Roll on the Trails
Lesson #2: Intermediate Trail Skating is the second installment in
our three-part skating series, which is designed to take the inline skater
from the schoolyard to the trails in a single season.
It's assumed that
you've spent between 10 and 12 hours practicing the inline skating techniques from
Lesson #1: For Beginners Only, in a safe, controlled environment like an
rink, schoolyard, or church compound.
In addition, you know how to stop, turn, and stride, at least at the
beginner level. You feel confident and in control of your inline skating
and you’re psyched up and ready to do some serious trail blading.
Great, let's have a look at the second lesson, which is geared
exclusively to the intermediate skater.
Lesson #2: Intermediate Trail Skating
In this lesson, you'll learn how to skate effectively and safely on
intermediate level trails where the terrain is flat, the surface
relatively smooth, and the length is about 10 miles round trip.
The goal of this lesson is to enhance your confidence and control
even further in an open environment through increased mileage and longer
distances.
Why did we set this type of environment?
The intermediate skater who is new to trail skating needs an
environment that's safe, uncrowded, and relatively quiet, as well as flat and smooth, so
he or she can practice the new maneuvers without fear of running into
any obstacles, losing stability on rougher surfaces, or picking up too
much speed on steeper hills.
This lesson contains four inline skating techniques, namely the
staggered stance, pump the brake stop,
mid-radius parallel turn, as well as the longer stride and glide.
First, we review the Staggered Stance to ensure you have the
proper posture, balance, and stability for trail skating.
Second, we take the heel stop to the next level by introducing
the Pump the Brake maneuver. Next, the Mid-Radius Parallel
Turn is covered since tighter turning is a good method to slow yourself
down and control your speed. Finally, we return
to the Stride and Glide, but modify the maneuver for trail skating
so you learn to skate efficiently and conserve energy over longer distances.
To view a sample from our intermediate inline skating lesson, click the link below:
Sample: Pumping the Brake
Why these four inline skating techniques?
The reasons have to do with the underlying structure of the three-part
series. The lessons were designed as a series of progressive steps. To
maintain the progression the intermediate lesson needs to build on
the foundation that was established in the first lesson. The beginner learned
how to drop into a skaters stance, employ the heel stop, make a parallel turn
around a pylon, and do short strides and glides.
The intermediate uses the same basic movements and
maneuvers as the beginner, but modified for trail skating. For instance, the
heel stop has now evolved into the pump the brake maneuver which is actually two heel stops
with a staggered stance sandwiched in between. The parallel turn in one direction has
progressed into a series of linked mid-radius parallel turns. The short striding and gliding
procedure has been changed into a longer striding and gliding maneuver.
Since there are no drastic changes in movements, just modifications, the intermediate
skater can leverage what he or she learned in the beginner lesson. This
progressive structure of the lessons will accelerate the student's learning and allow much better
retention of the material.
The inline skating techniques in this lesson prepare you for Lesson #3:
Advanced Trail Skating. In the third lesson,
you apply your new skills while skating on longer trails and
steeper hills.
Ordering the Lesson or Module
To order Lesson #2, click below:
To order our complete set of inline skating lessons, click the Skating Module link below:
About our Rollerblading Lessons
Our inline skating lessons are unique for the following reasons:
Ample Illustrations
All procedures are written in clear and concise English in a step-wise manner,
with feedback where necessary, so the maneuvers are easy to understand. In addition, all of our skating lessons
are well illustrated. The numerous photos and drawings serve to clarify the instructions.
Solid Foundation in the First Lesson
The student is free to advance at his or her own pace,
but it's recommended that he or she only moves on after mastering
the maneuvers in a particular lesson, which often entails a certain amount
of practice and mileage. In this way, the student builds the correct foundation
right from the start in lesson #1 and adds more and more skills as he or she
progresses from lesson #1 through to lesson #3.
Complete Curriculum
Our lessons are designed to take the
beginner from the schoolyard to the trails within a single season.
To reach this goal, the lessons are set up so the beginner
can get comfortable with the basic maneuvers in lesson #1 before moving
on to the instructions in the intermediate inline skating
lesson, and then onto the advanced procedures in lesson #3.
In addition, our inline skating lessons teach you everything you
need to know to become an advanced, recreational inline skater. There
is no need to go anywhere else for lessons. The three-part skating series
provides complete coverage of the subject matter.
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ABEC Ratings