Skate skills:

SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:
Don't Let the Wrong Edges Slow You Down!

By Patrick Creveling
(Oct. 6, 2006)

Now that you are comfortable on your skates (see Joey Mantia's tip: "Putting in the Time"), you are ready to start eliminating your inefficiencies.

A good place to begin is to learn to land on the top of your wheels, which is an essential skill for future double-pushers.

By the top of your wheels, I mean the very top. Not the inside, not the outside. If you look at new wheels, you will see a line in the center at the point where the two sides meet. ... That's where your wheels should touch down for this drill.

To do the drill, find a nice straight line in a parking lot or wherever else you normally skate. Any straight line will do.

Now skate down the line keeping it perfectly centered under your body. All you need to do is land on the line with your skates and — presto! — inefficiency is gone!

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Patrick Creveling was the U.S. indoor national champion in 2001 and a member of the World Team in 2003. Born into a family of skaters in Pennsylvania, he is brother of 2006 World Team members Chris and Chelsea Creveling. A gifted teacher, he started giving his Camp Creveling skate clinics in the summer of 2005.

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