SKATING, an exercise on ice, both graceful and healthy.. Although the an. cients were remarkable for their dexte rity in most of the athletic sports. vet skating seems to have been unknown to them. It may therefore be considered as a modern invention, and probably it derived its origin in Holland, where it was practised not only as a graceful and elegant amusement, but as an expeditious mode of travelling when the lakes and canals were frozen up during winter. in Holland long journeys are made upon skates with ease and expedition ; but in general less attention is there paid to graceful and elegant movements, than to the expedition and celerity of what is called journey skating. It is only in those countries where it is considered as an amusement, that its graceful atti tudes and movements can IA studied; and there is no exercise whatever better calculated to set off the human figure to advantage. The acquirement of most exercises may be attained to an advanced period of life; but to become an expert skater, it is necessary to begin the prac tice of the art at a very early age. It is difficult to reduce the art of skating to a system. It is principally by the imita tion of a good skater that a young prac titioner can form his own practice. Those who wish to be proficient; should be gin at an early period of life, and should first endeavour to throw off' the fear which always attends the commence ment of an apparently hazardous amuse ment. They will soon acquire a facility of moving on the inside; when they have done this, they must endeavour to ac quire the movement on the outside of the skates, which is nothing more than throwing themselves upon the outer edge of the skate, and making the ba lance of their body tend towards that side, which necessarily enables them to form a semicircle. In this much assist ance may be derived from placing a bag of lead shot In the pocket next to the foot employed in making the outside stroke, which will produce an artficial poise of the body, which afterwards will become natural by practice. At the
commencement of the outside stroke, the knee of the employed limb should be a little bonded, and gradually brought to a rectilinear position when the stroke is completed. When the practitioner becomes expert in formingthe semicircle with both feet, he is then to join them to gether, and proceed progressively and al ternately with both feet, which will carry him forward with a graceful movement.
Care should be taken to use very little muscular exertion, for the impelling mo tion should proceed from the mechanical impulse of the body thrown into such a position as to reFulate the stroke. At taking the outside stroke, the body ought to be thrown forward easily, the unemployed limb kept in a direct line with the body, and the face and eyes directly looking forward : the unemploy ed foot ought to be stretched towards the ice, with the toes in a direct line with the leg. In the time of making the curve, the body must be gradually, and almost imperceptibly, raised, and the unemploy ed limb brought in the same manner for ward:. so that, at finishing the curve, the body will bend a small degree backward, and the unemployed foot will be about two inches before the other, ready to embrace the ice, and form a correspond. ent curve. The muscular movement of the whole body must correspond with the movement of the skate, and should be regulated so as to be almost impercepti ble to the spectators. Particular atten tion should be paid in carrying round the head and eyes with a regular and imper ceptible motion; for nothing so much di minishes the grace and elegance of skat ing as sudden jerks and exertions, which are too frequently used by the generality of skaters. The management of the arms likewise deserves attention. There is no mode of disposing of them more pacefully in skating outside, than fold ing the hands into each other, or using a muff.