Beginner roller skating
Equal Weight on Both Skates Is What Makes a Spin Last
A spin that dies after half a turn is rarely a speed problem. A certified coach says what matters most is weight distribution: equal on both quad skates, so the spin keeps going. Load one skate more than the other and it drags the rotation to a halt. Master the even split on quarter turns first, then let the revolutions grow. Technique from ICP-certified coach Asha Kirkby.
A spin that dies after half a turn feels like a speed problem: not enough momentum going in. A certified coach says it is almost never that.
What matters most, in her words, is the weight distribution: equal on both quad skates, so the spin can keep going. The toe/heel spin turns around a point between the two skates, and that point only stays put when neither skate is carrying more than the other.
Load one skate more than the other and it drags the rotation to a halt. The heavier skate becomes a pivot that is off-centre; the pair starts to travel instead of turn, and the spin unwinds into a wobbly arc. More entry speed makes that worse, not better.
The even split is learned on the quarter turns, where there is time to feel it. Master it there first, with hardly any revolutions, and then let the revolutions grow on their own. That is the stage most skaters miss, and it is the reason their spins stay short.
Technique from Asha Kirkby of Skatefresh, an instructor certified by the Inline Certification Program who also teaches quad skating. This page is about QUAD skates first: it comes from her roller-skate and quad tutorial, and the site's own skater does not practise quads, so nothing here is vouched for by her.
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