When it comes to rollerblading, stopping is the most difficult part to learn. For skating beginners, this can be problematic, especially in downhill skating. In this article, you will learn how to power stop on rollerblades.
First of all, it’s essential that you don’t rely on other objects to powerstop. You don’t want to learn to powerstop by finding the nearest tree, vehicle, etc. Even if you start to do that as a beginner, you shouldn’t rely on it for a very long period or as you progress.
What Is the Powerstop Technique?
The powerstop is one of the most effective braking techniques if you learn it properly. Sometimes, it’s called the powerslide technique because of the stance the rollerblader assumes. To perform this technique, you need to be able to skate forwards and backwards and be able to do front and back flips. You also need to be conversant with transitioning from forwards to backwards.
This is an advanced braking technique amongst hockey players. Powerstop or powerslide involves stretching your most comfortable foot in front of you, perpendicular to the direction that you are traveling and your other foot. It can be done at any speed, but it requires some high technical level to master it. With this braking technique, you can be brought to a stop rapidly.
Why Choose the Powerstop Braking Technique?
The powerstop technique is fast and also an accurate stop on rollerblades. Learning it might be difficult and takes time (depending on the individual), but the safest way of stopping, especially amongst beginners.
Does Weather Affect a Braking Technique?
Some weather conditions favor certain braking techniques. There are some braking techniques that can be performed in all weather conditions, whether it’s dry or wet. For example, you can perform the power stop technique in all weather conditions. Others like rubber braking is better on dry surfaces than wet surfaces.
And yes, weather does affect a braking technique.
How to Powerstop on rollerblades (With 7 Tips for Your First Try)
Before you can learn to powerstop on rollerblades, make sure you adhere to the following safety guidelines.
- First thing first, make sure you wear a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and a wrist guard to keep yourself safe while skating.
- Also, you should keep your knees softly bent to control your motion when you try to stop.
- Practice stopping in an even surface or area with minimal people or less traffic. This will make it possible for you not to crash into other people should you fall.
Now, lets move to the seven steps to take to powerstop on rollerblades safely and enjoy your skating experience.
You can powerstop in two ways – by using the rollerblades brakes and without using them. We will teach you how to do both below.
- Stretch out your most comfortable leg in front of you and slightly bend the other one behind, as if you want to try to sit down.
- The brakes on rollerblades are usually located at the back of the blades, unlike roller skates. Turn most of your weight into the leg in front of you.
- Now, bring the other leg in front of your most comfortable leg and keep it straight.
- Extend the leading leg forward a bit more to allow the heel brake make absolute contact with the surface. Remember, the heel brake is at the back of the rollerblades, so allocating more space to the leading leg is vital to stopping with the heel brake.
- Apply firm pressure to the heel brake till it comes to a stop. The more you apply pressure, the faster you stop. Most times, the heel brake will make a squealing sound, which is generated by the contact of the brake and the ground, so you don’t need to panic if you hear that.
- If you don’t want to use the heel brake, turn to the left and right very rapidly to slow your forward momentum.
- Slide sideways until you are brought to a stop. You should try the last two steps if you are moving at a high speed. However, performing this stop depends on your level of skating as most beginners will find them difficult to accomplish. We recommend that you stick to the steps involving the heel brake.
What If I’m Unable to Stop? What Should I Do?
If you try to stop and it isn’t working, the best thing to do is to fall down deliberately. That is why wearing safety gears like pads and helmet is necessary. Falling safely will help prevent sustaining any major injuries, provided that you are wearing those safety gears.
This is what you should do if you are unable to stop; bend your knees and try to fall on your elbow and knee pads. Avoid falling on your hands because you could end up having a broken wrist.
If there is any sand or nearby grasses, try to roller blade to that area and fall. It will be less irksome than falling on asphalt or concrete.
Other Types of Rollerblading Braking Techniques
Apart from using the power stop braking technique, there are other types of braking techniques that you can use to stop your rollerblades. These braking techniques differ in level and technicality, which means that it will take you time to master some, while others won’t require so much technical level to master.
Rubber Braking
This type of braking is highly recommended for beginners because it doesn’t require a lot of space to halt your rollerblade. Rubber braking works on wide roads, narrow roads, or semi-narrow roads. The disadvantage of this braking technique is that it is less efficient on wet grounds.
Another downside of this braking technique is that its not compatible with bends.
Rubber braking is considered the safest braking technique due to it doesn’t require so much tutorials to learn. You don’t need to wear wheels to rubber brake.
T Stop Braking
This is another common braking technique amongst rollerbladers, if not the most common. It’s similar to the rubber braking technique, other than it requires that you wear your wheels. It also doesn’t need so much space like the rubber braking, and you can use it in any situation. That is where it’s considered better and more efficient than rubber braking technique.
This is not a high technical braking like rubber braking, as long as you have a good balance on your leading foot. Having good balance on your leading foot will translate in having no problems with bends and wet grounds. This braking technique is good for limiting your speed in a steep downslope, but not to stop entirely.
All you have to do is drag one foot forward with the other foot behind and your toes turned sideways. The wheels of your back skate must be perpendicular to those of your front skates or the direction that you are heading. Then, slow your momentum by applying downward pressure with your back skate until you bring yourself to a stop.
Fish Braking
Fish braking requires a wide road to perform it. Fish braking is using the width of the road, also known as the edges to your advantage by rollerblading across the edges. This will limit your speed because the rollerblades are against the edges.
It’s called fish braking because of the stance of the rollerblader, slightly bent, with the upper part of the body curved inwards. This technique is mostly used by beginners, but like we said, you will need a wide road to do this.
Soul Slide Braking
This is another efficient way of stopping your skates. It works on wet and dry grounds. It involves using stretching and using your leading foot, perpendicularly to the road to slow your speed down.
Snow Plow Braking
This braking technique is difficult and makes use of your thighs, so if your thighs aren’t prepped physically, you might find it difficult to do this braking technique.
In this technique, you try to use your thighs to slow your skates down. Spread your legs out, wide apart and turn your toes inwards, so that they face each other. Doing this will reduce your momentum until you are brought to a stop. Beware of this technique because you may likely fall as a result of slowing your momentum. That’s why you need to prep your thighs very well.
Snow plow braking is efficient on both dry and wet grounds and you can rely on the edges of the road for more support.
Parallel Slide Braking
This braking technique is self-explanatory and probably the best braking technique on this list. However, it’s difficult to master and there is a high risk of fall due to side balancing.
Parallel slide braking involves sliding sideways to a stop. This is similar to powerslide. To do this, you will need enough space and the width of the take-off-turn is important. As we previously stated, you will need to master this technique because you can easily fall to the ground.
Conclusion
Learning to rollerblade is incomplete if you don’t know how to power stop on rollerblades. It can be difficult for beginners due to the different kinds of stopping techniques out there. However, we have provided you with steps to powerstop. The powerstop technique is very efficient and if you master it, you can bring yourself to a stop immediately, irrespective of the speed that you are traveling in.
