Basic 1 Figure Skating Skills Checklist: Where to Begin

Axel's Basic 1 has exactly three fixed skills: Fall and Get Up, Forward Two Foot Glide, and Dip. Use the checklist to track those foundations while learning in an appropriate lesson. This is Axel's independent grouping, not the official Basic 1 assessment of Learn to Skate USA, Aussie Skate or any other federation.

What is on the Axel Basic 1 checklist?

Those three names are drawn from Axel's current fixed catalogue, with immutable catalogue slugs basic-1--fall-and-get-up, basic-1--forward-two-foot-glide and basic-1--dip. The checklist is deliberately short: it gives you a way to record early confidence, not a claim to teach everything that belongs in a beginner lesson.

In particular, stopping is essential even though Snowplow Stop lives in Axel's next tier, Basic 2. Do not interpret completing these three entries as proof that it is safe to skate faster, attend an unrestricted session or skip coached stopping practice.

Skill 1: Fall and Get Up

Falling happens during learning; the goal is to respond safely rather than to make a deliberate fall into a crowded area. Ask your coach to demonstrate the correct method for your ability and protective equipment, ideally with an introduction off the ice. Skate Canada's safety guidance specifically says coaches must ensure beginners are taught how to fall and get up.

For the getting-up portion, beginners commonly learn to settle into a stable kneeling position, place one skate beneath them and stand with controlled support. The exact sequence and any adaptations should come from your instructor, especially if you have limited mobility or a previous injury. Do not pull on another skater who is also unsteady.

Your progress question is not "Did I fall without pain once?" It is "Do I know what to do after a normal fall, and can I follow the demonstrated recovery safely?" If you strike your head, feel dizzy or are otherwise hurt, stop and seek rink first aid rather than repeating the exercise.

Skill 2: Forward Two Foot Glide

A two-foot glide begins after a few small forward steps. Both skates travel in the same general direction without constant marching, and you keep your balance over your feet rather than gripping the boards. For a beginner, a short, calm glide is enough to work with.

The published Aussie Skate beginner progression at iceHQ includes forward two-foot gliding among its introductory activities. Learn to Skate USA Basic Skills likewise builds foundations in forward and backward travel, stopping, edges and turns across its programme.

In a lesson, your coach may ask you to begin with a couple of small steps and let the skates roll quietly across the ice. Notice whether your knees stay comfortably soft and whether you can finish deliberately. Trying to stretch the glide by leaning backwards or pushing into other skaters is not the objective.

If your skates repeatedly travel apart, ask your coach to check your stance and boot fit. Keep any independent attempts slow and inside a designated practice area.

Skill 3: Dip

A dip is a shallow bend through the knees and ankles while remaining balanced over the skates. Axel groups it with Basic 1; it is a control exercise, not a deep squat, a sit spin or a test of flexibility. Your instructor should demonstrate a comfortable range for you.

Start from a two-foot position you can already control. Your coach may introduce dipping in place before doing the movement during a slow glide. On ice, notice whether your heels remain supported, your weight stays balanced and you can rise without rushing. A lower position is not automatically better.

The iceHQ Aussie Skate progression lists dipping in place early and a moving dip in a later stage. This illustrates why the apparently simple word dip can involve different learning contexts. Axel records a skill name; your class determines the actual learning standard.

What does "mastered" mean in this checklist?

Axel lets you mark a skill Not Started, Learning, Practicing or Mastered. Those are your own observations, not federation test results or automatic technique verification.

• Not Started: you have not begun the movement.
• Learning: you are receiving instruction and making first attempts.
• Practicing: you can do parts of it but need more consistency or control.
• Mastered: you believe you can perform the skill deliberately and safely at the level your instructor expects.

A reasonable self-check is to ask whether you can repeat it on more than one occasion, without a lucky single attempt being mistaken for reliable control. Read how to know when a skating skill is mastered for a broader explanation.

Is Axel Basic 1 the same as official Basic 1?

No. The names overlap, but the curricula do not. Learn to Skate USA publishes six Basic Skills levels, and local implementations include more than the three entries listed here. Australia's Aussie Skate is a different nationally accredited coaching programme with its own levels, badges and assessments.

For example, iceHQ's introductory Aussie 1 list includes marching, swizzles, a stationary snowplough stop and other outcomes as well as gliding and falling. Axel's three-skill tier is therefore not a certificate, a grade equivalence or a replacement for either programme.

A formal level pass should be recorded separately from an independent skill status. If your rink places you into a higher group, follow the class placement rather than working through every app tier simply for the sake of completing them.

What comes after these three skills?

Axel's Basic 2 includes Forward Swizzles, Forward One Foot Glide Left, Forward One Foot Glide Right and Snowplow Stop. You do not need to rush to tick everything before trying the next coached exercise; real learning often overlaps adjacent skills.

A practical next practice note might be: "Two-foot glide feels steady. Ask about a controlled dip and beginning snowplough stop." Small, specific observations let your coach help you decide what is next. For broader context, see which beginner skating skills to learn first.

Common checklist mistakes

The first mistake is treating three checked boxes as an official pass. Only your relevant skating programme defines its own formal assessment. The second is neglecting stopping because it appears in Axel Basic 2. The third is choosing a status from one lucky attempt, rather than your usual control.

Use the Axel skills progress tracker to organise your own progress alongside lessons. Your instructor, not the app, should decide which on-ice progressions are suitable.