3 Cone Drills That Take You From Beginner to Intermediate Inline Skater

If you are a beginner skater and want to improve your skills then you are in the right place because today I will be sharing three basic drills plus the progression so you will be able to go from beginner to intermediate skater. And make sure to watch till the end because the last one will really test your balance, coordination and patience. If you are new here then hi my name is Klaudia and I've been skating for over 20 years and on this channel I share everything I've learned so I can help you improve your skating This is a great beginner exercise to build balance and start learning how to push. One leg does the slalom while the other goes straight along the cones. Make sure to bend your knees, lean slightly forward and keep the straight leg close to the cones. Practice on both sides and repeat it until it feels really easy. When you feel comfortable try another variation where your slalom leg is on the toe. Don't rush, especially in the beginning when your toe control is still developing. Keep your heel high and stable and turn slowly. As you improve, gradually increase the speed. In this trick you can try one more progression. Let's switch the positions. The slalom leg stays flat and the other goes on the toe. Focus on pushing and turning with the flat leg. Again, take your time. At first it may feel really challenging, but keep practicing at a slow speed until you find the rhythm and momentum. I call this drill sidewalk. In this exercise you stand sideways to the cones and step over them one by one. Lift your leg and move it perpendicular to the line of the cones, stepping over each cone as you go. This drill helps you learn how to balance on one leg and improve your skate control. Bend your knees and start slowly and calmly. At the beginning, your skates might roll slightly forward or backward. Try to correct it and come back to the line, then continue the same movement. You can switch sides halfway through or practice one direction and then the other. Once you feel comfortable with this exercise, move on to the progression where you cross your legs over the cone. Start with your feet parallel and lean slightly forward to the cone to catch the outside edge. Then lift your leg and cross it over the cone in the air. The next step is to uncross and return to the starting position. This is a great drill for learning crossovers and cross in slalom, so it's definitely worth spending time on it, because these movements will be very useful later. The last drill I call 2 plus 1 and when I teach kids, I call it the snowman. Start at the first cone in a V position. Bend your knees and push out making a wide lemon shape. After the second cone, bring your toes together to form an A shape. From this position, roll one cone backward and then return to the V position again. At the beginning, don't rush. Focus on making wide and clean curves. These big circles will help you slow down, so your skates don't keep rolling forward, which could make you lose balance. Once you understand the movement, you can start to increase the speed a little bit to make it smoother. Now, for the final progression and the most advanced one so far, start in the V position, then do a forward cross, crossing with your dominant leg in front. At the next cone, make a wide curve and finish it in the A position. From there, roll one cone backward and return to the V position. Then do another cross and keep repeating the whole sequence. Focus on precision and always keep a safe distance between your skates when doing the cross. If you like this video, make sure to leave me a thumbs up and subscribe for more skating tips and if you want to learn some other tricks, make sure to watch this video where I share even more tips. Thanks for watching, have a great skating session and see you in the next one!