What Should You Practise After Forward Swizzles?

Once forward swizzles feel comfortable, keep practising them while adding a reliable stop, a steady two-foot glide, gentle one-foot balance and introductory backward movement. You do not have to master every skill in a fixed order: the next useful step depends on what your instructor has already taught, how safely you can control speed, and what your rink's beginner programme expects. Treat the sequence below as a practical way to organise lessons and short independent practice sessions, not as a new skating test.

What does being comfortable with swizzles actually mean?

A forward swizzle is a two-foot movement in which the skates trace outward and inward curves as you travel forwards. You make progress by coordinating controlled pressure, knee movement and the path of both skates, rather than simply spreading your feet as far apart as possible.

The Learn to Skate USA Basic Skills curriculum places consecutive forward swizzles alongside other early foundations, including two-foot gliding and an introductory snowplough stop. The iceHQ Aussie Skate progression likewise includes forward swizzles, gliding and stopping in its first beginner stage for adults and older children.

Both are useful references, but they are different programmes. Completing a few swizzles does not automatically mean you've passed an official level, and a particular rink might teach other skills in a different order.

For your own progress notes, ask whether you can start and finish the movement deliberately, keep your eyes looking where you're travelling and avoid speeding up towards another skater. If you can only perform swizzles while holding the barrier, that's still a useful starting point for coached practice.

First priority: learn to slow down and stop

Getting faster is not the same as controlling speed. If you can travel across the rink using swizzles but cannot reliably slow down, talk to your instructor about stopping before practising longer or faster sequences.

The snowplough stop is one common beginner method. A coach can teach you how to bring the skates towards an appropriate stopping position and gently work against the ice without an abrupt twist or uncontrolled fall. Learn to Skate USA's curriculum includes a beginning snowplough stop at Basic 1 and a moving version later; iceHQ's Aussie Skate list similarly distinguishes stationary and moving stopping work.

Try to answer three practical questions during a lesson:

• Can I reduce speed when asked, rather than only when the glide ends?
• Do I understand how much space I need for the stop I'm learning?
• Can I recognise when the session is too crowded to attempt it?

Do not test an unfinished stop by skating quickly towards the boards. Our snowplough stop guide explains the early steps and common problems in more detail.

Next: turn swizzle speed into a steady glide

Swizzles create movement; a two-foot glide lets you travel on both skates without continuing to push. Your next goal is not to cover a certain number of metres. It is to feel balanced while the skates move quietly beneath you.

An instructor may ask you to perform a short series of swizzles, then bring your skates into a comfortable parallel position for a glide. Notice whether your upper body remains balanced and whether you can finish without grabbing another person or the wall.

A useful session note might be: "Swizzles felt controlled; I can glide afterwards but still lean back when slowing down." That observation gives you something specific to ask about. It is more informative than ticking off the entire movement after one attempt.

Learn to Skate USA explicitly emphasises developing forward and backward movement, stops, edges and turns through a progressive, instructor-supported structure.

Then: begin balancing on one foot

A one-foot glide means travelling while the weight is supported by one skating foot, with the other foot lifted or otherwise unloaded as instructed. It asks more of your balance than a two-foot glide, so don't rush from the first swizzle directly into a long unsupported attempt.

You can work towards it with small transfers of weight during a lesson and the simple exercises your coach chooses for your level. Pay attention to both left and right feet, even if one side feels much more natural.

The published Aussie Skate programme at iceHQ places early one-foot balance and glides near the first swizzle and stopping work. The U.S. Basic 2 list explicitly includes right and left forward one-foot glides.

Avoid comparing your glide distance with another adult's. Your foot position, boot support, recent practice and confidence can all change how an attempt feels. For a focused explanation, read how to hold a one-foot glide.

Where do backward wiggles and swizzles fit?

Once you can manage basic forward travel and stopping, many beginner lessons introduce small backward movements. A backward wiggle is a controlled side-to-side movement that begins travelling backwards; a backward swizzle uses a related two-foot opening-and-closing action in the other direction of travel.

In Learn to Skate USA, backward wiggles appear at Basic 1, while backward swizzles appear in Basic 2. The iceHQ programme also separates early backward wiggles from later backward swizzles. This is evidence of a common learning progression, not a requirement to attempt either without supervision.

Before practising backwards, check the space behind you and follow your rink's traffic rules. In a busy public session, an instructor may prefer a quieter practice area or recommend staying with forwards work.

For the broader relationship between backward glides and later crossovers, see how adult beginners learn to skate backwards.

What about rocking horses and half-swizzle pumps?

These exercises connect swizzle control to changes in direction and balance on curves. A rocking horse combines forward and backward swizzle movements; a half-swizzle pump uses one leg to produce propulsion while the other follows a controlled path.

Both appear in beginner curriculum progressions, although timing varies. The Learn to Skate USA Basic 2 curriculum includes rocking horses, while iceHQ lists half-swizzle pumps in later early stages.

The distinction matters: you don't need to immediately learn an advanced-looking circle pattern just because your forward swizzles have improved. Ask your instructor which preliminary exercise helps the skill you are learning next.

A sample practice focus for your next session

This is an illustrative plan, not an official lesson or prescribed time allocation. Adjust it for class instruction, fatigue and rink traffic.

If a movement feels unsafe, stop, return to a simpler exercise and ask for guidance. More repetitions are not automatically better when your technique is deteriorating.

How does this fit with skating levels?

A broad beginner sequence helps organise ideas, but the official outcome depends on your local programme. Learn to Skate USA and Australian rink programmes can place related exercises at different stages and assess them differently.

Use the beginner skills overview for the longer progression, and the skill progression hub for other focused questions. An independent checklist can remind you what to practise, but it does not replace a coach's readiness assessment or grant a federation level.

Common mistakes after learning swizzles

A frequent mistake is chasing speed before developing a stop. Another is avoiding the weaker foot because one-foot balance feels awkward. Some skaters also move straight to turns or crossovers without being comfortable gliding or controlling direction.

Progress doesn't need to look the same every session. If swizzles have started to click, your next achievement might simply be stopping deliberately or maintaining a balanced glide on a different day. Those foundations count.

Key takeaways

• After forward swizzles, prioritise a dependable, coached way to slow down and stop.
• Add two-foot glides and left/right one-foot balance without rushing the distance.
• Begin backward wiggles and swizzles when your instructor and skating environment make them appropriate.
• Use official beginner curricula as references, not as interchangeable certificates or fixed deadlines.
• Keep one clear next-session goal alongside your familiar exercises.