Ice Skating Safety Tips

December 17, 2015, 8:15 pm

Even though the weather may be oh so frightful, you can still make ice skating so delightful! By following the ice skating safety tips below, you can help you and your family have the most fun while preventing injuries on the ice.

Find the right helmet:

The most important safety precaution is to get your kids helmets that have been approved by the American Safety Association (ASA) or the Canadian Safety Association (CSA). You can find them at the same location where you buy your skates, so there's no excuse to not get the right helmet at the same time.

Maintain your skates:

Skating on dull skates can be dangerous. That's why you should have them sharpened after 15 to 20 hours of skating. The blades of skates differ by the type of skates; figure skates should be sharpened at places that specialize in them, such as a figure skating club or boutique, but hockey skates can be sharpened at the rink.

Teach your kids the basics:

Just as you taught your kids to walk before they could run, make sure you set kids up with the basics of skating before sending them out on their own. Begin by teaching kids to do a two-foot glide while keeping their feet straight. From there they can move on to making snow with the insides of their skate blades as a way to stop. When they're ready, the two-foot glide can be progressed into doing turns and squats to improve control and balance.

Choose safe rinks:

Unfortunately not all rinks are created equally, and this can affect whether or not a rink is safe enough for your little ones to learn to skate. Go to indoor skating rinks — at community or private centers, for example — as they use Zambonis to flood the ice. Outdoor rinks should be avoided, since they often don't have smooth surfaces or side boards for safety.

Skate safely with your little ones:

Make sure you skate properly with your child when you're on the rink together by skating side by side. If you're skating in circles, keep your child on the outside of the circle. If, for instance, you're skating counter-clockwise on a public rink, you should be holding your child's hand, and he should be on your right side.

Sign them up for skating lessons:

Although there are some things you can teach your little ones about skating safely, professional lessons are an invaluable resource. Many parents can struggle on occasion to keep control of their own skating, which can make teaching little ones difficult. Professional coaches can take better control of children when they're on the ice with them and can introduce basic skating skills in more technical detail. They can also more easily identify any potentially dangerous or incorrect habits kids are making and fix the problems. So if you want to ensure your kids enjoy safe and happy ice skating experiences for years to come, signing them up for classes is the best way to do so.

The content is not intended to be substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in the Cox HealthPlans Blog.

Source:

Ice Skating Safety Tips

December 17, 2015, 8:15 pm

Categories