Page 2 < Help! ... I Still Can't Stop

Planet column: Skate Coach

“Help! ... I still can’t stop!”

What You Need Is a Visit With the Skate Doc!

(page 2 of 3)

Symptom: “I’m changing direction sometimes when I start to scissor and then really spinning out of control when I engage the heel brake.”

Diagnosis & Cure: When your feet are too wide apart, scissoring often initiates unintended changes in direction. If you lift the toe to brake in this position, your brake will not be in front of you, but rather off to the side, causing you to do an imitation of the ol’ whiz-around-the-lightpost stop, sans lightpost.

Fix this by repeating the “Bend” exercises from Part 1 concentrating on keeping your feet no more than shoulder width apart. Also, make sure to keep your feet as parallel as railroad tracks.

Now when you stop, your brake should be in front of you instead of off to one side.

Symptom: “I can stop, but instead of going straight, I curve off to one side as I slow down. My heel brake skid mark looks like a big letter J.”

Diagnosis & Cure: Did you take ballet as a little kid? You are turning your foot out when you lift your toe to brake. In other words, your raised toe is sort of lazily flopping to the side. Execute the three “Bend, Scissor, Brake” steps, but say to yourself “Bend, Scissor, Toe Straight!” instead.

Symptom: “I think I’ve got D: All of the above-itis. ... I’m having all these problems and more. Is there any hope?”

Diagnosis & Cure: Sure there is! One of the benefits of taking lessons in person is that the instructor will make you practice each step until you have it just right before moving on. Chances are, you were eager to move through all the exercises in Part 1 and didn’t spend enough time on each exercise to truly master it.

Continued

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Want to perfect your heel stop? ... Read all three parts of Kathy's series:

Part 1: How to brake without breaking

Part 2: "Help! ... I still can't stop!"

Part 3: Putting power into your heel stop

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