Skate skills:

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

This week's tip:
Get Low for More Speed
By Patrick Creveling
(Oct. 27, 2006)

Now that you can skate on a line, (see my first Skate Tip), you are ready to start perfecting your form. And the best place to begin is with the "down position."

Skating in the down position means keeping your knees bent so your upper and lower legs form an angle approaching 90 degrees. In this position, your entire leg will be involved in your push. And that will make you much faster.

Learning the down position can be tough. It requires you to build some new muscle. But you can prepare yourself by practicing a couple of dry-land exercises: the low walk and the wall sit.

Here's how:

Low Walk

Bend your knees as close to 90 degrees and start walking. (You'll look like Groucho Marx without the cigar.). At the beginning, it helps if you swing your arms.

Wall Sit

Find a wall or other sturdy vertical surface. Place your back against it and your feet forward two or three feet. Slide down the wall, bending your knees until your legs form an angle of nearly 90 degrees. Sit there. ... You'll feel it.

Once you've mastered the down position, you'll be cooking with gas. So make sure you get a tight-fitting, secure helmet. You'll find that the corners are coming up a lot quicker!

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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 the Camp Creveling skate clinics in the summer of 2005.

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