Do you need gymnastic experience for figure skating?

I decided that I want to figure skate. So I was wondering, do I need gymnastic experience to do it? I mean, I know it makes you a better skater, but to be really good do need to do gymnastics? It sounds fun, but I'm not sure I have the time.


What part of figure skating does gymnastics help you with?


Thanks for your help!|||Actually, not many elite-level skaters would take gymnastics. Ballet is usually the better option because it provides the flexibility and strength of gymnastics and combines it with grace and musicality.





But you don't NEED any experience in anything to figure skate. I mean, obviously previous experience ice skating helps. But in anything outside figure skating, you don't NEED it. It just helps a little that's all.





And most of the Olympic-level skaters do ballet classes on the side, not gymnastics.|||Of course you don't need it, but it certainly helps with flexibility, balance, coordination, etc. I did dance for a year, then gymnastics for a year, and then I started skating, and it did help me quite a bit. As you get to be a higher level figure skater, you may want to take a ballet class to help with flexibility and gracefullness, but its not necessary at all.|||Of course you don't need gymnastics experience, haven't you seen the movie "Cutting Edge" you just need to be a hockey player. Sorry, it was an 90's thing. Gymastics experience would be an advantage but I think figure skaters probably do practice gymastic type skills throughout their training. I would think balance, confidence, strength, flexibility, and focus would be critical to both sports. These are traits common to most sports. Basically to compete with the best requires an athletic person that also dedicates themselves to practice and training.|||sk8ting is skating and gymnastics is gymnastics. sk8ting is fine by itself you dont need to do gymnastics. but its like saying you have an opitunity to get better and your saying no to it. gymnastics is about stamina, strength, balcnce, power, wisdom and more, combined together. its can be a real benifit to ice skating and mabey more. gymnastics is a really good sport though you should try it. you could learn things you thought you'd never do. hope this helped:)|||no you don't need it at all!