Figure skating carries with it the inherent potential for injury – it is done on ice, after all! There are several different types of protective gear available from simple gel pads to help with sore spots to full padding to help mitigate potential injury and boost confidence if you or your skater feel that fear of falling is holding you back. Here is just a short list of the most commonly used items.
Bunga Pads
Bunga pads provide protection for the areas of the feet and ankles covered by the boot, generally where there is pain or the potential for a blister to appear due to rubbing. They are sleeves worn on various areas of the foot and/or ankle with built in gel pads that cover the area needing protection. Bunga is a specific brand (others are available, but we’ve found Bunga to be the best) that makes pads for all the areas a skater is most likely to have trouble with. More information about Bunga pads can be found on their website, and they can easily be purchased via Amazon or online skate shops (a quick internet search will provide a long list of options for purchase).
Knee Pads
There is a huge variety of knee pads available both online and in any sporting goods store. While any type will protect the knee, try to avoid particularly bulky knee pads as they can make it more difficult for the skater to perform skating moves in which the legs cross, such as crossovers and most jumps.
Crash Pants
Crash pants are basically shorts with built in padding to protect the hips and tailbone; they are worn over the skater’s leggings. These pants are used primarily for jumping as learning to jump, particularly at the Axel and higher levels, involves quite a lot of falling – mostly on the hips and outer thighs.
Head Protection
Although hitting your head when falling isn’t necessarily common in figure skating, it certainly does happen, and when it does, it can be serious. Head protection becomes even more important for those who have already suffered any kind of head trauma, including a concussion. There are basically two different types of head protection available: a helmet and a crash band. Helmets are better suited to minimize injury for beginners as they have not yet learned how to fall. A significant drawback to helmets is that they limit visibility. Crash bands provide a good solution by offering head protection without getting in the way. An internet search for “figure skating head protection” provides a variety of options; however, the two most common ones used by figure skaters (because they were designed for figure skaters) are made by Crasche and Ice Halo.
