Beginner roller skating

Turning Without Lifting a Foot

Both skates stay down. You lean into the turn from the ankles, not the shoulders, and the wheels follow the lean. Look where you're going, not at your feet - the turn ends up wherever your eyes are. Crossovers come after this, never before.

This turn has no footwork in it at all. Both skates stay on the ground and the wheels do the steering, exactly as they were built to. Trying to step a turn is what makes beginners catch an edge.

The lean comes from the ankles. Rolling the shoulders into a turn moves your weight off your feet and the skates carry straight on underneath you.

Look where you want to end up. The turn finishes wherever your eyes are pointed, and this is not a figure of speech — your hips follow your head without being asked. Crossovers build on this turn, so there is no point attempting them first.

Keep going: this is one section of the full Roller Skating for Beginners guide — sizing, gear, stopping, and where to skate, in one page.