Unlike those lucky Paris Skaters with their smooth wide pavements and even smoother wider roads, us poor neglected London Skaters arent so lucky, with our bumpy narrow pavements, potholes, overcrowded roads and miles upon miles of rough surfaces. Ok, so its not that bad everywhere in London, but for | | the most part it isnt too far from the truth.
But if you follow this simple guide and combine it with regular street skating practice youll master skating on rough surfaces in no time:
1. Keep your strides short, maintaining a long stride on rough surfaces isnt easy and can lead to some embarrassing tumbles.
2. Bend your knees more to absorb the impact, this will also improve your overall balance.
3. Go faster not slower, its much easier to cross a rough surface going fast than it is slowly, plus if you go too slow you risk walking in your skates and it will be difficult to get a decent stride going again.
4. Bring your skates back under your body as quickly as possible (Higher Cadence) after each stride, this again helps with balance and overall control.
5. Keep those toes loose and wiggly, because less weight on your toes means greater control for your skates and it helps you to move more naturally over rough surfaces.
6. If the rough surface is only short and you think you can cross it in one push, then get that speed built up and cross it with one skate in front of the other (aka the Scissor), you should also make sure that your legs are roughly one fist width apart, not too far apart or youll lose your balance. Remember to keep those knees bent!
7. Ultimately the only way to master rough surfaces is through practice. Rough surfaces are a major hazard though, so please be careful and wear your protective gear.
8. HAVE FUN.
About The Author
Lee Marshall
ICP Qualified Inline Skate Instructor.
http://www.urbanskaters.co.uk
Copyright, Lee Marshall
This article was posted on November 16, 2005 |
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