Making sure you have all the essentials you need for a full and brimming skate bag is an important part of skating life, and something you'll encounter when you're starting out. This post is for all you lovely skaters who are just getting started, and hopefully it's come at an ideal time: perhaps you've been gifted things over the festive period, or maybe you plan on making full use of the slashed prices in the post-holiday sales. Either way, read on to get the low down on all the essentials!

Although seasoned skaters will know the drill when it comes to keeping their skates in the best state possible during everyday use, beginner skaters may be wondering what the deal is with blades, protection, and storage. This post is for you guys, and I hope it clears some things up!

This post may seem somewhat basic to the seasoned skater or skating-person (coach, parents, siblings, fan, the list goes on!), but I hope it will be useful to beginners starting out, or people who simply want to know more about figure skates. Here I'm going to introduce figure skates, also known as skating boots, or simply boots, and have a look at the different parts that make them up, and then talk a little about skate types, and brands.

I was thinking about this today, and it came across me that this question would make a good introductory blog post. So here I am. Obviously this entire blog is based around figure skating, a sport I've been involved in most my life. I'm sure you've seen skating on the TV, or glimpsed stunning performances during Olympic events, even if you're not an avid skating fan, or you're just starting out in the wonderful world of figure skating. So what is figure skating anyway?

Hi there, fellow skater. Are you a "late starter"? Do you cringe when seeing younger skaters performing complicated jumps, and fear people snicker at you behind your back? Then this post is for you.

Yes you, the fabulous, glorious, passionate skater. Notice I didn't make any reference to when you started skating, or the fact that you may be considered "too old" to "get anywhere in skating". Because you are a skater. So stop categorising yourself as something that pulls down your confidence, and pre-labels you for others.

You might feel that as you are no longer a 7 year old, figure skating is not an adventure you're allowed to embark upon. You couldn't be more wrong ! Adult skating has grown so much since it's beginnings, and now the Adult World Championships exist, among many other amazing international events. Whether that's where you want to be, or you're happy to dance a foxtrot or two on a sunday morning, skating is something open to everyone.

This may sound like a pretty obvious title but some of you may be wondering how to get into the sport of ice skating. Maybe you want your child to partake in a sport, or maybe you yourself fancy hitting that ice for a quick whiz about. Skating is fun, invigorating, and a long-term source of challenge and fun! For many people its their 'me time' and helps them to escape the daily routine of work, family and other commitments.