What Level Beginner are You?

Worried about how much balance you’ll have your first time on skates? Wondering how your starting skills would compare with other beginners’? See my new Beginning Skills Self-Rating Ladder to find the answers!

It's good for you

A new Get Rolling Skate School enrollment link takes prospective students to the full-size ladder where they can identify their starting rung before emailing me their enrollment request. The nine rungs are labeled from A (at the bottom) through I (top) so students can identify their current skill using a letter rather than repeating the text on the rung.

The rungs ascend the ladder in three groups of three: True Beginner (can get up, stand on carpet or pavement), Novice Beginner (doing short strides, coast, wide turn) and Advanced Beginner (skates trails, can scissors coast, successful braking).

Click here to see the full-sized ladder.

It's good for me

The usual “I have never tried skating before” doesn’t really determine how well you’ll do on your very first lesson day. During the first fifteen minutes of my group beginner classes, the mix of physical capabilities can be as much a surprise for me as for my students!

But when I know everybody’s starting rung on the Beginning Skills Ladder, I can plan ahead to accommodate all needs. On lesson day, True and Novice beginners are stationed on carpet or lawn while my Advanced Beginners are comfortable beginning on pavement. Everybody learns the safety and stance fundamentals together while standing in place.

When the rubber hits the road, the self-ratings are put to the test! Whatever happens, I'm prepared with appropriate drills for each level. I may end up teaching three separate lessons this way, but I can still make sure each skater gets a share of individual attention.

It's good for everybody

And that’s what it’s all about: giving each skater the best possible lesson to advance in inline skating skills according to his or her own current capabilities. That way, we all go home excited (me included!) about the day's accomplishments.

Other March 2007 Stories

Balance Lunges integrate a variety of key skating and fitness components in a single off-skates exercise. They’re a great warmup too!

Know Your Stances - Posture and foot positioning are everything when it comes to learning the basics.

Mastering Swizzles - Step by step, build up to the one skill featured in all fitness skating programs (great for speed, too!).

Fair Weather Skaters - The Great EsSkate attracted hundreds of avid rollers for a weekend of fun and sun in Miami. See Liz's photos.

National Skate For Health Day - On May 12, instructors across the US will show newbies how skating is aerobic, low-impact, and fun.

  Get Rolling Skate School - My 2007 learning opportunities range from Bay Area lessons to a mini camp and tour in Florida.  

Ojai Valley Trail, South - Enjoy fantastic vistas skating the converted rail-trail next to the Ventura River.

Skater Crossing - Online destinations where skaters congregate and find information.