This basic stopping on Triskates video tutorial is aimed at adult beginner inline skaters and rollerbladers.
During this video however, you’ll also find examples of me skating fast on smooth and rough surfaces, demonstrating how agile and manoeuvrable the 3 wheel triskates set up is, while also enjoying the higher speeds they facilitate (coupled with my Double Push skating past the end of an airport runway)!
So, what’s the best way to stop on rollerblades? Without a doubt the heel brake stop is the easiest stopping method for new skaters getting started. The heel brake should only be applied in front of the other skate in what skaters call the Scissor position (one skate in front of the other with more weight on the back skate). When the heel brake is applied it should have only about 30% of your weight on it so that it easily slides and scrapes along the surface. Doing this will slow reduce your speed until you stop.
Many rollerbladers incorrectly apply the heel brake next to the wheels of the other skate and this means it will not work and could create a loss of balance and stability or an unwanted fall. Bending the back knee in the scissor position will allow you to roll the braking skate forwards before applying the brake.
For added stopping power when stopping on triskates
For added stopping power, you can also try to elongate the scissor position once the brake has been applied. This means pushing the heel brake forwards as it’s sliding across the surface. This will increase the pressure on the brake and bring your skates to a stop even quicker. This is effectively the more emergency stop on inline skates and very useful to master.
In this video you’ll also learn how to do Heel Stop 2 which is a very efficient and cool looking way to stop on rollerblades whereby more weight is put into the brake (producing faster stopping) by shifting the back skate into its front wheel only. This maneuver should be practiced statically on the grass first before then using it on your skating surface.
One of the best methods for stopping on triskates (or 4 wheel inline skates) is then to combine the normal heel brake stop with heel brake 2 at the end. This will allow you to control your speed on your skates easily and impressively come to a full stop in any situation, even on downhill slopes.