Beginner roller skating
Opposite Arm Forward to the Leg That Carries You
The arm swing only works when it is tied to the right leg. A certified coach's rule: always swing the opposite arm forward to the leading support leg, the one bearing your weight. Left leg carrying, right hand forward; then it switches. Get it the other way round and the swing fights your balance instead of feeding it. Technique from ICP-certified coach Asha Kirkby.
An arm swing that is not tied to the legs is just movement. The timing is what turns it into speed, and a certified coach states the timing as one rule.
Always swing the opposite arm forward to the leading support leg — the leg that is bearing your weight. When the left skate is carrying you, the right hand is the one coming forward. Then the weight transfers, and the arms switch with it.
It is the same cross-pattern as walking, and it is there for the same reason. The forward arm counterbalances the loaded leg, so the body stays square over the skate instead of tipping towards it. Get it the other way round — same arm as the support leg — and every swing pushes you off balance in the direction you were already leaning.
If you cannot tell which leg is the support leg, that is the thing to fix first. The one-foot glide and the scooting drills already on this site teach exactly that, and the arm swing only becomes learnable once the answer is obvious.
Technique from Asha Kirkby of Skatefresh, an instructor certified by the Inline Certification Program. She teaches inline skating, and that is the discipline this page is about.
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