If stopping is the most important maneuver in inline skating, striding and gliding is the essence of the sport. This is the core skill to master.
Difficulty: Average
- Stand in the ready position.
- Drop into a staggered stance with your right skate out front.
- Using the inside edge of your left skate, push outward to your left side toward the ten o'clock position. You have now taken your first stride.
- While your left skate is in the air, glide forward with your full weight on your right skate to provide directional stability. You have now taken your first glide. Circle your left skate back under your body until it returns to the home position next to the gliding skate. This is the recovery.
- Using the inside edge of your right skate, push outward to your right side toward the two o'clock position.
- Glide forward with your full weight on your left skate.
- Circle your right skate back under your body until it returns to the home position next to the gliding skate.
- Repeat steps 3 through 8 above from side to side.
- When you push outward and to your left side as far as possible, you're actually using the inside edges of all four wheels of your left skate to accomplish the striding part of the manoeuvre.
- When you become good at striding and gliding, you'll become an effective skater in terms of your movements, as well as an efficient skater when it comes to conserving energy. Why? Because your wheels spend a minimum amount of time on the pavement, which reduces your rolling resistance. This means you won't have to work as hard to reach a given distance. This is an important factor when skating longer distances.
- A Large, Flat, Open area.
- Safety equipment
- Inline skates
- A little confidence and courage
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