Learning to Skate Backwards
Skating backwards is one of the first things that people want to learn after mastering the whole staying upright thing. It’s scary, though! Add the element of skating outside and you have a recipe for low confidence. We have all watched way too many beautiful videos on instagram and tik tok of pro skater flying around backwards, cruising down the street or down the boardwalk backwards. And then we strap on our skates, head out to the parking lot, and end up on our butts after hitting one little pebble! Learning to skate backwards takes hard work and practice, just like learning any new skate move. I have gathered a few videos that helped me a lot when I was first starting my outdoor backwards skate journey. I hope you find some inspiration, and some helpful advice!
This first tutorial comes from a fun teacher, Rebel from Queer Girl Straight Skates. She is upbeat, funny, and gives you the real rundown on how to get started with backwards skating. If you are learning to roller skate, or trying to figure out how to roller skate outside, Rebel is an incredible resource!
Next video comes from Dirty Deborah Harry from the Dirty School of Skate. I love Dirty Deb. She teaches skating for real in her own skating rink, and her videos are what it would be like if you went to actual skate school. This video is indoors, but the techniques are solid. She doesn’t throw you right into anything, she talks a lot about body alignment, as well as why certain movements make certain things happen. I think about some of her catchy phrases while I am out skating still to this day and they help me a lot! Definitely watch this video and take notes!
Lastly, this great video from Estro Jen. This was actually the first backwards tutorial that I used when I was starting. I really like how she goes over issues of balance, and how to look backwards while you are skating backwards. As a bonus, she gets kicked out of the garage she is filming in and has to move the shoot. We have all been there! I never thought I would be getting kicked out of parking garages in my 30’s, but here we are!