Figure Skating | What Are Inside & Outside Edges?

Hi and welcome to Next Edge Tutorials. In this lesson today we're going to be looking at our edges inside and outside. So before we jump into our lesson I want you to click on the link below in the descriptions on the four turns that we have in figure skating. They are a three turn, a bracket, a counter, and a rocker. You might just be starting out in figure skating and this is a quick guide to help you understand all the turns or you might know all the turns but you just need a refresher because you want to know these like the back of your hand as a figure skater. So the edges that we're going to be looking at are inside and outside edges and those can be forward outside, forward inside, back outside, and back inside. Now you might find yourself I'm not up to this point in skating but you will be so we have to learn them. We have to learn a forward outside edge because we'll use that going into a spin or we might use a back three turn going into a loop jump. So these edges are vital in skating and now is the perfect time to learn them. So in this lesson we're going to learn what they are. So I like to think about when I'm on an inside edge I'm falling into my free leg. I'm falling into that leg and that's how I can remember an inside edge. It's falling in to my free leg. The outside one is I'm falling away from my free leg. So my free leg is nowhere near the outside here and your blade will also lean. You have your outside and then you have your falling into the inside edge and that's just a quick tip for how you can remember them. Now let's go to the barrier real quick. So you can hold on to the barrier here and practice that in and then practice out. Notice my body and how I lean one way and then I lean the other way and then you can use your other foot also and work on that. Leaning in and then leaning out, inside and outside. Now let's take it a bit further than that. So I'm going to hold on to the barrier and I'm just going to press around. Then the other foot, bend and press, bend and press, bend and press. As you can see these are more of back inside edges because the blade is moving back and I'm pressing around, pressing around. Now let's learn the outside. So same thing, pushing, pressing, pressing around. This is just a little exercise so that you feel comfortable on those inside and outside edges and feeling the difference of that pressing in and then pressing out, pressing in and pressing out. Okay now let's look at forward inside and forward outside edges. I started backwards but you might feel more comfortable starting forward. So we're going to start with a right forward outside edge, pressing around. Now we're going to go back the other way, press around. Again, bend and press. As you can see I'm bending my knee and then pressing through my ankle to bend and push and I'm in the back of the blade. Now let's look at forward inside edges. So I'm going to go left inside, now right forward inside, left inside, right forward inside. You can see my body, there's a difference in how my body leans in also along with the blade because it really helps me maintain on that forward inside or forward outside edge. So this is just a quick exercise for you to really understand the difference in edges. Now let's take a look at forward inside edges. I push onto my right forward inside edge and I let it curve around. Now push on a left inside edge and let it curve around. Then push, press that edge around, push and it's following on that inside edge. I'm falling in towards my free leg on this left forward inside edge, push right forward inside edge. As you can see what we learned at the barrier, it's falling in towards that free leg which then it's a little bit easier to identify. It's a forward inside edge. Now we're going to go down the ice with some forward outside edges. So I'm going to push onto my left forward outside edge, now push right forward outside edge, push left forward outside edge, then push right forward outside edge. As you can see the edges pulling away from that free leg which then it's easier to identify this is a forward outside edge because I'm gliding forward on that outside edge. Now let's take a look at some back inside edges. So I'm going to push onto a right back inside edge and hold. Now then push left back inside edge, hold, push right back inside edge letting this edge come around, then push left back inside edge, then push right back inside edge. So these are back inside edges because I'm moving backwards depending on which leg. I'm going to do a right back inside edge, push left back inside edge. Now for the last one is the back outside edges. So I'm going to push on a left back outside edge, push back outside edge, push now a right back outside edge, push left back outside edge, push right back outside edge, push left back outside edge. As you can see once you understand it's going to be really easy for you to pick up when your coach says hey I want you to do a right forward outside three turn. You'll go oh I know exactly what she's talking about or a left back inside three turn. You know it's on the left foot and it's a three turn. So once you identify these edges it's going to be really easy for you to do harder things in figure skating. As a quick reminder please check out our link below in the descriptions on the four turns that we have in figure skating. This is something that every figure skater needs to know at some point. So please check it out just so that you have that knowledge in your head. So one thing that I want you to remember just starting out you just want to have a consistent curve. It doesn't need to be super deep, just a consistent curve coming around because what happens is sometimes our blade gets little bit wobbly that inside to outside. I like to call it like it fishes. So just make sure that it maintains on that nice inside or outside edge that you're trying to achieve. And the more confident you get you will notice that edge get deeper and deeper. So please just take your time when you're starting out on these edges. So that concludes our lesson today on our outside and inside edges. Hopefully you got a lot out of this lesson and happy skating!