Roller skating in Independence at Kansas City's favorite rink
"A Kansas City Roller Skating Favorite"
All beginning skaters should learn to have good skating posture:

Stand up straight and bend knees slightly.

Keep head up and looking ahead, not down at the skates.

and not break forward at the waste.
                          Tiny Tots-"The Marching Step"
            The youngest skaters can start out by getting used to having the
                         weight and action of rollers under their feet.

  1. Assume Skating Posture Above
  2. Let go of the wall
  3. Lift legs at the knees to "march" forward"
  4. There won't be much roll however the skater will move forward.
  5. Repeat until there is some proficiency in balance and getting around.
  6. Skater will advance faster if all wheels roll freely, do not over-tighten.
  7. Skater should lift and step forward, not push back on the skate and shuffle.
The mechanics of roller skating are really quite simple. Start with good posture, then
learn how to 'march. Next, roll your skates out and back in scissors-like motion to
learn the rocker action of the skate, and pushing leverage. Once a skater can sustain
some momentum doing this, he can work on picking up on foot and then the other.

   Older beginners usually breeze through The Marching Step and
              should work on the The Scissors Exercise.



  1. Assume Skating Posture Above   
  2. Let go of the wall
  3. Start from a standstill with the toe of the skates pointing slightly outward.
  4. While in this position, and keeping the knees slightly bent, force the legs apart.
  5. As you roll forward, quickly pull your legs back together, and turning the toes
    inward to lead the way.

  Repeat the heel/toe out and back. Your skates will make the pattern seen here:

 Steer by turning your head and body the way you want to go. Leaning slightly in
 that direction will help.
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
                                 Learning to Stroke

The Scissors Exercise is the springboard to the next phase, stroking

  1. Assume Skating Posture Above
  2. Let go of the wall
  3. Do the scissors once to get moving, repeat and pick up the left foot for a moment.
  4. Do the scissors for a second time, and pick up the right foot for a moment.
  5. Repeat: Scissors, pick up right foot, scissors, pick up left foot...

Remember to keep the knees slightly bent and to turn the head and body to steer.

The half scissors is the act of stroking onto the left and right skates.
Note that you are pushing to the side and moving, and NOT pushing to the back.

Keep standing up straight and bending the knees slightly, don't look down.

Practice turning left and right on both skates and get familiar with the rocker
action that steers the skate.
Now that you are on a roll, you will need to know how to stop!

While standing on one skate, turn the other one sideways and gently press down.

This   is  called a "T" stop.  The rubber toe stop can only slow you down
while going forward and works best when skating backward.


Even the best skaters take a fall. Here are some tips.

To take a fall, it is best to draw your arms into the body, and tuck your chin down to your
chest. Do NOT brace for the fall with your hands and stiff arms.
This causes broken arms and bad wrist sprains.

At speed, turn your fall into a baseball slide at home plate.  
(A floor burn is better than a broken bone or a sprain.)

At very slow speeds, simply collapse into a heap like a rag doll.

With any fall, keep your hands off the floor so passing
skaters don't roll over your fingers.  Also get up right away so there
are fewer chances of another skater plowing into you while you are down.