How to Do a Rollerblade Grind

The rail grind is one of the fundamental moves in rollerblading, and it opens the skater to a number of other tricks and maneuvers. Follow these steps to master the tricky art of grinding a rail or pole.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Find a sharp-edged sidewalk, a relatively flat pole or piece of piping and smooth the surface with surf or skate wax. Make sure the rail or pole you attempt to grind is on a mild gradient so you can control your approach and speed.

2. Wear as much safety gear as possible. While pros in skate videos often attempt the most daring grinds and tricks without any padding, they've been learning (and falling) for years. A helmet, wrist guards and knee guards are essential not only for preventing injury but also for approaching the grind with confidence.

3. Begin by stalling on the rail. Stand parallel to the rail you want to grind. With feet shoulder-width apart, jump so that your body turns perpendicular to the rail and land with the rail between your center wheels. Practice this kind of stall until you can do it with ease.

4. Learn your approach by skating very slowly to the rail and then jumping into a stall. If you can consistently land a stall from a skating position, then you are able to move to the next step of grinding on your rollerblades.

5. Go for the full grind. Skate up to the rail so that your skates are parallel with it. Jump onto the rail as if you were attempting a stall but give yourself more of a forward motion than you would with the stall. To keep moving forward, angle your forward skate so that the wheels face away from you slightly. Hold the grind as long as you can and then reverse the jump so you land the trick facing forward.