skates sharpened as it is easier for young skaters to maintain balance and maneuver on the ice.

Other Equipment

In addition to the hockey helmet and Ice skates other equipment is available to players wishing to play ice hockey and all are designed for safety of a hockey player at any level. The Majority of the equipment is required for players at any age and skill level if they are playing in any organized hockey facilities. The additional hockey equipment consists of, but is not limited to the following: Mouth guards; shoulder pads; hockey pants; hockey gloves; athletic supporter; neck protector; elbow pads; and Shin guards. These items are not required for the beginner skater but will be required when the skater reaches the level of learning how to play hockey.

Stretching and Warm-up

Since ice hockey is such a strenuous activity, it is essential that a warm-up and stretching routine is performed prior to skating. It is important to stretch the muscle groups utilized when Ice skating and playing hockey before any intensive skating begins. These muscle groups include the groin, back/torso muscles and hamstrings. Most exercises can be done on the ice and should be done before the activity begins. Toddlers who are just learning to skate do not necessarily have to exercise before a class because learn to skate classes are not very strenuous. However, it would be a good idea to create good warm-up habits for players and skaters at any age.

Ice hockey is the most exciting sport to play and provides a rush of adrenaline to the young player. However, due to the speed and nature of the game, a risk of injury is present. The best way to lessen the risk of injury is to wear proper protective equipment, to be educated about how injuries occur and how to avoid and reduce the risk of those injuries. Enjoy!

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Ice Skating with Friends

Ice Skating at Kallang Leisure Park

How to Choose the Best Ice Skates for Kids

The first thing to understand about buying ice skates for kids, is that it can be quite difficult, as little kids are not really good at deciding if a skate is a good fit. The best thing to do, is to go alone to the store or purchase the skate online. This is because children are usually going to be drawn to the look of the skate and not the fit. So, if you do not have them try on the ice skates, how are you going to make sure they fit?

This is simple, before you purchase skates make sure that they offer a return policy, also it is a good idea to take your child to the skate store to have their foot measured. Spend some time with your child and let them play around and have fun trying on all the skates. Then come back to the store alone or find ice skates for kids online, and all you have to do is find your child's accurate size. Then simply pick the ones that have the features you desire.

Have Your Child Wear Them Around

Once you have received the skates, you need to have your son or daughter move around in them for just a little bit. There needs to be some wiggle room, having said that, the boot really should be fairly tight. When your child moves, the skate should fit tight enough that the toes are not able to shift, and the heel should not rub on the inside.

If this does happen, it is because the fit is not right and there is too much room, this is why I mentioned the return policy, because all brands fit differently. If the skate does not fit correctly, you need to return it and try again. All of this really is worth the trouble, as the correct fit is essential for your child to really enjoy the art of ice skating.

The Art of Ice Skating

Which brings me to my next subject, you may not realize that ice skating is truly an art form, even the rough and tough sport of ice hockey. This means that it is going to take time for your youngster to turn into a really good skater. Your child should take some time to experience the enjoyment of recreational skating, after learning how to skate your child may wish to pursue figure skating or ice hockey.

Figure Ice Skates for Kids

If your child wishes to do traditional figure skating, they will need a special skate because these skates will need to have prominent toe picks. This is the roughest section of the blade, which allows a skater to really be able to dig into the ice, when they are doing the many different tricks found in figure skating. Ice skates that are used for hockey do not have toe picks, since these skaters usually do not execute these types of maneuvers. Also, recreational skates are going to have to picks, but they are smaller and much less prominent.

What About Hockey?

When looking for hockey skates for your child, it is important to understand that they are the most important element of your child's skating equipment. The correct fit is important for all types of skating, but it is essential for hockey. There are many injuries every year that are caused by poorly fitting skates.

They must fit correctly and safeguard your child, so they will be able to safely get the most from the hockey experience. If you buy hockey skates that happen to be too big, or not big enough, it is only going to result in aching feet and even severe injury. All skates take a little time to adjust to your child's foot, but if you follow a couple of guidelines whenever you are thinking about buying hockey skates, you will undoubtedly find the right skate for your child.

Ice Skating Just for Fun

Recreational ice skates resemble figure skates, but are not quite as high quality since they are just for fun and entertainment. They are great for those that just skate occasionally, because they lack the cushioning and support which a skilled figure skater would need. The best thing to remember is that ice skates for kids, are really not that much different than adult skates. So when purchasing these items, all you need to do is consider what features you would like in a skate.

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Beginner's Ice Skating Guide

Ice skating is a really fun winter activity for people of all ages. If there is an outdoor rink or frozen lake, it can be a really fun way to get outdoors when you might otherwise stay inside. Whether you want to pick up ice skating yourself or are interested in getting your children started, there is some specific gear you will need to buy first.

Skates
The first thing you'll need to buy before heading out on the ice are some ice skates. Before you start looking around for new skates, you'll want to decide what type of skating you or your child wants to do. There is a big difference between hockey skates and figure skating skates. For hockey skates, the blade is curved and has no toe pick. Figure skates are lighter, have a straighter blade and a toe pick that is used to stop on the ice. Before you head out on the ice, remember to try on the skates for fit. They need to be really snug and lace up tightly in order to reduce the risk of injury on the ice.

Safety Equipment
For figure skating, there are no required safety pieces needed. However, it is a good idea to wear a pair of wrist guards. When you fall, the first thing you put down are your hands which puts a lot of strain on the wrists. For ice hockey, the safety equipment is much more extensive. You'll need a helmet, safety gloves, padding, guards and more.

Clothing
As a beginner ice skater, your clothing should be all about comfort and warmth. If you spend more than a couple hours outdoors skating, your will need to make sure you have enough warm layers to keep you warm and safe. Consider wearing snow clothes with a pair of long johns underneath. Remember to cover every part of your body by wearing a hat, gloves, scarf and more.

Getting Started
Once you have the correct equipment and gear, it's time to hit the ice. It doesn't need to cost a lot of money to start skating. Instead, enlist a friend or neighbor who knows how to skate to give you a small lesson with some tips and pointers. Once you have the basics, you'll be able to enjoy the ice on your own and will improve every time you step out on the rink.

Jeff Matura has been duck hunting since he was 14 years old in the Midwest including the states of Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. Jeff has years of experience hunting ducks in marshes, reservoirs, and rivers including the Mississippi River.

Visit his latest website for the best deals, selection, and advice for choosing duck calls.

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Figure Skating Dresses - What, or What Not, to Wear

Nothing brings out the little girl in us females more than the thought of a new figure skating dress. Yet, at the same time, nothing can scream more "bling-overkill" than a skating dress. There was a whole lot of girly girl squealing happening in my neck of the woods recently. I just picked up my new dress for my 2011-2012 interpretive program! In this article, I'll present (and we can share) some thoughts on figure skating attire as it pertains to adult figure skating. I don't want to start by sounding sexist or discriminating, but by-and-large this really is a girl-issue. Skating guys seem happy to be in any kind of combination of black pants and a basic shirt, so long as they can move in it. This attitude seems to reflect the male approach to clothing in general, or maybe, it's just the particular males that I live with. Guys can also recycle figure skating costumes for greater lengths of time, providing they don't grow. For example, most keep pants from year to year, but will have a new shirt made, if need be.

Costuming is probably the number one subject that my non-skating friends comment on, as well as frequent topic of conversation on skating internet forums. In general, the dresses/outfits I'm seeing at world and grand-prix events are a lot more conservative than 10-15 years ago. Of course, ice dance is always notorious for over the top excess, but again, even the ice dancers seem to be opting for more conservative designs- a sign of the economic times perhaps?

As adult figure skaters, I feel that we have a few unique issues when it comes to finding appropriate attire. The most obvious is size and shape. We come in a lot more of them: apples, pears, sticks and triangles, just to name a few. I have found that "off the rack" dresses seem to be made using the proportions of younger, less curvy, bodies. Often, the skirts end up being way too short. Or worse, badly placed in a way that accentuates your wider features. Sometimes, the styles are just plain wrong, for anyone over the age of 10. Frilly and sparkly is cute on a 7-year old, not so much on a 47-year-old. If one is well-endowed on top, then halter-style or spaghetti straps present important structural deficiencies.

Many times, adults are reluctant to wear something skimpy due to feeling really uncomfortable and exposed. This goes beyond just feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed over the weight you may have put on over the past few years. It is a question of practicality too. In many northern climates, the air temperature in the area is chilly, if not down-right cold. The temperature of the rink where I train was 4° Celsius (39° F) this morning. I've taken skating tests there when it has been that cold and even the judge told us to go ahead and put on as warm a sweater as we could find. All those cute little backless and sleeveless dresses were buried in layers of fleece and wool that day!

When it comes to skating attire, what works (or doesn't) for you? Send me a picture of you in your favorite outfit and I will post it on my blog for all of us to enjoy. And a special shout out to you gentlemen: we want to see you too!

Next: My new dress (with photo!) and more advice about what to wear on the when you are a lady of (as the French would say) "a certain age".

If you are an adult participating in figure skating at any level... recreational, competitive or would like to figure skate and want to know more, come and join us at International Adult Figure Skating. There is a new blog entry every Tuesday as well as interesting videos and links to products and services of interest to adult figure skaters. Check out my special $1 offer on how to prepare for a skating competition.

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Figure Skating Jumps

Jumps are part of the routine of advanced ice skaters. These are evaluated by the take off and the number of rotations made in the air. There are two familiar types of figure skating jumps, and these are toe jumps and edge jumps. Edge jumps originate from the edge of the blade, while the toe jumps originate from the toe picks, and are actually edge jumps assisted by the toes of the opposite foot.

There are two edges for ice skate blades; the inside and the outside edge. Before you take off to do a jump, you will need to decide first whether you will use the right or the left foot, going forward or backward, and using the inside or the outside edge. Thus, one jump may be described as right forward inside, left forward outside, depending on how you plan to jump.

The correct positioning of the body prior to a jump has to be maintained, because any mistake in positioning makes a big difference with the jump, and the consequent landing. There is a greater chance for a fall or for a mistake while doing the jump when the starting position is not right.

There are various jumps that can be done in figure skating. The first is the Bunny Hop Jump, which is the easiest to do because it is performed without rotating. To do this jump on the right foot, weight is first placed on the right foot, with the right arm to the side and the left arm in front of the skater. The skater then takes off using the left foot and finally lands on the right skate toe pick and the left foot.

The next jump is called Waltz Jump, and is one of the first jumps usually learned by beginning figure skaters. It takes off with a forward outside edge. The skater then does a half revolution jump, and lands on the opposite back outside edge. It is started by doing backward crossovers for impetus, stepping on the left foot, bending then extending both legs for the jump, lifting off from the left toe pick, doing a half revolution, and landing on the right back outside edge.

There is also a jump called Loop Jump, starting with a right back outside edge, doing one revolution, and ending also with a right back outside edge, in contrast with Waltz Jump, which lands on the opposite foot and does only a half revolution. While in the air, the arms are into the chest and the legs crossed in the Loop Jump. You can do a half loop, double, triple, or quadruple loop jumps, depending on your skills as a figure skater.

There are many other figure skating jumps available, such as the Toe Loop Jump, which is essentially a loop jump but with the assistance of the left toe to leap into the air, and the Walley Jump, which takes off from the right back inside edge, features one revolution in a counterclockwise manner, and lands on a right back outside edge of the same foot. Other jumps in figure skating include Toe Walley, Lutz, Salchow, Flip, and Axel Jump. Each of these jumps has the potential to injure, because jumps are intrinsically dangerous to perform. It is a figure skating technique that needs to be perfected and be taught by a professional figure skater. The skater is also required to wear protective gear when in training so as to avoid injury as much as possible.

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