How to Do Roller Skating Tricks

To do roller skating tricks, start with beginner-level tricks such as moonwalking, spinning, skating backward, jumping, and the spread eagle trick.

Learning these tricks will not only add more fun in your skating sessions but will eventually polish your roller skating abilities.

5 Roller Skating Tricks

If you are quite new to roller skating, the best advice for you is to wait until you master the basics. While this may seem like an unreasonable demand, you can only be able to do the tricks perfectly once you already know the basics pretty well and do not struggle with balancing or handling the skates.

Practice and dedication will make you skate in a perfect manner. The more time and effort you give to skating, the easier will it be for you to learn new tricks.

Once you are ready, try the following roller skating tricks.

Moonwalk

As if Michael Jackson’s moonwalking wasn’t any less famous, wait until you show your friends your moonwalking with roller skates! If you have mastered skating backwards (explained below) you will find moonwalking quite easy to learn and master.

• In order to moonwalk in your skating rink, keep one roller skate pointing downwards with the toe stopper keeping it at its place and the other roller skate flat on the ground.
• Push the toe stopper and glide backwards with the other roller skate.
• Repeat by alternating the skates as you continue to moonwalk.
• 4Make sure you do not hurry and start with small steps until you gain momentum and ultimately confidence. And before you know it, you will be moonwalking across the skating rink!

Spinning

You can try spinning once you have learned your stopping and balancing. It is fun to do and easy to impress others with. You can either spin in one direction, or even switch your direction in the middle of your spinning act.

To do roller skate spinning, move into the middle of your skating rink so you do not bump into a fellow skater and follow these steps:

• Slightly bend your knees and spread your arms as if they are making a right angle (90 degrees angle).
• Slowly start rotating your arms in one direction, keeping them centered towards the core of your body. Your core muscles play a crucial role in most of the skating and spinning tricks.
• As you gain momentum, lift your body.Pull your skates together to create a flawless spin.

You can also do spinning by starting with a few powerful glides and then turning your roller skates to change directions. Make sure you keep your skates turned in order to keep spinning. In case you want to stop spinning, just straighten up your feet.

Skate Backwards

Before you start to learn this trick, keep your surroundings obstacle free. The last thing you want is to collide with a fellow skater or the wall (ouch!). Here is how you can skate backwards:

• Make a V-shape using your roller skates with your toes pointing to the inner direction. Your knees should be slightly bent with your weight being evenly distributed so that both legs bear the same weight.
• With the toe of your dominant foot, apply slight pressure in order to move backward, and lift the other foot gently. This action will push you in a backward direction.
• Now put the lifted foot down and push with its toe as you lift your dominant foot this time.
• Keep on switching toes as you slowly skate backward. Make sure your core is properly engaged. Also, keep your surroundings in mind by looking over your shoulder while you skate backward. The last thing you want is to fall or face a collision.

Jumping

Jumping attracts many beginner level roller skaters. There are different variations of jumping, and you can learn simple jumping once you feel comfortable skating at a certain pace. To jump, slightly bend your legs and hop as you re-focus your body’s center of gravity. Continue skating with the same momentum as soon as your skates touch the ground after each jump.

Start with small hops. As your body becomes comfortable in them, push yourself further, and go for longer or higher jumps. You can also put obstacles such as cones and practice jumping over them.

If you are new to learning roller skating jumping tricks, keep in mind the following factors:

• Start with a couple of glides and make sure you maintain a good pace before trying the jump.
• When jumping, do not lose balance and stay as stable as you can.
• Jumping when you are too fast paced or standing still is never a good idea. You need to make sure the transition between the jumping stages is a smooth one, and for that, you need a medium speed to have better control over your body as well as on your skating skills.
• Before you prepare to jump, keep your skates together in a parallel position. This way, you will land in a parallel gliding position (instead of falling down) after the jump and hence will maintain balance.
• It is important to tighten up your core to gain stability. If you need balance, you can extend your arms on the sides.
• While squatting and jumping, keep your skates together and bend your knees (slightly) in a squat position. Then jump. The squat position helps you regain your balance once you finish the jump and your skates are back touching the floor.
• You can go for more length or height while jumping once you master small hops.
• Practicing your jumping tricks are very important in perfecting them and going towards advanced level tricks. Make sure you go at your own pace (slowly when you are learning and practicing) and then increase your speed, height, or length as your body gets more comfortable.

Spread Eagle

The spread eagle trick is a great way to boost your confidence and impress those who do not know how to! Make sure you have a good understanding of practical knowledge about balancing your weight before learning the spread eagle tricks.

• Bend your knees and start to skate in the forward direction.
• Spread your legs slowly and gently. While doing so, gently raise your toes (of both the skates).
• Make sure you balance on the heels of both roller skates and then roll them back towards you. You need to focus on your core and leg muscles to keep the balance and prevent yourself from falling.

Conclusion

Learning different roller skating tricks is a great way to push your boundaries. Make sure you try these tricks in an open obstacle-free zone. You also need to polish your basic skating skills before you head out to learn new tricks. While all the roller skating tricks may seem quite tempting especially if you are a beginner, you must have a good understanding of skating, stopping, and balancing techniques. It is also a good idea to wear roller skating gloves and other gear before trying out new tricks.

Also, practice will bring in perfection. No one learns a new trick at their first go. Keep on practicing and before you know it, you will master all the tricks, one by one.