Skate to Ski Training - Phase 1

In Phase 1 the focus is on creating a solid foundation for the work ahead. If you are brand new to inline skating you should go to review the Inline Skating Basics before getting started. Once you are comfortable with the basics movements and stopping, you’re ready for Phase 1.

1. A-FRAME TURN

2. BRAKING ON A HILL

3. STRIDING FOR POWER

4. THE PARALLEL TURN

5. FREE SKATE

TERRAIN Begin on a smooth, flat, paved surface with no slope.

OBJECTIVE This drill is a great way to develop a balanced stance and learn direction change at slow to medium speeds. This is the equivalent of the wedge turn on skis. The goal is to learn to link turns using the A-frame stance.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Knees and ankles are flexed throughout

► Upper body calm and upright, hips over heels, knees over toes

► Feet are wider than hip-width apart, with 70% pressure applied to the outside leg, 30% on the inside leg

► Turns are on inside edges, round, smooth, and linked together

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Feet come together, A-frame stance is lost

► Leaning into the turn, putting more pressure on the inside leg

► One foot gets ahead of the other

► Upper body rotation towards the turn

SUMMARY Maintain a flexed ready stance throughout the turn. Keep both feet at the same width, and do not let one leg advance in front of the other. If you are having trouble, direct more pressure to the outside skate. This will allow the inside leg to rotate through the turn more easily.

Once you have the A-Frame turn mastered in both directions, using a little more momentum, practice linking several turns in a row or down a very slight slope. Experiment with a wider or a narrower stance to see how this affects turn shape.

TERRAIN Choose a very slight slope to test and improve your ability to use the brake effectively. Braking down a hill requires significantly more skill than braking on a level surface.

OBJECTIVE To learn speed control and stopping while going down a slope. To develop the braking skill and confidence needed to safely navigate slightly to moderately sloped surfaces.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Knees and ankles are deeply flexed, hands out front

► The braking foot is scissored fully out in front of the back balancing foot

► The stance should be as narrow as possible – less than hip width

► Pressure is applied gradually to the braking foot until almost 100% of the pressure is applied directly to the brake pad

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Braking foot not scissored forward far enough

► Turning as brake is applied = Stance is too wide

► Upper body bending forward at the waist

► Legs straight and locked instead of flexed

SUMMARY After you’re comfortable stopping on the flats at different speeds, its time to start experimenting with different slopes to see how your newfound braking skills hold up. Try slowing yourself with your brake pad but not stopping. Speed control is an essential part of skating no matter what terrain your skating.

Respect gravity. Take on increasingly steeper slopes only when you are 100% confident in your ability to slow and stop yourself. The faster you are moving, and the steeper the slope, the longer distance you will need to stop.

TERRAIN Begin on a smooth, flat, paved surface with no slope. Ideally, you should pick a route where you are able to skate in one direction for at least 5-10 minutes.

OBJECTIVE To learn a more powerful, efficient stride. Develop a deeper, longer stride that begins from the outside edge and finishes on the inside edge of the wheels. The motion should be very similar to skate skiing.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► The striding foot is placed down directly on, or slightly past, a center line under your hips

► The striding foot is placed down pointing directly forward

► The stride starts on the outside edge of the wheels requiring 100% momentary balance on the foot about to stride

► There is a gliding moment on one leg before pushing off again on the next stride

► Knee of the gliding leg is flexed and over the toe

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Constant striding with no gliding in between strides

► Short choppy strides only using inside edges of wheels

► Stride foot placed down at an angle like a duck

► Knees and ankles not flexed enough

SUMMARY Start the stride with your pinky toe (outside edge). Push and roll your foot all the way through your heel (inside edge) to get as much power out of your stride as possible. As the power from your stride increases, you can spend more time gliding between pushes for more efficient skating. Try using a cadence count of 1, 2, 3 throughout each stride to ensure you are truly gliding between strides.

Remember that loose fitting skates are like poor fitting ski boots – and will make this skill difficult to perform. Check to ensure that all laces are tied and buckles are snug to allow for better power transfer and balance.

TERRAIN Begin on a smooth, flat, paved surface. A very slight slope may be helpful to fully develop this skill. Without any pitch, it can be harder to create and maintain momentum throughout linked parallel turns.

OBJECTIVE This is like progressing from wedge turns on skis to parallel turns. It is the breakthrough skill that will allow you to truly cross-train for skiing on skates. If you’re already familiar with parallel turns on skis, you have two legs up in learning this skill over the average inline skater.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Skater maintains a flexed stance throughout the turn

► The left leg scissors ahead for a left turn, right leg scissors ahead for a right turn

► Skater maintains a relatively narrow stance – less than hip width. The flatter the terrain, the narrower the stance needs to be

► Skates are rolled on edge with the outside leg using the inside edge, and the inside leg using the outside edge

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Too wide a stance – unable to roll skates on edge

► Being too upright with locked legs

► Going too slowly on a flat surface – some momentum is necessary

SUMMARY The parallel turn is the fundamental skill needed to progress further in this program. In order to create linked parallel skate turns, it will take practice. Eventually, you will want to progress to a slight slope that you feel comfortable with. The perfect location has a continuous slight slope that allows you to maintain momentum as you link one turn to the next.

TERRAIN Find your favorite local spot that has a combination of perfectly flat areas and areas with a slight slope to experiment with your new found skills. It’s time to have some fun.

OBJECTIVE Learn to be a solid all-around inline skater. Apply all the skills learned so far to explore your local terrain. Develop solid coordination & balance, build endurance, and gain the confidence needed to progress in this program.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Skater is able to identify terrain that is within their ability to skate

► Skater has fully learned the skills in Phase 1 and is using them regularly as they skate

► Skater is confident and having fun

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Remembering to check out the terrain ahead before skating

► Skating down hills or in areas that are beyond the skater’s ability

► Jumping ahead to Phase 2 before mastering Phase 1

SUMMARY Find a route that you can comfortably skate in roughly 30 minutes. On flat sections and inclines, work on maintaining a constant rhythm and velocity with your stride. On downhill sections, work on your parallel turns and braking. Think about how turning on skates is similar to skiing and how it’s different. See if you can improve your time along your route while maintaining good technique and control.

Continue with your free skating until parallel turns, long smooth strides, and controlled speed on slight to moderate hills becomes routine. When you reach this milestone, you are ready to move on to Phase 2 and beyond.

Before progressing to Phase 2, make sure you are have mastered these skills:

• Using your brake for speed control
• Stopping on flat and sloped terrain
• Easily changing direction at will
• Gliding between strides for at least a 2-3 second cadence
• Performing smooth parallel turns in both directions
• Performing parallel turns in short to long radius turns
• Knowing how to identify appropriate terrain within your ability
• Being able to free skate for 30 minutes at a moderate pace