How do you glide on the inside edge in an arc? From speed on one foot, knee bent, shoulders and arms following the curve. Learn the forward inside edge.
The honest answer first: a forward inside edge is a glide on one foot in which the blade stands on its inside edge and carries you into an arc instead of straight ahead. The Learn to Skate USA leaflet sums it up: a blade has two edges, inside and outside, plus two directions, forward and backward – with two feet that makes eight edges. Whenever you skate on a curve you glide on an edge [1].
In the Learn to Skate USA adult curriculum, the forward outside edge and the forward inside edge on the circle, right and left, are on level 3 of 6 [2]. The leaflet puts it plainly: all advanced skating skills need strong edges [1]. Whoever works cleanly here will find crossovers, three-turns and spins easier later.
Honestly: the leaflet describes edges only in general, not the execution of the inside arc in detail. The concrete hints below are practice standard and practical experience (without [n]); a coach helps you find the feel for the edge.
Stand on both feet with the knees only slightly bent. Roll the ankles inwards until you feel the pressure on the inside of the blades, then outwards onto the outside edge. The leaflet says that each blade has two edges [1]. Milestone: you find both edges while standing without holding on.
Glide forward on both feet and let yourself lean slightly into a curve. Both blades should stay on the inside edges; the curve comes from pressure, not from steering. The upper body stays calm, chest and head up.
Gain speed, go into a one-foot glide and lean into the curve [1]. The skating leg is bent and the free foot lies close to it. Shoulders and arms follow the arc, like in the backward half-swizzle "hugging the circle", i.e. close to the circle line [1]. Milestone: you glide a half circle on one edge without the blade tipping off.
Do everything on the other leg. The curriculum asks for the inside edge right and left [2]. One side almost always feels weaker; that is normal.
Only when the half circle is stable do you extend it. Count aloud how many counts you stay on one edge and increase by one count, not by ten.
With every attempt, think of an image instead of joints: "I draw a clean half-moon on the ice". In a review of 12 studies with 566 participants, an external focus was on average more effective than an internal one for skill acquisition, although the studies were small and the result should be read with caution [3].
Your progress shows in the track and the feel (rule of thumb, not a study): is the track on the ice a single, evenly curved line? Do you stay one count longer on the edge than last time? When you glide a clean half circle on both legs without shoulders or free foot breaking out, you are ready for the outside arc and for backward. Film once a week to check.
This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training. When skating arcs on an edge you fall quickly towards the inside of the curve. In a video analysis of 216 ice-skating falls in children, 93% of the children tried to break the fall with arms or hands, and in 13% the head hit the ice [4]. So wear a helmet, keep the arms at the body in a fall and fall sideways. Do not practise in dense crowds. If your ankles hurt, soft or ill-fitting boots may be the cause: have the fit checked in a specialist shop.
Practise the arc on a visible line: many rinks have painted circles or lines you can use for orientation. Glide so that your track traces one half of the circle. When your blade leaves the line, you know immediately on which side you lack pressure. This is practical experience that makes the feel for the edge visible.
An inside edge is a glide on the inner edge of a blade that carries you into a curve. A blade has two edges, inside and outside, and whenever you skate a curve you glide on an edge [1].
In the Learn to Skate USA adult curriculum, the forward inside edge on the circle, right and left, is on level 3 of 6 [2]. Before it come gliding, swizzles and the one-foot glide.
Usually speed, a bent skating knee or a sharp grind is missing. Bend knee and ankle, take more run-up and have the skates checked (practical experience).
Recommended, yes. In a video analysis of children, the head hit the ice in 13% of ice-skating falls, against only 3% on inline skates [4].
The Backward Outside Edge on the Ice