Rolling around on inline skates is tons of fun, but being able to spin on inline skates is a thrilling experience. Admittedly, learning to do spins on your inline skates won’t be super easy. That said, persistence and knowing exactly what to do makes a whole lot of a difference. In this post, you’ll learn how to spin on inline skates so that you can enjoy being outdoors even more.
I assume you already know how to ride rollerblades. If you don’t, here’s a post to get you started: How to Rollerblade for Beginners
1. Find a Good Place to Practice Spinning on Rollerblades
First off, decide where to practice. Find a flat surface without holes or uneven areas. I learned in my garage, but you can use whichever space works best for you.
2. Draw a Square on the Ground and Stand on It
Use chalk or whatever you have to draw a square on the surface. The square will help you to stay within the limits of your spinning area so you won’t end up, well, all over the place. Remember, you’ll be spinning at the exact same spot.
Then, stand on any two parallel sides of the square and assume a natural skate position. Head up, tummy tucked in, shoulders straight, knees slightly bent, and the core nice and strong.
3. Understand the Two Parts of a Rollerblade Spin
Spinning on rollerblades consists of two main parts. The first part entails lifting the heel of one foot and the next part entails lifting the toe of the other foot. But you’re not going to be performing these two steps separately.
You must learn to do the two parts at once while turning around at the same time. And that’s what makes this little exercise super tricky. So, lift the heel of one of your skates while maintaining perfect balance.
At the same time, raise the toe of the other skate. At first, performing these two actions simultaneously will feel tough and pretty unnatural, but you must persist. Keep practicing this dual movement until it starts feeling nice and easy.
4. Now, Start Doing Quarter Turns
Now that you can lift one heel while lifting the toes of the other skate at once without difficulty, you’re ready to start spinning on your inline skates.
We now have to deal with the tricky part of the rollerblade spinning equation — turning while lifting the heel of one skate and the toe of the other. If you’ve been inline skating for a while and have fully grasped the fundamentals, turning a quarter of the way shouldn’t be hard.
But here’s the thing, practice the quarter turn until you perfect it. That took me about 30 minutes to get down, but I’m not the most kinesthetically intelligent person I know. And as you practice the quarter turn, try to land back on the edges of the square.
5. Practice Turning Around Halfway
Once you’re comfortable doing 90-degree turns and landing on the guiding box, go for half turns. The mechanics of the 180-degree turns are precisely the same as for quarter turns.
So, practice this half-spin until you can do it without struggling. Learning this move may take quite a while, but nobody ever learns tricky rollerblading tricks in minutes.
Perfect maneuvers in inline skating are the result of months or years of practice. And even the finest rollerblades are always inventing and mastering new movements.
So, double down on your practice and stick it out until you get as good as you possibly can.
6. Perform the First Full Spin On Your Rollerblades
What remains at this point is to do a full spin and keep practicing until it starts feeling like normal blading.
I’m almost certain you won’t become the greatest spin master in a session or two. If you keep practice, though, you’ll definitely get better and probably start doing those incredible spins seasoned skaters seem to do so effortlessly.
Safety First: Always Wear a Helmet and Protective Pads
Falls happen even to professional-level rollerbladers when they’re doing normal skating. So, helmet up. Make sure it’s a certified roller skating helmet. Pad up, too. Here’s a post I Put together to help roller skaters and inline skaters find the best protective gear for their knees and hands quickly: Best knee pads for roller skating.
How to Do Spins on Rollerblades: Conclusion
Learning how to do spectacular spins on rollerblades can be challenging. The main thing is to learn and master the right technique and stay persistent.
If you do those two things, you’ll progressively evolve into someone everyone will enjoy watching as you perform your wizardly.
Spinning on your skates for the first time can end up in a nasty fall. So, be sure to wear a decent brain bucket and protective pads.
