Gear, stand up and fall
Ready when: nothing, this is the first card.
What you are learning
Putting on the gear, standing up from a fall, standing still in a V, and falling forward safely onto the pads. Every skater falls; one who can fall well and get up alone is ready to roll.
Words on this card Helmet, Stride, Loop
- Helmet
- The protective gear worn every time.
- Stride
- Pushing one skate out to the side to move forward.
- Loop
- The circuit skated round; a rink is a hall or court made for skating.
Set up
Skates, helmet, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads; start on a carpet or grass.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- Check the helmet is fastened and the laces are tied tight across the top of the foot.
- Stand up from the floor: onto both knees, one foot flat, both hands on that knee, push up.
- Stand with heels together and toes apart, knees soft: the V.
- From kneeling, fall forward onto the knee pads and wrist guards, then stand up again.
Your part while they practise
Check the fit and the laces; stay at the child's side.
Step by step
- Stand up from a fall: onto both knees, one foot flat, hands on that knee, push up.
- Stand with heels together and toes apart (a V), then toes together.
- Fall forward from kneeling onto the pads and wrist guards.
- Stand up again.
How much: 10 falls and stand-ups 10 min a session 3 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Simon says
You call "knees", "hands", "stand" or "V"; the child does it only after "Simon says".
Who plays: the child against their own best; you call.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- The child starts standing in the V
- Call the moves, sometimes without "Simon says"
- 15 calls
- Fair play
- Call slowly for a younger child.
- Points
- 1 point for each right move after "Simon says"; 1 point for standing still when it was missing.
- Fouls
- No point
- Falling backward instead of forward
- Getting up with straight legs
- Any piece of gear off
- Winning
- Beat your best from 15 calls.
- 8 points for 1 star
- 12 points for 2 stars
- 15 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
On carpet.
On the smooth floor without the wall.
What you will see, and what to say
- the child stiffens
Bend your knees, stay low
Soft knees, always. - they fall backward
Fall forward onto your pads
Pads take the fall.
Self-check
Stand up unaided from a fall 5 times.
Stop and get a coach when
Wrist or ankle pain.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains balance, falling and getting up.
awiseathlete.com/sports/roller-skating/roller-skating-b1