Skate into success

With winter under way, ice skaters are abound at the ice rinks and frozen ponds.

 Here are a few skating tips from Jenna Carlon and John Feist, two ice skating instructors for Aberdeen Parks, Recreation and Forestry.

Q. How should you fall?

A. In case you didn't know, falling forward onto the ice isn't such a good idea since it's one of the easiest ways to injure yourself on the ice.

 Feist, who has coached kids' hockey for six years, said kids have broken noses and ribs by falling forward. The best way to fall is backward, he said.

 "You just want to lean into it between the hips and the butt," he said. "Just go with the fall."

 Another thing to remember: Don't stick out your hands to break your fall since you run the risk of breaking a hand in the process.

 Some tips to falling properly are to let the body hit the ice and then use your hands and arms to catch yourself, said Carlon, who has close to 15 years of skating experience and has been a competitive figure skater.

Q. Should you be afraid of falling?

A. Scary as it is, falling is a fact in ice skating.

 "You have to fall if you're figure skating or in hockey," Carlon said.

 One of the first things she teaches kids is how to fall correctly, she said.

 "If you don't fall, you don't learn anything and you'll always be scared," she said.

 Feist also does the same when he teaches and believes it's necessary.

 "Good skaters know their edges," he said, referring to the blades on an ice skate and how to control them. "You got to fall if you want to know where your edges are."

Q. Figure skates or hockey skates?

A. The consensus of the two instructors is that while hockey skates can be used for the both hockey and casual skating, figure skates are best suited for just figure skating.