Well first of all you certainly want to feel warm and comfortable during the whole lesson so for your first lessons your clothes should be thicker but easy to move in. A good choice would be to put a few layers on so once you warm up you can take a layer or two off your body.

For little children, from the age of 4 to 6, it is best to wear ski pants, under these warm leggings or tights, then certainly an undergarment, long sleeved t-shirt and perhaps turtleneck or pullover and a jacket for their first few skating lessons. Children also need gloves and a hat or a helmet to protect their head. Once children learn how to skate and feel more comfortable with their skating skills they can start to wear ice skating clothes which are made of thinner materials to ensure easy movement during practice. Of course it also depends how often they intend to go for ice skating lessons – the ones who only want to learn to skate on the ice – leisure time skaters who will master the basics and continue to skate for fun. The other group are skaters who would like to devote their time to actual figure skating lessons and later on compete as an ice skater. For fun skating specialised figure skating clothes are not a necessity.

Figure skating clothing is designed for figure skaters and their everyday training routine. Usually is this clothing made from stretchy fabrics such as Lycra of different thickness, softness and quality. There are also other materials used for production of ice skating clothes and accessories such as fleece material, knitted fabrics, quilted shell fabrics,…etc.

Every skater wants to feel comfortable in their practice training gear so it is very important that it fulfils every characteristic the skater requires from it.

These include:

• Comfortable
• Easy to move in
• Adjusting to his/her body shape
• Easy to care for
• Preserves its shape after frequent washing
• Sensitive to skin
• Lightweight
• Wrinkle free
• Quick drying
• Body Moisture wicking system
• Keeps the required temperature

A figure skater who trains every day needs a several sets of figure skating clothing. Sometimes skaters change their clothes several times per day. This depends on his/her daily routine.

The basic set of figure skating clothes includes a pair of leggings, a tank top, long sleeved T-shirt, a skating jacket and gloves plus a headband which are available in different colours and sizes from every seller. Other garments are a bodysuit/leotard and tights which is underwear and frequently changed by figure skaters. These practice outfits are sold by many sellers online and with such variety it is possible to find your dream practice outfit for yourself or your child. The range of brands is wide so you won’t have any troubles finding the perfect outfit which will fit your taste. Many producers of skating gear have their sizes set but usually there is an option of custom made clothing if you wish.

During skating lessons coaches prefer nice and neat training gear so they are able to see a silhouette and the movements of the ice skater clearly and easily. Definitely simplicity has its place in this case. Some loose fits of clothing or hanging pieces flying around the skaters’ body can be distracting to the coach who is trying critically analyse the skaters’ movements and also in the way of the participants’ movements while skating. It is important to be careful with all sort of accessorise such as earrings, chains, bracelets as they might get stuck in the sporting clothing while skating and performing your routine.

Legwarmers could be quite dangerous if they are not tight enough on your legs even if you are a skilled skater. They do prevent you from getting your calves cold but your toe picks could get stuck easily in them and you might trip or fall.

There is also a difference between male and female skating clothes. There is a bigger choice of female skating clothing than male clothing. As well as leggings, girls can choose from a wide variety of dresses with different cuts and fits, or skirts and tights. Boy’s range of skating clothing is more limited but there are also many variations of T-shirts, jackets and trousers they can choose from for their skating lessons.

Certainly one of the most common questions to answer to would be "what is the price for skating items?". The price for skating clothing differs by every seller and by brand. A price can start from 5 Euros for a pair of gloves and might go up to 250 Euros for a leotard or maybe even more depending on the item. The final price is dependent upon the amount of stones/or other extra decorations that a skater has placed on his/her clothing and how difficult it is to create that item.

Another thing worth mentioning is how often you need to get a new set of clothes for your skating. This depends on your training routine and how many hours per day you skate, how many sessions you do per week and how often a skater needs to change their sports clothing to remain fresh and comfortable. For a top level skater training a few hours per day there is a need to change their clothing frequently. Their clothing will also wear out faster than a skater who trains less.

As described in the article above there are many sellers online or even in local skating shops who sell ice skating clothes for practice. These producers of skating gear often supply clothing for off-ice training routines. This is additional clothing for aspects of figure skating training conducted within, for example, a dance studio. A skater will need extra pieces of clothing for warm up before a skating session or, for example, ballet class after the practice.

The market for skating clothing is expanding fast and with the variety of items now available everyone will be able to find the perfect skating set of clothes for his/her own skating routine and meeting his/her own taste.