Inline skating

Inline skating is a high-energy outdoor skill that teaches kids balance and helps develop strength and fitness.

What’s in it for your child?

• Fitness: inline skating can be great exercise, so it’s good for kids’ cardiovascular fitness
• Once kids are competent and confident, inline skating is a great way to get around
• This skill is great for developing balance and core strength
• What works on pavements also works on ice: inline skaters make brilliant ice skaters!

Get started

• Get skates that fit comfortably and have plenty of ankle support
• Safety equipment is a must: don’t skate without a wrist guards, knee pads and a helmet
• Start on grass or carpet, balancing on one skate and then the other with knees slightly bent and shins pressed forward into the skate; try to hold each position for a few seconds
• Again on grass or carpet, close your eyes and find your balance — once you’ve got this, it’s time to try it out on pavement
• If you think you’re going to fall, just drop: it’s easier and less risky than falling forward onto your hands and wrists

Tips and tricks

• The basic skate involves pushing away from the ground behind you with the back foot, and gliding forward on the front foot
• The easiest way to stop is by using the heel stop that comes on most skates, but you can also try a T-stop or a sideways stop (as in skiing)
• Crossovers are a great trick to master: rather than facing the direction you are going, skate side-on, along a curved path, with the back foot crossing over the front foot

This extract is part of a larger article “Inline skating” from Wikipedia.

It is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0