First steps on the move weight shifts, V-shape drills, and the 4-step stride
Warming Up the Right Way
Before putting on the skates, I did 10 repetitions of a floor-to-standing drill. It sounds straightforward: get down on both knees, place one hand on the ground, put the other hand on the knee of your standing leg, bring one foot forward, and push up.
I did this 10 times, alternating which leg leads. By the end it was genuinely tiring, which told me my legs were not exactly in skating shape yet. But it also worked as a proper warm-up, which was the point.
T-Position Rotations
Next I revisited the T-position from Day 3, one skate pointing forward, the other perpendicular behind it. This time I used it dynamically: 5 clockwise rotations, then 5 counter-clockwise, turning in place by alternating which foot formed the T.
Weight Shifts in the V: 20 + 20
Standing in the V-position (heels together, toes out – pizza slice angle), I did two sets of 20 repetitions:
- 20× shifting weight from right skate to left skate and back, staying flat on the ground
- 20× the same movement, but lifting each skate a couple of centimetres off the ground with each shift
The second set is where it gets interesting. Lifting the skate means you are momentarily balancing on one foot, which is the fundamental challenge of skating. The key is keeping the tempo quick so you are never stuck on one foot for too long. Slow motion skating is actually harder than faster skating, because it forces you to hold a single-skate balance you haven’t built yet.
The Main Drill: 4 Steps V + Parallel Roll
This was the core of today’s session. The sequence: 4 V-steps (left-right-left-right in pizza slice position), then step into parallel ready position with exactly one wheel’s width between the skates, and roll forward.
I practiced this going forward and backward for 30 laps.
The V-steps themselves didn’t feel too difficult. What was hard was the transition into parallel, keeping exactly one wheel’s width between the skates felt very narrow. My instinct was to stand wider. But standing too wide means your skates drift apart on the roll.
The course suggests staying at 4 steps until the movement feels smooth and effortless before moving to 5 or 6. More steps = more speed, and more speed before you’re ready is how people lose control. I stayed at 4 for the full session.
What I Learned About the V-Shape
A few things became clearer today through practice:
- Symmetry matters. Most people favour one side, so the V-shape ends up angled slightly left or right without them noticing. A chalk line on the ground, or a front-view video, reveals this immediately.
- Too wide = too fast. If the V opens up too much, you accelerate unexpectedly, and the legs want to split. Close the V a little.
- Too narrow = no propulsion. If the V is barely there, you won’t go anywhere. You’ll start stepping forward to compensate, which is walking, not skating.
- Uphill = wider V. Going uphill and want more propulsion? Open the toes slightly more.
- At speed on flat = narrower V. Already moving fast on flat ground? Close the V to reduce acceleration.
- Don’t lift your feet too high. Lifting too high risks losing the knee bend when the foot comes back down. Small lifts, full knee bend maintained throughout.
Day 4 Summary
Today was the first session that actually felt like skating rather than just standing on wheels. The 4-step V + parallel roll drill is simple enough to repeat but technical enough to reveal exactly where your form breaks down.
Mine breaks down at the parallel transition. That is what Day 5 is for.
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