The Most Important Move

I've been reading Figure Skating: Championship Techniques by John Misha Petkevich. It's a terrific book -- it has a lot of pictures and it's very detailed. Petkevich was a US Champion. He really gives a lot of good advice. I especially love this gem from page 29, where he's telling you in detail how to get started your first time on the ice:

"The next move is perhaps the most important you will ever make on the ice. Let go of the barrier."