Beginner roller skating
Swing the Front Hand Along a V, Never Higher Than Your Nose
The skating arm swing is not a jogging swing. A certified coach describes a V: the front hand travels forward along an imaginary diagonal and never rises above nose level, while the opposite arm drives straight back and up to make the rear point of the V. Higher than the nose, and the swing lifts you instead of pushing you along. Technique from ICP-certified coach Asha Kirkby.
The skating arm swing is not a jogging swing. Running arms pump forward and back in two parallel lines; skating arms trace a diagonal, because the push under them goes out to the side and the swing has to answer it.
A certified coach describes a V shape, front to back. The front hand swings forward along an imaginary diagonal, and it never goes higher than nose level. The opposite arm drives straight back and up, forming the rear point of the same V.
The nose is the ceiling for a reason. Above it, the swing stops driving you forward and starts lifting you: the shoulders rise, the chest opens, and the weight you were pressing into the skate comes up with the hand. Below it, the arm adds to the push instead of stealing from it.
So the check is a simple one, mid-stride: where is the front hand when it is furthest forward? Level with the face or lower, on a diagonal — not out in front like a sprinter, not up like a wave.
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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