Skate to Ski Training - Phase 2

In Phase 2 the focus shifts from skating on flat surfaces into using slightly sloped terrain. In this phase, you’ll begin to apply your foundation skills into more ski-specific movements.

Before starting Phase 2, make sure you have mastered the following skills from Phase 1:

• 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

1. BALANCE & AGILITY

2. ANGULATION TURNS

3. LINE JUMPERS

4. T-STOPPING

5. UPHILL SKATING

TERRAIN Begin on a smooth, flat, non-rolling surface such as grass or carpet. Progress to a smooth, flat, paved surface with no slope.

OBJECTIVE To develop a solid sense of balance and coordination on your skates.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Skater is able to maintain tempo of lateral hops and hold steady on one foot between jumps

► A proper ready stance is maintained with ankles and knees flexed

► Skater is able to balance and roll short distances on each foot equally and independently

► Upper body becomes more relaxed and calm throughout the skating motion

► Leg movements become smooth and controlled while skating

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Balance cannot be maintained on one foot

► Standing too tall without proper ankle and knee flexion

► Frequent excessive upper body movement to recover balance

► Skater is too rigid and lacking fluidity during the skating motion

SUMMARY Inline skates have a much shorter platform on which to balance than skis. Developing a stable platform is essential to progressing with your skating. The video offers some basic balance exercises. Try out some other motions to truly challenge and hone your sense of balance and coordination on skates:

► A rolling lunge with the front leg in a deep bend and the back leg tracking behind on only the toe wheel

► Gliding straight balancing on only one foot for as long as possible

► Pumping both legs from narrow to out wide to narrow again repeatedly as you glide forward (sometimes called swizzles)

TERRAIN Find a low to moderate pitch that allows you to maintain momentum while making consistent, medium radius turns.

OBJECTIVE To evolve the basic parallel turn into a more dynamic and energized turn. To use the turn to manage speed and direction on sloped terrain.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Skater can link turns with various turns shapes

► Shoulders are level with upper body oriented down the slope

► Turns are more dynamic with deeper flexion and increased angulation

► Skater begins to experiment with speed control on a slope through turn shape

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Choosing a slope that’s too steep causing loss of control

► Leaning into the slope with too much weight on the inside leg

► Too much motion or rotation in the upper body

► Inside foot scissored too far ahead of outside foot – making a hockey turn vs a ski turn

SUMMARY Your skate turns should now feel very similar to your ski turns. Deep flexion, dynamic energy, and direction control on a slope define successful angulation turns. Experiment with how deep a carve you can make with hips dropped into the turn and legs outside your body.

As mentioned previously - respect gravity. Take on increasingly steeper slopes only when you are 100% confident in your ability to slow and stop yourself. Finding the right slope is essential for this drill. Too little will prevent momentum needed for continuous turns and deeper angulation. Too much slope will make this too difficult and potentially cause a loss of control.

TERRAIN Ideally a flat, empty parking lot with parking space lines. If no painted lines are available, you can place cones an even distance apart.

OBJECTIVE To jump consecutive lines while maintaining balance during take off and landing. Progressing your balance and agility to include small jumps while rolling.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Skater should lift both feet off the ground simultaneously

► Skater should maintain balance lifting off the ground and on landing

► Feet remain hip-width apart and are parallel at all times

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Skater is landing loudly

► Skater is using the upper body in excess to lift feet off ground – jumping with the upper body as opposed to the lower body

► Skater is not maintaining a straight line

► Skater is not landing on both feet simultaneously

SUMMARY Skating like skiing will require you to avoid obstacles. A deep crack, sewer grate, sidewalk curb, or unsavory road kill may be in your future. Learning to jump and land while maintaining balance in motion is an important skill in your quiver. Once you have mastered line jumps on flat terrain, try doing them on a slight to moderate slope.

TERRAIN Begin on a smooth, flat, paved surface. As you become stronger with the T-Stop, progress to slightly sloped surfaces.

OBJECTIVE To learn an alternate method of speed control and slowing to a stop on inline skates.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Motion begins with 100% of your weight on the front foot

► Ankles & knees are deeply flexed with front knee over the front toe

► Skater drags back foot with even weight and pressure progressively applied to all wheels evenly

► Dragging foot is perpendicular to the front foot

► Rolling front foot should be perpendicular to the ground or even balanced slightly on the outside edge of the wheels

► Heel of the dragging foot is 12”-18” directly behind the heel of the rolling foot COMMON CHALLENGES

► Skater spins around due to too much weight too quickly on the dragging foot

► Skater spins around due to dragging foot being out to the side rather than directly behind

► Skater spins around due to front rolling foot leaning on inside edge of wheels

► Skater drags only the toe wheel rather than all wheels evenly

SUMMARY T-Stopping is a great skill to add to your quiver. For those who prefer to skate without a brake, T-Stopping is essential. Remember though that slowing and stopping with a brake is more effective than T-Stopping.

If you are struggling with T-stopping, try a rolling lunge with almost 100% of your weight on your front rolling foot. Maintain just enough pressure on the back rolling toe wheel to prevent it from wobbling. When you are comfortable maintaining this rolling position, the next move is to pivot the back foot over to become the dragging foot. Remember there should be almost no weight on the dragging foot initially. Once all wheels are dragging, progressively add pressure to the dragging foot while tracking straight forward.

TERRAIN The most ideal location for learning this skill is a loop with a short, steep incline going up, that leads to a more gradual slope going down to practice other skills.

OBJECTIVE Develop solid technique for getting to the top of inclined terrain. Use uphill skating to improve your cardio, power, and endurance.

IF DONE CORRECTLY

► Skater will only skate up terrain they are able to safely skate down

► Skater should use a wider more open stride to maintain momentum and pace uphill, especially on steeper hills

► Shoulders face forward while arms swing to generate power

► Proper form is maintained as described in “Striding for Power” in Phase 1

COMMON CHALLENGES

► Strides are too short and choppy

► Upper body twists into the stride

► Skater loses momentum

SUMMARY Many of the skills in this program require skating down a slope. Getting to the top of a hill on inline skates takes effort. It’s an amazingly effective way to develop aerobic and anaerobic fitness. With inline skating, you truly have to earn your turns. As you progress through the program, a great terrain choice is a loop where you can gain most of your elevation up a steeper incline that leads to a more gradual descent back to your start point. This is perfect for interval training – intense up, gradual down.

Before progressing to Phase 3, make sure you are have mastered these skills:

• Balancing in motion on each leg individually
• Turning with deep knee and ankle flexion and angulation
• Making smooth and consistent short and long radius turns
• Safely navigating slightly to moderately sloped terrain
• Jumping vertically while rolling
• Effectively T-Stopping for speed control
• Maintaining momentum and good form while uphill skating