How do I get started in speed skating? Instructions for beginners

This year’s Red Bull Ice Cross 2022 World Speed Skating Championships took place on January 29 at the all-season Igora resort in the Leningrad Region. This impressive sport attracts a lot of spectators – and there is a lot to see! The 330-meter ice track starts with a high step of 1.5 meters, and further athletes are waiting for jumps, waves and other obstacles.

Top athletes from all over the world came to take this ice track. Two riders from Russia made it to the top three. On the first place – an athlete from Switzerland Jim De Paoli. On the second place – Russian Dmitry Murlychkin, who has held the championship for several years in a row. And on the third place – Vladislav Ivanov.

We talked to the winners and the president of the All-Russian Speed Skating Federation Pavel Kryukov and collected instructions for newcomers on the ice slopes and those who are just going to try themselves in this sport.

President of the All-Russian Speed Skating Federation

From the outside it seems to be a very injury-prone sport, but in fact we have far fewer injuries than in ice hockey. You just have to not be afraid and enjoy skating. If you like it, it will be easy.

How did top riders come into the sport?

rider, bronze medalist at Red Bull Ice Cross 2022.

I found out about Ice Cross in 2011, when it was in Kolomenskoye, if I’m not mistaken, in Moscow. But I was only 13 years old then. Then for a while I somehow even forgot about it. But in 2014 I wanted to take part. But at that time I was 16 years old, and I was allowed to compete from 18 (now athletes can participate from 16 years old – “Championship” note).

In 2015, Dmitry Murlychkin took part in the Russian Championship, and he and I had played in the same hockey club since childhood. Then he said: “It’s very cool, you should definitely try it too”. And the next year I decided to do it – I was hooked.

From the first time it was as bad as possible, nothing worked out at all, I was scared. After the hockey court you go out on uneven ice, and you have to adapt. Besides, I didn’t have any training at the skate park.

In the summer I started to train hard. Pavel Kryukov invited me to train with the national team, which at that time consisted of German Titov, Denis Novozhilov and Andrei Antipov. The next season I was already serious about competing.

Pavel: Many people come to the sport after seeing a video on the Internet, or because of friends’ stories. Then they decide to go to watch a competition, get interested, realize that they would like to try it themselves. And then everyone decides for themselves whether they have enough experience, skills and desire to go downhill or not.

rider, winner of Red Bull Ice Cross 2022

My first race was in 2008 in Davos in Switzerland. I saw an advertisement on the internet and decided to find out what it was all about. I watched a couple of videos – at that time this sport was new to everyone. So I tried it. It turned out to be a lot of fun. But at that time there were no championships or competitions as such. The first championship, as far as I remember, took place in 2010. But I took part only a year later in Munich – I scored enough points to qualify for the next stage. That’s how it started.

At what age can and should you take up downhill skiing?

Pavel: As with any professional sport, the earlier you start practicing, the more likely you are to be well prepared. This way you grow into a professional athlete from a young age, and you don’t have to come back later to retrain in another sport.

Now we have a year-round training center in Patriot (a park in Moscow. – Note: “Championship”) five-year-old kids come to skate. But as a rule, they are involved in hockey. And for a hockey player it’s a good additional skill: you don’t just pick up and go, you have to balance and coordinate your movements. Those who are older, learn to calculate the trajectory of movement: you need to know how you are going, how the opponent is going, so that you don’t let him go ahead or, on the contrary, overtake him.

How do the trainings go?

Pavel: The first thing is general physical training. Gym, running, jumping – everything that any professional athlete does. Next is coordination training: balance boards, trampolines. Then there are more narrowly focused exercises, such as skatepark. It gives very strong technical training: all jumps and movement on uneven surfaces are practiced. And after that, there are classes on ice tracks.

Despite the external similarity of rollers and skates, they are still different. On rollers you can’t brake as well as on skates, pass an obstacle at high speed, etc. There are some nuances, and they must be taken into account. But in general, summer training in a skatepark gives you a certain advantage.

rider, Red Bull Ice Cross 2022 bronze medalist

During the year I play regularly in an amateur hockey club, steadily 1-2 times a week when there is no dense training in the gym. And sometimes, just to relax, I skate at the skatepark, for example, once a week. I get four days of rest and three days of light training.

The preparation for the competitions starts at the end of summer. We had four months of dense training 3-4 times a week: in the gym, on physics, on balance and coordination. Plus hockey as ice training and skating in the skate park once a week. We practiced almost every day. Specifically my training was organized in such a way that there were 3-4 days of physical training, one day – skatepark and one day – ice.

Pavel: General physical training should be as in any sport. For example, from the outside it may seem that we train only legs, but this is a misconception. Your back and abs should be strong, because without them you won’t be able to jump, get into turns, etc.

If we talk about competitions, professional athletes start preparing for them about six months in advance. That way, they can get to the race at the peak of their form.

rider, winner of Red Bull Ice Cross 2022

This time I trained much less than 3-4 years ago when I was younger. I spent much less time training in the gym, especially strength training. My main emphasis is on mobility and flexibility. In general, now I don’t train every day, but I try to do something active at least once every two days.

Of course, when I’m preparing for competitions, I start showing up at the gym more often and skate as much as I can. I also play hockey with my friends.

Where can you train besides the skatepark?

Pavel: Do you need sharp turns? Put obstacles in the parking lot – and practice your turns on rollerblades or come to any skating rink and try it on skates.

To prepare for the step – the first element of the track, when you need to step from a height of 1-1.5 meters – you need, rather, moral preparation. It’s not so much difficult as scary. But you can train in the same skatepark or on trampolines.

And if you need to develop great speed, a road with a slope is enough. So the complex of training can be dialed in normal everyday life, using things like this.

What equipment to choose a beginner?

Hockey protection

Pavel: The basic set, if we make a reference to the rules, is the protection of the head, elbows and knees, shins, back protection, skates and gloves. These are common hockey equipment that you can even rent. But you have to understand that hockey equipment is designed so that the athlete is not hurt when the puck flies at him. We, on the other hand, do not have the goal to protect ourselves from the puck and throws, protection only from falling. That’s why professional athletes usually use motocross equipment. It’s lightweight protection that doesn’t restrict movement like hockey uniforms.

Familiar skates

Pavel: In the past, when the tracks were straight and faster, we used special modified blades. But now they are practically abandoned – not only speed is important, but also technique. Professional riders sharpen blades in a special way – and the sharpening differs depending on the track, weather and other conditions. At the initial stage, any sharpening that the athlete is used to will do.

How much time do you need to prepare for your first competition?

Pavel: Let me give you an example. Last year at the championship we had a manager, Mikhail, who worked at the event. He liked it so much that this year he came back as a participant. In general, he is a hockey player, but five days were enough for him to prepare for the race on this track and perform at the basic level. Perhaps the main advice to beginners is not to be afraid.

rider, winner of Red Bull Ice Cross 2022.

My advice would be to always trust yourself and assess your capabilities sensibly. Don’t try to be guided by other riders: it may work for them, but it won’t work for you. Be consistent – keep trying your best time after time. And then you will definitely succeed.