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How To

How to Cross-Step Turn on In-Line Skates

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(5 Ratings)

Turn fast and smooth at high speed on your in-line skates by learning to cross your outside foot over your inside foot as you carve through a turn.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • In-line Skate Axles
  • In-line Skate Spacers
  • In-line Skate Wheels
  • In-line Skates
  • In-line Skating Gear
  • In-line Skating Helmets
  • In-line Skating Protective Gear Sets
  • Wrist Guards
  1. Step 1

    Skate at a moderately fast rate. As you improve your cross-step turn, you will be able to perform this technique at any speed.

  2. Step 2

    Keep your weight forward and over your skates at all times.

  3. Step 3

    Bend your knees slightly, and lean into a turn. Continue leaning and carving on your turn until you have completed it.

  4. Step 4

    Stagger your skates so that the skate on the inside of the turn is a little forward of your outside skate.

  5. Step 5

    Lift your outside skate, and swing it forward and around your inside skate.

  6. Step 6

    Set your outside skate down in front and slightly inside of your inside skate. This is your cross-step. Use it to tighten the turn.

  7. Step 7

    Lift your inside skate, and place it forward of your outside skate.

  8. Step 8

    Cross-step again.

  9. Step 9

    Repeat until your turn is complete.

Tips & Warnings
  • You should be able to increase your speed doing a cross-step turn.
  • Bend at the waist to keep your weight forward.
  • Do a slower, wider cross-step turn to start out, and then work on tightening the turn and doing it faster. Watch speed skating on TV for a great example of how the cross-step turn should look.
  • Always wear wrist guards, helmet and knee pads when in-line skating. If you lose your balance, your feet cannot save you, and the pavement you will meet.

Comments  

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 Even better, skate backward, make crossovers backward to spice up your style. You first need to feel comfortable with riding backward.
Then try to lean to a corner and crossover backward.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Cross stepping is better known by speed skaters as a crossover, because one foot crosses over the other. I can tell you that crossing over is the best thing you can do on skates to increase speed and maintain stability on corners.

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