Inline Skating Lessons
Monday, September 29th, 2008If you are interested in learning how to skate, are already skating and want to improve on your abilities, or you are interested in getting your child into skating, inline skating lessons are a great choice. Almost every major city has skating centers that offer classes that will help with skating technique and skater progression. Classes are typically available by age range, so you can certainly find something suitable for you or your child. Additionally, you can find the classes closest to you by searching for skating centers and classes in your area via the Internet. Here are a few links to help you get started, but understand that the Internet is filled with many sites to help you find instructors and classes.
http://www.skatelog.com/countries/us/inline-skating-instructors.htm
http://inlinenow.com/campsClassesLessons.htm
If you’re a bit curious about the last listing, you should know that Craigslist.com is a great way to locate personal skating instructors at very affordable prices. Also, if you are an instructor who is looking for additional skating students, this is a great way to find them, as well as simply offer your services.
What to expect from an inline skating lesson?
Based on our experiences, a skating lesson is most effective only after you have spent time skating on your own. The reason for this is that when you skate on your own, you develop your own skating tendencies. When you begin your skating lessons, you will begin to learn the proper techniques and you will have something to compare your initial tendencies to. If you aren’t willing to lace up your skates and take a few spills before your lessons, you will not gain as much from your lessons. After you have made a solid attempt to learn to inline skate on your own, sign up for a lesson and start improving your abilities.
As far as how a skating less is administered, that is up to the instructor. Each instructor will handle lessons differently, but the concepts and techniques should be quite similar. The concepts and techniques, while similar, will also depend on the skill level you have. If you are a beginner, you will be instructed on beginner techniques. If you are at an intermediate level, you will learn some different techniques. And so on.
If you are going to your first lesson, you will want to make sure you show up a bit early to make sure you get your skates on comfortably, and that you can warm up to get the most out of your time with the instructor. At the start of you lesson, inform the instructor of the areas you would like to work on. If you want to work on balance, stopping, turning, or speed, let your instructor know in advance so they can focus on those areas when working with you.
During your lesson, you can expect to participate in a variety of drills, each designed to focus on many areas of your skating technique. Cone drills will be the most common because instructors can focus on speed, control, balance, turning, and agility. One the many benefits to cone drills is that they are easy to replicate on your own. Therefore, it is easier to practice on days when you do not have lessons.
Your instructor should be an expert on form and technique. Their expertise in these two primary areas should help your with skating faster and with more control. Your instructor should always teach proper form and help you become aware of correct and incorrect tendencies. This way you can begin correcting and analyzing yourself on your mistakes. Once you understand the proper execution of a maneuver, you will know how to fix any bad habits when you are working on your skating technique without your instructor.
For those who are not interested in skating lessons, but prefer the good ol’ fashion do-it-yourself techniques, you can find an abundance of information through skating sites and online skating forums. You can also find instructional videos in stores or possibly online through sites like YouTube.com. Finally, skate with friends because you can learn from one another by sharing information, this is not only helpful, but it’s fun too.
