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