How do you stop if your using the type with no rear brake?
Dave from VA
run into the grass!
learn a T stop
don’t skate downhill
get a brake
I’m still working on the T stop.
Don’t. Get the type that has a rear brake.
Yup, learn to T stop.
Drag one foot sideways behind the other.
Works well for me unless i’m going down a really bid hill, then i either bomb it or use the rear brake.
Yup, the T-stop works well, but wears down the wheels… If you can anticipate the stop, you can bleed off most of your speed by making short S-turns like if you were downhill skiing… Or, for an emergency you could learn the power slide which puts a foot sideways out front… It’s tough to learn, but it’ll stop you FAST!
And just to nit-pick, the activity is called inline skating, as Rollerblade is a brand name. It’d be like calling cycling “Specializeding”, or “Litespeeding” It sounds funny to us.
Happy skating! It’s great for the buttocks!
bri
Yep…Cat 1 for 5 years until back problems developed. Amazing how technical it can be…
It depends if you mean “stop” or “slow down”.
Dragging the foot is usually the bail out method, although isn’t really a “T” stop. A T stop is when you (literally) stop on a dime by shoving your rear skate (sideway) behind the rear of your front skate. It’s like creating a massive rear brake and using your front foot as the level…and then lean back. Sorta like dragging it…but you angle the wheels forward. Definately not recommended for newbies.
If slowing down is your goal…I’d suggest doing pigeon toed - walks. Kinda hard to explain, but you simply scrub off speed by literally walking pigeon toed.
Hey Dave,
I used to skate race competetively,and t-stopping is the way to go.
You’ll need to put most of you weight on your front leg,bend a bit at the knee,and drag the other skate directly behind(forming a T). The problem most beginers have is that they keep that front leg straight,which throws you off balance.
It takes a little practice,but in time you will be able to stop pretty quickly.
C’mon CG … that’s the first thing you remove from the blades
One of my buddies came to stay with use in KC for awhile. He was big into Roller Hockey. KC had some decent outdoor roller hockey rinks. I had never roller bladed before. I learned to roller blade as I was playing hockey.
It’s kinda nice when you can barely skate and folks skate next to you, place their foot behind your feet and then put their elbow in your chest … Oops, you’ve been dumped. Another nice thing about being taller than most … your shoulder is at their head height, which makes for nice retaliation.
Actually you learn how to skate rather quickly … now, if the roller ball would just stay on the blade of my stick instead of rolling whereever it wants to.
Roller blading is actually very fun … even though I haven’t touched them for the 4 years since we moved back to Illinois.
The answer to the question is “You don’t stop, you just change direction” =)
The best thing about roller hockey? When you’re learning to shoot, and everytime you draw back for a slapper you fall on your face.
Pigeon toe steps like Sandbagger said, basically you take a step in front of you slightly toe in with each foot to scrub off speed. Dragging wheels gets expensive after a while.
If speed on the hills are your problem, you will have to be prepared before you get to them and skate smart. If you get caught on a hill too fast, try the pigeon toe thing if you can but I’ve seen people bail on the grass doing the superman thing.
jaretj
Hockey stop is the only cool way to stop! Turn very hard with feet close together and lean to the insde of the turn. Takes practice but it looks cool and you can stop on a dime. The resulting sideways slide is fun also.
The T-stop is next in line.
Can you hockey stop with regular or speed skate wheels (as opposed to hockey or grinding) on concrete? Seems damn near impossible on my skinny wheels. But I’m still a brake guy for hard stops. I can T to slow down, but wouldn’t want to rely on it on some of the hills near here.
My question is, does anyone incorporate regular skating into their training? I was skating a lot last year to help rehab my knee, but haven’t done any this year. It is a good workout.
For me…it was visa versa. I rode my bike to train for skating…and ended up liking biking more. I still do a few inline races, but it’s a total sideshow now.
The biggest issue I had with inline racing was the horrible drafting issues. Some guys just would never pull their weight and the race is a constant pony show until someone went skidding. It’s still sooo new and guys are rotating in/out that the “unwritten rules” haven’t really developed. (Unless you’re Hedrick, of course)Really upsetting. Teams can’t stay together, etc…
I’d love to see a TT style 1/2 and full inline marathon. I’d sign up in a second…
“Can you hockey stop with regular or speed skate wheels (as opposed to hockey or grinding) on concrete? Seems damn near impossible on my skinny wheels. But I’m still a brake guy for hard stops. I can T to slow down, but wouldn’t want to rely on it on some of the hills near here”
I can hockey stop on most wheels but the harder the better. My aggressive and hockey skates are easier to do this in than when I had regular skates. I also have the broken leg to prove how not to skate.