LEARN TO SKATE WITH MORAY LEISURE CENTRE
Our Skate UK Programme
The Skate UK programme teaches movement and basic ice skating skills for skaters of all ages in 8 clear stages. You can find out more about the course here.
To enrol onto our Learn to Skate programme, please email our lessons coordinator at [email protected]
Why Learn To Skate?
Ice skating is a hugely popular activity that forms the basis of many winter sports you will see in the Winter Olympics, including figure skating and speed skating.
Whether you simply want to try ice skating for a bit of fun, or aim to skate competitively, this enjoyable winter sport offers a number of key health and fitness benefits.
Skate Tots 
Give your little one the opportunity to begin what might be a significant and magical journey into the world of ice skating!
- 30 minutes between 11:15-12:15
Junior SkateUK
- Fridays After School between 16:00-17:00
- Saturdays between 10:00-12:30
- Sunday Mornings between 10:00-11:00
Adult SkateUK
“Skating has revolutionised my relationship to movement, which, by the way has been a work-in-progress for 20 years. I don’t think about weight or discipline or fitness when I skate, or when I dive into the deep end of a pool. I think about flying. I think about experiencing life through the only body I will ever have.
Ice skating is meditative and difficult and terrifying and beautiful, like knitting on a roller coaster.You should try it sometime.”
SkateUK Plus: Sunday Sessions
AN OVERVIEW OF ICE SKATING LESSON LEVELS
The Skate UK Learn to Skate programme, endorsed by British Ice Skating, is a structured pathway designed to develop skaters from beginners to advanced levels. It comprises eight foundational levels, followed by four Star levels, each focusing on specific skills and techniques.
Skate Tots
Designed for children aged under five, the Ice Tots programme is taught on a parent and toddler basis, so you will need to be with your child at all times. Each level introduces some more challenging skills as your child progresses through the scheme. Only once they are able to complete all the skills required in that level will they move on to the next one.
Level 1 – Discovering Skills Phase
This introductory level helps skaters become comfortable on the ice. Participants learn to sit and stand in skates, march forward across the ice, perform a two-foot glide, and execute a basic dip. The goal is to build confidence and basic balance.
Level 2 – Discovering Skills Phase
This introductory level helps skaters become comfortable on the ice. Participants learn to sit and stand in skates, march forward across the ice, perform a two-foot glide, and execute a basic dip. The goal is to build confidence and basic balance.
Level 3 – Discovering Skills Phase
Skaters progress to moving backward, performing half snowplough or full snowplough stops, and gliding on curves. By the end of this phase skaters will have a clear understanding of forward & backward skating, forward & backward stopping and of edges and how to use them.
Level 4 – Developing Skills Phase
Skaters refine their skills by mastering forward outside and inside edges on circles, basic forward slalom, backward stroking, and continuous forward chasses around a circle. This level emphasises edge control and fluid movement.
Level 5 – Developing Skills Phase
This level introduces more complex maneuvers, including forward crossovers in both directions, backward snowplough stops, backward one-foot glides, and a two-foot spin with one revolution. Skaters also practice continuous backward chasses around a circle.
Level 6 -Developing Skills Phase
Skaters work on continuous backward chasses around a circle, forward two-foot slalom, forward outside three turns, and backward skating with stepping forward in both directions. On completion of this phase skaters will have a working knowledge of forward & backward stroking, forward & backward crossovers and transitioning from forwards to backwards and backwards to forwards
Level 7 – Consolidating Skills Phase
At this stage, skaters practice backward crossovers in both directions, forward inside three turns, and continuous forward outside and inside curves. They also work on forward inside mohawks and two-foot changes on large curves.
Level 8 – Consolidating Skills Phase
The final level before progressing to the Star levels, skaters focus on forward inside mohawks, two backward crossovers followed by a sustained backward outside curve, two-foot changes on large curves, and forward drag. This level prepares skaters for advanced techniques.
Star Levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum)
After completing Level 8, skaters can advance to the Star levels, which are more specialised and discipline-specific. These levels focus on elements such as jumps, spins, spirals, and step sequences in disciplines like figure skating and ice dance. Each Star level builds upon the skills developed in the previous one, aiming for higher proficiency and performance quality.
Track Your Progress
We follow the latest SkateUK lesson plan. The best way to record your progress, and see what skills are involved at each level, is to download the SkateUK app – the app is FREE to download levels 1-3; to unlock levels 4-8 there is a small cost of £9.99 per year cost or £1.99 monthly subscription, you can also access the Star programme in Figure, Ice Dance, Pair & Synchronized Skating for a one off fee of £14.99, in fact this app will lead you through the entire pathway from the very start of your journey whilst also offering other cool features. The app can be downloaded from this link : Skate UK (iceskating.org.uk)
This structured progression ensures that skaters develop a solid foundation before moving on to more advanced techniques, promoting both skill development and safety on the ice.