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Hi, my name is Ken. I have been a competitive figure skater for since 1979. I have created this page to answer some questions that most people tend to ask me when they first see me skate. This page will also link to my e-mail to help answer any questions that skaters might have. Please read on and enjoy your new found knowledge of figure skating.
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I can't skate very well because I have weak ankles. |
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This is not true. The thickness of the leather that the boot is made out of is the villian here. Let's face it, your entire body weight, which is usually supported by the surface area of your foot, is compressed on to a blade that is about 1/8 of an inch thick. That is like putting bicycle wheels on a car. The spokes of the bicycle wheel simply can't hold the weight of the car. If, however, the spokes were replaced by a solid disc of steel, then the bicycle wheel could hold the weight. The leather in my skating boots is almost 3/8 of an inch thick. That is why my ankles don't "fold" over to the sides. |
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I am afraid that I am going to flip backwards off of the back of my blades. |
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This is a legitimate fear. But there are a few things that you can do to help minimize the risks of this type of fall. The first and most important is to bend your knees. When mother nature designed our bodies, she gave us a fairlly high center of gravity. She also gave us a self-correcting mechanism to combat our top heavy torsos; our knees. They act like shock absorbers, and keep our torso from tipping from front to back. |
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