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

This week's tip:

Be Nimble on Your Skates
How to learn to to sidestep falling skaters, lunging dogs and other hazards of the skate world

By Alexander Bont
 

Maneuverability is an underrated skill in inline skating. I see pro team after pro team training endlessly without giving any time to passing and agility drills.

But a race hardly goes by without the unexpected happening: a skater falling in the paceline or someone getting shoved or pushed to the side.

When things like that happen, you've got to be able to react without slowing down or losing your position.

But even if you're just skating for fun, maneuverability is a must. Let's say a dog lunges at you on a trail. You have to make some quick course adjustments to keep from falling.

Skaters who grow up at public sessions at local rinks have a huge advantage. They learn to jump and swerve out of the tightest situations.

Take a hint from them. Add a public skating session to your training routine once a week. It will do wonders for your skating.

If that's not possible, here are a few things you can do to help prepare you for the unexpected:

• Practice jumping over small objects.
• Learn to maneuver from side to side of a skating partner. Practice carefully so you don't trip each other up. Eventually, if you are a racer, you need to be able to do this at high speed.
• Set up a line of cones and skate through them, like a freestyle skater.

...

Alexander Bont is CEO of Bont and a lifelong skater. He started skating when he was two and developed into a champion on both inline and ice skates. He spent seven years on the Australian national short track team and was a New South Wales inline champion. After retiring from competition, he coached extensively and joined the company his father, Inze Bont, founded in 1975.

• Bont web site

(Aug. 18, 2006)

Related reading:

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