In-line Skating FUN-damentals and Outdoor Skate Basic Drills Review (Partial)
by Blaine Ruggles

Skill 1. THE BASIC READY POSITION

Objective: to provide a skating position of strength and stability from which to execute skating skills.

Features of the basic ready position include

1. Feet are shoulder width apart
2. Ankles & knees are bent so that you can not see your toes
3. Hips are directly over your ankles
4. Shoulders are slightly ahead of your hips
(The rule is that your shoulders/chest lead, if your hips should decide to lead - prepare to learn a valuable skating lesson the hard way!)
5. Hands are extended in front of you, arms are slightly bent and relaxed
6. Head is up and your eyes are looking 12-15 feet ahead

Skill 2. THE HEEL STOP

Objective: to stop on inline skates!

The Three steps

1. Return to Ready Position
2. Scissor your braking foot one skate length ahead
3. Apply your brake (toe up or point your toe depending you your brake design)

Tips for successful stopping: Lower your center of gravity by bending your ankles & knees deeper as you enter step two also known as sitting lower. Resist the tendency to hinge/bend at the waist as you apply your brake. Keep your head up, look at what you are approaching and wait for your brake to slow you down.

* Remember to practice stopping on a flat, fairly smooth, traffic free and debris free asphalt area. Some ideal places to practice include outdoor inline skate rinks, empty church parking lots, empty business parking lots or your driveway.

Skill 3. THE GRASS STOP

Objective: an alternative to stop the heel stop. Also can be used in an emergency situation.

The Three steps

1. Go to Ready Position
2. Scissor your braking foot
3. Raise your braking toe and roll into the grass as you slow down or stop. Remember that when you hit the grass your feet will slow down dramatically while your upper body will continue at a constant speed, fight and resist the temptation to bend at the waist, sit back slightly and let the grass slow you down until you can walk or you are at a complete stop.

Skill 4. STEPPING OVER AN OBSTACLE (such as a garden hose, stick, crack or curb)

Five steps

1. Ready Position
2. Scissor your braking foot
3. Shift your weight to your support (back) leg
4. Lift your lead/front foot over the obstacle
5. Transfer your weight to the front leg while lifting your back/trailing leg over the obstacle.

Narrative: This should be practiced over a painted or chalk line in a parking lot
as the transfer of the weight must be quick and timed properly with obstacle. You should be gliding in a scissored position after negotiating the obstacle and all movement should be below your waist when stepping over an obstacle.

Skill 5. Robichon's HEEL PUMP STOP™

Objective: speed management on a downward incline

The heel pump stop is useful for controlling your speed down an incline/hill that is steeper than you are comfortable with or one that has a hazard at the bottom.
1. Stop at the top of the hill.
2. Decide if you are going to go down the hill.
3. If you decide to proceed take a moment to note all obvious obstacles and hazards. Note as well if there is a back up stopping method available such as a grassy area.
4. At the top of the hill/incline while you are still stopped go to ready position, scissor and apply your brake.
5. Hold that position until you are ready to descend the hill.
6. To go simply release your brake, put your toe down or relax your pointed toe, but remain in the braking position.
7. Reapply your brake to control your speed or release your brake to accelerate and repeat as needed to control your speed as you go down the incline. If you get going too fast, stay in braking position and keep applying your brake until you slow down or stop. Do NOT panic and stand up screaming while flailing your arms - this will only insure an audience for your upcoming fall.
8. Once you have decided to stop, commit to it applying constant body pressure through the brake & into the skating surface then be patient and wait for your brake to do it's work.

Skill 6 . A-FRAME TURN

Objective: to begin to learn the basic elements of a turn. To begin to perform a basic turn.

Four steps:
1. Ready Position
2. Widen - let your feet go beyond shoulder width, wider than your hips
3. Apply pressure to the big toe side of your skates (inside edges). Maintain slight pressure on the big toe side of skates with skates just outside of your hips throughout the turn. Be sure not to lock your knees together as this will restrict further movement 4. Turn - rotate your entire upper body, head, shoulder, arms, hips 90 degrees in the desired direction of the turn.

DRILLS - exercises useful in building your ability to stride. By definition a stride is a stroke accompanied with a glide.

SWIZZLE 1

Objective: To familiarize the skater to fundamental striding movement patterns and use of primarty edging skills such as a centered stance to inside edges.

From the ready position, go to a V-stance, lean forward slightly onto inside edges and push your toes out while sitting low. Then bring your toes back together to parallel in ready position while standing slightly taller (or unweighting your skates to allow for inward recovery of your skates). You are making diamonds with your feet. The progression is down and out, up and in. Remember that the down and out as well as the up and in are done smoothly and in one fluid motion. The first third of the cycle is where your power comes from and the remaining 2/3 is your follow through and recovery preparing you for the next push.

THE SCOOTER

Objective: To develop the ability to glide on one skate while propeling yourself forward with the other skate.

This drill requires effective body position and develops confidence and consistency in stroking, gliding and landing on each skate. From the ready position, take your right foot and point the toe 45 degrees out, in a natural stroking position. Place your weight over your left skate. The goal is to have your center of gravity or body weight keyed over the ball of your left skate. Your left skate is your support leg and its job is simply to support your body, (with a bent ankle and knee), while your action/right leg strokes. Effective body posture will result in traveling in a straight line. You should be standing with your left toe, knee, your sternum and chin pointing straight ahead and in line over your left skate. If they are not in line from the skating surface up you will tend to fall off from the desired direction of travel. Take small strokes with your action leg. Large strokes result in leaving your action/right leg too far behind your body throwing off your weight distribution and posture. Practice statically first by tapping your action leg, then try scootering in a straight line.

Remember this is only working your right leg as an action leg and left as a support leg, so you need to reverse and practice with your right leg as your support leg and left leg as the action leg. Spend more time on the leg which is more difficult! Once you have mastered traveling in a straight line, try going in a large circle with the action leg stroking on the outside of the circle. To work the other leg, skate in the opposite direction scribing a circle.

Well, I hope this has been a helpful reminder of the exercises and techniques you learned in your skate lesson.

Please keep in contact and let us know if there is anything we can do to help your skating success.

Robichon's The In-Line Skate School, USA
www.inlinelessons.com

Keep on Skating and remember to wear your gear!

Blaine Ruggles, Robichon's Inline Skate Instructor, Level 3 Inline Hockey Instructor

* editors note: Blaine is an accomplished level 3 certified instructor. He is the first Level 3 certified hockey inline skate instructor in the World. Most importantly he is kind, friendly and patient.