SKATING TIPS & TRICKS
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Skating tips, hints & tricks for beginner, intermediate & advanced skaters Just a few hints on general skating, and on inline roller hockey, listed for general information purposes. Always consult an expert for personalisation (and to ensure any suggestions are right for you), wear correct gear, and skate safely within your abilities on appropriate surfaces – at all times. Further Disclaimer: wear correct protective equipment intended for purpose and correctly sized & fitted, only skate on appropriate surfaces compatible with your skates & wheels, seek professional advice if unsure because the risks aren’t worth it. This page is intended to provide general information and should not be used by anyone without appropriate access to experienced or qualified instruction. Use at own risk. |
| Skating Hints | Hockey Hints | |
| Beginners | When skating: Always keep your knees bent, lean forward slightly, and don’t look at your feet.
For absolute beginners, start by taking little steps, toes slightly turned out, holding on to a rail or fence (perhaps even on a carpeted area, to slow the wheels down) |
When Playing: Keep your stick on the ground and your head up. Remember to look, talk, spread-out, pass quickly (don’t hold the puck too long) and shoot – if possible – from in front of the net, between 3-7 meters away. Avoid slap shots. |
| Intermediate | Practice: Skating backwards in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. Forwards and backwards skating are helped by work on your forwards and backwards crossovers, and practising your edges (inside/outside).
Practice different stopping techniques and don’t just rely on the break/stoppers. |
Practice: (1) Quick starts & stops. (2) Stationary and moving passes, keeping the puck flat. Work the backhand, as well. (3) When trying to perfect a shot, avoid just shooting one puck – have 10-15 pucks lined up and quickly shoot all of them at the net, repeating the same shot each time. Repeat the process 10-20 times, at least (100-300 shots).
Teamwork & timing & fitness should be at the core of your development. The goals tend to look after themselves, if you have done the work and have the right team focus. |
| Advanced | Never stop practising. You have been doing this for a while, and you understand the risk and the rewards. If you stop falling over, you have stopped “pushing the envelope” and improvement will be slower – although you will get fewer bruises – so, decide if you want. Do you have what it takes to be an elite skater? | Never kid yourself. Egos become the greatest weakness of the potentially greatest players. Never stop passing or setting up plays, just so you can hog the puck and get the goal yourself – it will not work against good opposition. Never stop practising (training and playing less than 3-5 hours per week, 40-50 weeks a year, makes progress too slow). However, never over-train or train through injuries – think prevention and rehabilitation! Think “TEAM!” |
| Do you have a question on how to improve your skating or hockey? Have you had an experience that could help other skaters? Please let us know!We should also mention that Rollerway offers group and private classes in learn-to-skate programs, hockey skill development, and specialised fitness programs. CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON SKATING LESSONS CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON HOCKEY LESSONS MORE INFORMATION & CONTACT |