HOW TO TRANSITION ON ROLLER SKATES | This Rad Skate Tutorials 

Hi, so glad to hear it! Transitions are a big milestone, keep at it and you'll get it.

Awesome! I'm excited for you, once transitions start to click, skating gets really exciting :)

Yes, I believe in you! x

This Rad I finally am able to do it as well as skate backwards.I just wanna learn to jump while skating for fun though not to do any tricks

Hi, thank you

So glad to help!

I'm glad it was helpful, cheers!

Hi, thanks for your comment! I learned the turnaround toe stop shortly after transitions too, it gave me so much confidence to know I could stop on a dime--really opens up your skating world. Have fun, you got this! x

Cheers! Happy skating!

Rad, I love to hear it! It takes some practice but stick with it and you'll have that magic moment when it all clicks.

Thanks and good luck! I still practice some skills off skates in the beginning, it's so helpful to not have to worry about wiping out when you're focusing on the details.

so off topic and extremely late but i love ur hair in ur pfp! its so pretty

Hi, so happy it helped!

So rad, good on you! You're going to be on to all sorts of things now :) Thanks for letting me know this helped xx

Hey Dylan, right on! Always happy to hear new skaters going for it. Skating with Glasgow roller derby was rad when I was there (:

The type of wheel does make a difference because the hardness of a wheel affects how it reacts to the surface. Softer wheels for example are great for outdoor skating because they provide a smooth ride and good traction as the soft urethane grips the surface. The trade-off for this is less responsiveness, speed, and slide than with a harder wheel. If the combination of wheel + surface results in a good amount of grip, it can be difficult/impossible to achieve certain stops that require the wheels to slide (like a power slide), and some techniques that include slide would be similarly affected. Grippy wheels can sometimes make it more challenging for skaters learning how to transition because newer skaters are still learning how to shift their weight and lift their feet, so the tendency is often to spin somewhat wide into the transition with perhaps too much weight on the wheels, and the grip of the wheels might fight the spin. That doesn't mean the wheels + surface are wrong for transitions though, as with experience you would lift your feet a bit and step/roll through the transition, or shift weight so the wheels can pivot. I suggest practicing the weight distribution and turning your torso first (do this on grass or off skates) to get really comfortable stepping through the transition and making the full rotation with your body, then you'll have the technique down solid so your wheels are less likely to hang out in the spin where the grip will get in the way.

Glad to hear it!

Haha yes! Honestly it was those types of answers when I first started skating and playing roller derby, and the lack of online content at the time, that motivated me to create videos once I got further along in my skills and had trained with top coaches.

Hi, let me know how it goes. Usually when a skater's rolling stops during a transition, it's because they're either spinning wide during the turn or they're not completing the turn before one of their skates is touching down in the sideways position or hanging out there a moment too long, which shaves off speed.

Hi! I'm not sure I understand without seeing you in action but it sounds like you're most of the way there if you're able to open and close the door, and completely turn your body 180 degrees from forward-facing to backwards-facing. So that's already great! It's common for skaters learning transitions to lose momentum (or even come to a stop) during the transition, and that might be what's happening with you, and then as you finish closing the door, you might propel or drift in the opposite direction. The usual cause for a skater losing momentum during the critical stepping/pivoting portion of the transition is the trailing skate making contact with the ground in a sideways (or partially sideways/lateral) position. If you imagine parallel lines like a railroad track, we're traveling forward along that path, and then as we rotate for the transition, we want the first skate to come down along that same line it was traveling, and then the second skate will also come down on the line it was traveling. This is what keeps our momentum going in that same direction. If one or both of our skates interrupts that line of travel by having all 4 wheels down while sideways, it's like a brake, and disrupts our flow in that direction. Sometimes this is very obvious and will cause a skater to stumble or lose balance as the skate suddenly stops, but often it's a subtle thing, especially if you're skating slowly. The way I help skaters problem solve for their transitions is to focus on the mechanics of the turn without rolling to really get the motion down and build up the muscle memory so you're more likely to do it cleanly once you add the roll. (1) Practice the correct upper body movement, initiating the turn with the head/shoulders then hips. (2) If you're rotating right/clockwise, your weight should be on your left so the right skate can lift or pivot, and then your weight shifts to it immediately when it steps down so your left skate can lift and come around. Timing that weight transfer is important--1st skate down + 2nd skate lift. It's common for beginners to not yet have solid balance while on one skate, so skaters compensate by having weight on both, and that can make it difficult for the 2nd skate to make a clean step/pivot. Once you have this basic movement down so that you can consistently open/close the door with good balance, then you're ready to put it all together rolling. Most issues from that point will come from an incomplete rotation, and can be remedied by leading the turn with the head/shoulders then hips, or going back to the basic practice to clean up footwork. I hope this helps!

cours de roller from*

Hi, it depends on your needs. For max protection, if you play roller derby I recommend 187 Pro Derby (or if you have knee issues, e.g. former injuries). The 187 Killer Pro is similar, but has a bit more bulk...some skaters might prefer having the extra fabric but I personally like things as streamlined as possible. Both of these have adjustable straps so you can put them on/off with skates on, and a hard shell over the kneecap. They typically last me an entire season of hard skating, many hours a week + occasional machine washing in a mesh bag and air dry, and would last longer in a recreational skating situation. They come in cute colors! For lighter but still good protection, like for street skating where you're not planning on falling a lot but want to be prepared for some wipeouts, I like 187 Fly (there's also the Slim, which would be a little more protection, like mid-level, good for park and aggressive skating where some falling is expected). These slip on like a knee brace and then have 2 adjustment straps, along with some padding & a hard shell, but much slimmer in profile than the Pro series, and the shell isn't removable. Now that I'm dance skating and street skating most of the time, I use Triple 8 Covert. This is my current favorite, fits super light like a knee brace, with just a touch of cushion and a durable woven shell (not a hard shell), so it's good for avoiding road rash wipeouts and would take the sting out of a sliding fall, but offers little protection from falling on your knees with impact. I wouldn't have used these when I was beginning, although they're definitely better than having no protection, the key is to learn to fall in ways that avoid or minimize impact on the knees. xx P.S. I'm not sponsored by any of these brands, I just like what I like (:

@@ThisRad Thank you so much for the thoughtful response! I appreciate it and will definitely look into those! :)

The technique in this video is basically the same for blades, only on blades I'd start with my legs staggered (e.g. right skate a few inches ahead of the left skate if opening to the left). All transitions are easiest to attempt when you're rolling but especially so for roller blades. There are also a few variations worth trying, like the spin transition, which can be very quick and smooth on blades (also jumps, one-toe). Once you're confident with the basics, try them out.

Thanks Very Much ★★★

Hi! These are Atom Boom XX-firm wheels, which are around a 98A hardness. I wouldn't recommend these for street/recreational outdoor skating because they're so hard you'd feel every bump. Some outdoor rinks and sports courts have really grippy surfaces so I'll use a hard wheel if I'm wanting less stick and more slide.

Hi, it's great you're almost there! Losing momentum and/or stopping during the transition or right after is a pretty common issue. It can be a little different for every skater, but usually it's because one of the skates is hanging out too long in the sideways/lateral position midway through the transition. This can be really subtle. When the technique is done properly, if I'm skating forward along a single line or path, when I transition, one skate will continue along that line, the other skate will either lift or pivot on two wheels (the alternate method I show in the video) as my torso turns 180 degrees to face the opposite direction, and then that skate will set down along the same line. This continuity of travel has my wheels rolling always in the same direction so momentum is maintained---with the small exception that if I'm using the pivot method, there's a moment when the 2 wheels of the trailing skate will pivot or rotate, but because it's a quick movement and only 2 wheels are down, they easily swivel and won't disrupt momentum significantly. When skaters are losing momentum during the transition, the culprit is usually one or both skates disrupting that line of travel by having weight on your wheels while your skate is at an angle to the line of travel. Most often it's the trailing skate coming down quite a bit less than 180 degrees with all 4 wheels down. Occasionally it's the leading skate, like if a skater is curving into the transition almost like they're going to spin (which is a valid movement but usually not done intentionally or correctly at this point in learning to transition). The reason this is such a common challenge is because when we're learning to transition, we're often not completely stable having most of our weight on one leg. This will have us relying a bit too much on the trailing skate to help us balance, which will have weight on it at a key moment during the transition when we're needing that skate to be light/weightless so we can turn without the wheels getting caught up perpendicular to our line of travel. Remembering to turn your head & shoulders first to begin the transition really makes a difference, it helps your hips and legs make a clean, quick rotation, and that goes a long way to solving the lag time with the trailing skate. I also recommend practicing the movement on grass or carpet, paying attention to your upper body rotation, how and when your weight shifts, and what's happening with your trailing skate. I find it super helpful to record myself so I can see exactly what I'm doing in slow-mo, then I can work on the bit that needs correction. Keep at it, you'll get it!

Hi! These are Bont hybrid carbons, they're my favorite boot for all types of skating. I bought them specifically for roller derby and speed, but after trying other skates for dance, rec, and street skating, I still like my Bonts best.

Hi, without seeing what you're doing, it's difficult to give you useful advice. If you're skating forward along a straight line, after the turn you should be rolling backwards along the same line. So if that's not happening, somewhere during your transition you may be turning it into a wider spin that shaves off speed and gets you off your trajectory. Another possibility could be that instead of stepping or gliding along that forward trajectory, you might have one or both of your skates hanging out in the sideways position for a moment, which would also slow or stop the roll. You want to have bent knees and an engaged core, and maintain that stance throughout the transition with your weight centered over your skates.

Thanks!

I think I had a similar problem. I finally started to nail transitions when I of course repeated it a million times and I did the weight transfer with extra care, like really over-did and exaggerated the weight transfer and also the turning of upper body first.

Hi, unfortunately we're stuck with the brake set-up that comes with our skate plates (the plate is the long piece that attaches to the bottom of the boot, made of metal or nylon). Most plates can be replaced, but some of the lower-end skates have permanently attached plates. Typically non-adjustable brakes come on entry-level recreational skates, so in that situation it often makes more sense to wait until you can upgrade to a better skate, than to replace just the plate.

This Rad ok thank you! How much cost these two plates?

A high quality set of nylon plates can be around $80-$100, although sometimes you'll find aluminum for around $100. But for $120-150 you can usually find a good starter skate that includes the plates & adjustable toe stops, plus wheels (like Riedell R3, I haven't used these but a lot of skaters start with them). I recommend looking through Derby Warehouse or DevaSkation online.

This Rad THANK you so much!!

Hey Nick! Whenever we cut a lot of speed during transitions, it's usually because one skate hangs out in a semi-lateral position as we're opening up (perpendicular to our trajectory, it doesn't take much). And if you're less confident transitioning from fakie, you might be entering it more slowly also. When I'm working to master a skill, it helps me a lot to see footage of what I'm doing, I just prop my phone on something and record quick video. Even better if you can watch it in slow-mo.

buddy love it’s probably her skate name, like there’s a moxi girl who’s skate name is pigeon, but it’s not actually her name

That's her derby name.

haha I haven't tried that yet!

haha! Any time is a great time to start!