If you take one piece of advice from this post, let it be this: bend your knees. It is the golden rule of skating. When you stand straight up like a pencil, your center of gravity is high. If you hit a bump or lose balance, you fall like a tree—hard and fast.

Bending your knees lowers your center of gravity and gives you stability. It feels like a leg workout, but it keeps you upright. It also acts like a shock absorber. Also, keep your eyes up. It’s tempting to look at your feet to see what they are doing, but if you look down, you tend to lean forward… and then you fall forward. Look where you want to go.

If you are a beginner, a crowded, small rink can feel terrifying. It feels like a highway during rush hour where no one uses turn signals. You need space to wobble, figure out your balance, and occasionally hit the floor without taking three other people down with you. At our rink, the sheer size of the hardwood gives beginners enough dedicated “safe zones” to practice comfortably while the pros do their thing in the center. You don’t have to stress about being “in the way” or disrupting the flow of traffic. You can hug the wall or find a quiet corner and just focus on your feet.