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

This week's tip:

Tuck Your Tail!

By Dan Burger
July 13, 2007

You've probably heard it all before: sit lower, push straight out to the side, and point your wheels straight ahead. These are great general skate tips. But don't take them too literally. Rather than hard and fast rules, they are "teaching exaggerations," intended to help skaters develop good habits.

If you don't believe me, think of what would happen if you skated with your wheels pointed straight ahead and you pushed directly to the side. You'd end up going sideways rather than forward.

Here's another useful exaggeration: tuck your tail. Put simply, it means to skate with your pelvis rotated forward, which helps you keep your back arched (good) rather than flat (bad).

How To

To get the feel of tucking your tail, do the following exercise:

1.) Coasting or standing upright on your skates, rotate your pelvis such that you "scoop" your tailbone between your legs, much like a dog tucking its tail.

2.) While holding this position, start striding and slowly sit down as low as you can while continuing to maintain your tail tuck as much as possible. (It helps to contract your abs and suck in your stomach.)

At first, tucking your tail may not feel "normal" or "right." (It isn't.) But stick with it. You will find that it helps you get to the finish line healthier, happier and many times faster.

Benefits

Tucking your tail provides several benefits. First, as mentioned, it helps keep your lower back in an ached (cat-like) position. This shifts some of the burden of upper body support to the vertebral ligaments.

Normally, we balance the weight of our upper body over our hips (for instance when we are walking or sitting). But when we skate, our shoulders lean forward ahead of our hips and the muscles of the lower back are given the job of supporting the whole upper body.

Tucking the tail also stretches the muscles of the lower back, which combats fatigue and reduces tension in the hips.

The hands-on-knees technique can be used to help you to round your lower back and support your upper body.

Remember, tucking the tail is just a drill. Exaggerate it to death, and it will help you skate in a more back-friendly position.

...

Dan Burger, a former inline racer, has a B.S. in Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics and is a Certified Acupressure Massage Therapist.

• Dan's sponsor: Twincam

Related reading:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating