10. Nelson

Nelson is a trick based on Criss-Cross. Two cones a set. 

The key to do Nelson is to remember the body direction you need to turn. That can help a lot if your body gets used to the turning.

Now, line up the cones, here are four steps to do Nelson:

a.           Stand near the first cone. The ready position for Nelson is a little different from other skills we learned before. You need to turn your body to the left, but look at the direction of the cones. The feet should be "V" position still. 

b.          Then toe up your left foot and turn your body right to face to cone line. Put down your left foot which is supposed to be the back, and you will find that your feet are crossing now.

c.           Keep the Cross and pass the first cone. Open it before the second cone. 

d.          Go straight to pass the second cone then heel up the left foot and turn your body to the left. Put down the foot back to "V" position.

To do continuous Nelson very fluently, you can try to just raise your foot instead of heeling and toeing. And also swing your body a little instead of turning your body.

9. Backward Criss-Cross

After mastering back circles, you can start to try backward Criss-Cross. It's similar to the forward Criss-Cross. But more details you need to pay attention to. 

First, line up the cones, and this time use tape to mark a big "X" between each two cones. 

Below are five steps to do this trick:

a. Turn your back on the first cone. Raise your arms, and turn your right arm to the back, and left arm to the front. The shoulders should be on the same level to help your body balance. And also remember to turn your head right to look at the back. (When the right arm is back, turn the head right to look at the back; if the left arm is back, turn the head left to look at the back.) Caution, you may look down at the ground unconsciously. That's because you focus too much on your feet, and try to keep your mind more on the body. Chest up, hold the core.

b. Start with the "A" position, then slide back to make a circle to pass the first cone. But do not close the circle. Keep your feet a "V" shape with a slit between them a little bit. 

c. Make your right foot slide to your left foot's back and keep sliding backward, and then let your left foot follow up the skating. In the process, let your feet trace the "X" tape mark. 

d. Keep your feet crossing and sliding to pass the second cone. Then let the right heel to lead the foot turn to outside. If you feel hard to balance, you may need to press the back edge of your left foot a little.

e. Balance on the right foot, keep the body straight. Then turn the left foot to follow up the right foot to back to "V" position.

8. Backward Circles

The Biggest difference between forward skating and backward skating is the skater needs to turn the head back while moving backward. And it needs a long-term training to be able to skate with head tuning back causally for most people.

But to practice backward circles will not be too difficult for beginners. You can try to make a forward circle from "V" to "A" shape, trace it back from "A" to "V". And try it again, but this time you need to look at the back. That's a backward circle.

To do continuous backward circles you need to get stable with the body position while looking at the back. Success in continuous backward circles to do it on a whole line of cones and keep the sight on the back all the time.

7. Heel-Toe

Heel-Toe is more like a trick than a skill. But learning Heel-Toe can help training balance as well. Also, Heel-Toe really looks cool, you can show it off after you learn it in front of your friends once.

However, Heel-Toe is such a challenge for beginners. Please practice it under your coach or partner's supervision. And be careful to do it always.

Doing Heel-Toe is just as its name, you need to heel up one foot while the other is toed. 

Heel-Toe is combined with three little steps. You can practice that by holding something in place or while sliding. 

Here let's take Right Heel-Toe as an example:

a.           First, scissor your skates. That means to push your right foot forward a little. And make both of your feet on the same line. And make knees to each other to form a triangle shape with lower legs.

b.          Heel up your right foot and keep your balance more on your left foot.

c.           Push your left knee to touch the right knee and toe up the left foot at the same time. Keep the wheels straight and the knees should be supported by each other.

6. T-Stop

T-Stop is a skill to use the wheels as brake equipment to stably stop sliding.

You may notice that some skate shoes have a chunk of plastic behind the heels. That's brake equipment for beginners. But I will not suggest you use it even when you just started skating. Using the brake equipment may let the skaters form a bad habit that heel the foot when they lose balance, which is actually dangerous if the skater skates too fast. Especially if you expect to learn more than just wander with skate shoes. You should even dismantle it because it may bother your motion.

Don’t worry about it without the brake chunk. Beginners can stop by making a big circle, and the advanced skaters use their wheels to stop with different poses. The basic braking is T-Stop.

To practice T-Stop, you need to begin with your feet in an opposite "T" position. The position is like one balanced foot straight forward, put the other behind that and perpendicular to it. 

Then push the straight foot forward and raise the horizontal foot to slide. After a short distance, put down the foot at the back horizontally. The point is when you put down the foot, the angle between the wheels and the ground should be about forty-five degrees.

In the beginning, the stop might be with impact. But gradually, you will sense that when you put down the foot, the wheels will friction on the ground. And the friction force will drag you to slow down till you stop.

5. X Move

Learning how to move as an "X" can help you to train yourself to be skilled in many moves. And X Move training is hard to replace, it can train the muscles that we rarely use.

To do X Move, you need to start with "V" position. Stand between two cones, and keep the direction of feet as "V" but slowly slide them both to the cone on the right side. Your right foot will be in front of the cone while your left foot is on the back.

Then back to "V" between two cones, and try the left side. Slowly slide to the left cone, and this time your left foot will go in front of the cone and your right foot go to the back. Then back to "V" again. That is a set of an X move.

Keep practicing this motion, you will find that your feet getting stronger to do more motions.

4. Parallel Turning 

Parallel turning is a skill to turn fluently, faster, and elegantly.

Before doing parallel turning, we need to practice pressing edges first.

You might remember that we had learned how to press edges while turning "A" position to "V". Now, let’s learn more about the skill.

Put your feet close to each other with only one fist width between them. Then simultaneously squat and press down the edges of the wheels to one side. The angle between the wheels and the ground when you press them down should be less than seventy degrees. Let's start from the right side, and three seconds later turn to the left side. Keep switching till you feel you can switch very fluently.

You also need to open your arms to balance during the practice.

When you turn, let your outer shoulder go first to lead your body.

To do parallel turning, you need to slide with enough speed and relax your body. Always look at the direction you are turning to and edge the right side when you want to turn right or edge the left side when you turn left. And turn your body as well, you can squat or raise your arms to let your outer shoulder go first to lead your body.

Remember the three points to do it earlier and more accurately:

a.           Edging

b.          Body turning and squatting

c.           Look at the way you are going

Once you can turn parallel, you may find that is quite fun. That's time for you to play zigzag, and maybe someday you may be able to join a zigzag competition!

3. Criss-Cross

Actually, Criss-Cross is the same motion as Circle. The difference is when you do Criss-Cross, you need to interlace the feet while sliding, to let one of them cross in front of the other.

Usually, right-handers would choose to make the right leg go farther than the left leg. That's easier to balance on the left foot.

A set of Criss-Cross is with two cones. But for beginners, that would be better to practice out of cones first. Once you are skilled in it, you can try to do Criss-Cross cones.

Now, let's resolve the motion to make it easier to understand.

a.           First, you need to make an uncompleted circle past the first cone and push your right leg over your left leg right after you turn them to point the inner side. Keep forwarding to make your two legs cross. The crossing should happen in the middle between two cones.

b.          Then keep crossing pose till you pass the second cone. Let the cove pass through the gap between your feet. (you can squat a little to make the space wider) Here, if your speed is enough then you should make the feet parallel while crossing. That would be easier to allow you to pass the cone and also keep balance.

c.           Push your feet turn to the outer side and then open them. Against your left foot to push the right leg forward to open the cross.

d.          Once your right leg goes right of your body center line, shift your weight core onto your right foot and make your left leg follow up to back to "V" pose. Proficient Criss-Cross can be continuous, too. If you can do Criss-Cross fluently then try to do them without backing to "V" position.

2. Circles 

Making circles is the base for doing Criss-Cross and so many other motions.

And also, sometimes you can even make a circle to help you stop as a brake.

It's very useful!

To do a circle, we need to step our feet in a "V" shape first, and in front of you, about fifteen centimeters should be a cone. Later, we will make a circle with a center at the cone.

Then relaxedly let your feet slide forward and widen them to the sides of the cone. On this step, if you go too far and over the cone, you may find that your feet go too wide and it's hard to put them back. Or, if you don't make your feet wide enough then the circle won't be formed. Remember that you must control the distance between your feet and the cone.

When your feet arrive at the sides of the cone, don't let it stop, turn them pointing the inner side immediately and simultaneously. Keep the speed forging and your back straight. Let your feet hit each other with the toes part slightly in front of the cone.

For beginners, if you feel your body fall forward after your feet hit each other, please press your hands on your knees to balance. This situation doesn't mean you do that wrong, you just need more practice to make your body get used to it.

After you can make a single circle successfully then try to do them continuously with six or eight cones.

The accurate way to do circles continuously is to do it without raising your feet at all.

The motion for your feet should be from "V" to "A" to "V" to "A" again and again.

The technique of turning "A" to "V" is pressing the edges of the wheels to the outer side of the feet’s fore part a little and letting your toe parts lead your feet's direction.

1. Prepare for Freestyle Practice

Before of all, we need to know the cones we use in inline skating freestyle training. That is a kind of obstacle you need to dodge while skating. They look just like tiny pyramids.

We use them for freestyle skate practice and competitions.

In skating performance, we need to dodge the cones with some specific or innovative motions to gain the score.

Usually, the distances between cones are sixty, eighty, and one hundred twenty centimeters. 

Eighty centimeters is the most general and basic for beginners. 

In this chapter, we will always practice with the assumption of eighty centimeters distance for cones.

Before practice, we need to line up the cones. 

About six or eight cones shall be perfect for beginners’ practice. 

And the priority of all in practice is safety. Please remember if you lose your balance and must fall, you need to do your best to avoid falling on your backbone including your hip. You can practice safe falling a few times before the training.