Never stood on skates in your life? That's exactly who this is for. Coaches at Galaxy start from true zero, standing up, balance, first steps, for kids from age 4 and adults of any age. No pressure, no judgment, gear provided. Your first session is free until 1 September 2026.
Tell us your age and that you've never skated. That's all a coach needs to plan your first lesson around exactly where you're starting from.
Being nervous is normal. Knowing exactly what to expect usually takes most of that nervousness away.
Nearly every beginner feels it, wobbly ankles, gripping the boards, not trusting the skate. Coaches expect it and build the first lesson around it, not around ignoring it.
Before anything hockey-related, the first minutes are about standing, balance and small pushes. No stick, no puck, no pressure to look good.
Once standing and gliding feel steadier, coaches introduce holding a stick, simple pushes and light puck touches, all at your pace.
Most hockey pages assume you already know how to skate. This one doesn't. If you or your child have never stood on skates, not once, this is written for you: what the fear of the ice feels like, what happens in a first lesson, and roughly how long it takes before you feel steady rather than terrified.
Almost everyone who steps onto ice for the first time feels some version of the same thing: wobbly ankles, a death grip on the boards, the sense that the skate blade is about to slide out from under them. Adults often feel it more acutely than kids, because adults are used to being competent at things and skating strips that away instantly. Coaches at Galaxy see this every single week, with both kids from age 4 and adults who've never laced up skates in their life. It's not a sign you're bad at this, it's just where everyone starts.
You're fitted with a full set of rental gear before you even reach the ice, skates, stick, helmet and pads, so there's nothing to buy or bring. On the ice, your coach starts with the fundamentals: standing up without the boards, finding balance on two skates, small controlled steps, and short pushes while holding on if you need to. Nobody hands you a stick and expects you to play hockey on day one. The goal of lesson one is simple: leave feeling less afraid of the ice than when you walked in.
Honestly, it depends on the person, and we won't pretend there's a fixed number of sessions that works for everyone. Some people feel noticeably steadier after just a couple of lessons, others take a bit longer, both are completely normal. What matters more than speed is consistency: showing up regularly builds balance and confidence far faster than trying to push through in one long session. Coaches will give you an honest, personal read on your progress as you go, rather than a generic promise.
Galaxy runs groups for kids from age 4 and separate adult groups, so beginners of every age train alongside people at a similar stage, not thrown in with advanced players. Groups stay small enough that coaches notice who's struggling and adjust. Full protective gear covers the player completely from head to toe, and there's no contact in beginner hockey, contact is introduced later, around age 12 to 14, once fundamentals are solid.
A lot of adults quietly assume hockey's a kids' sport they missed their window for. It isn't. Galaxy's adult groups are full of people who took up skates for the first time as grown-ups, some drawn in by watching their own kids train, others just curious about a sport they never had access to growing up. Nobody in an adult beginner group is judging your first wobbly steps, everyone there remembers their own.
Your first session is free, right up until 1 September 2026. After that, if you want a couple more sessions to properly decide whether hockey's for you, try-out sessions are 150 AED per hour, maximum 2. Message Galaxy on WhatsApp at +971 50 859 9547, tell us the age and that you've never skated, and a coach will set up a first lesson built around exactly that. If you want more on what's included, see our equipment rental page, and once you're past the nerves, the Kids Academy and Adult programme are where beginners keep training.
Not the athletic kid who's been skating since they could walk, not the adult who grew up playing back home. This is for the person who's never stood on skates and isn't sure they can. That's exactly who our beginner lessons are built around.
Four steps, built for people starting from absolute zero.
Tell us the age and that you've never skated. That's genuinely all we need to know.
A coach used to true beginners plans a session paced around balance and confidence first.
Get fitted, meet your coach, and start with standing and balance, no stick pressure yet.
Feeling steadier? Move into regular lessons at the Kids Academy or Adults, at your pace.
Free first session until 1 Sep 2026 · gear provided · kids from age 4 & adults · Sport Society Mall, Mirdif.
In official cooperation with the UAE Winter Sports Federation · IIHF member association