Learning to inline skate backwards fast isn’t about raw power — it’s about control, progression, and patience. Many skaters feel stuck when their speed increases and they start falling. If that sounds like you, you’re not alone.
In this post, I’ll share why your body reacts the way it does, how to train it to feel safe at higher speeds, and the exact steps to build real backwards skating speed without crashing.
1. Why You Fall When Skating Backwards Too Fast
The journey to fast backwards skating takes years, not months. When your mind says “let’s go faster,” but your body senses danger, it steps in to protect you — often by falling.
Skating is a constant negotiation between mind and body. Your mind sets the goal; your body prioritizes safety. A 50/50 weight stance feels secure, while an 80/20 Scissor stance feels risky.
To overcome this, you need gradual progression, not force. Every fall tells your body, “This isn’t safe,” creating more tension. Reducing falls accelerates learning.
2. How to Lift Your Skates When Skating Backwards (The Pizza Slice Method)
When most skaters start learning to move backwards, their instinct is to keep both skates on the ground the entire time. It feels safer — but it also slows your progress and makes it much harder to build real backwards speed later on.
Think of how a beginner learns to skate forwards. If they never lifted their feet and only used wide-legged wiggles to move, they wouldn’t build good technique or efficient propulsion. That’s exactly what happens when you rely solely on “wiggling” backwards.
Instead, try to mirror the forward skating stride — in reverse. A great way to do this is with the Pizza Slice Method:
- Angle your skates so your toes point slightly in and your heels slightly out (the angle of a slice of pizza 🍕).
- Take small, light marching steps — lifting and placing each foot deliberately. This will create movement easily.
- After a few steps, bring your skates parallel into the Backwards Ready Position to cruise and control your speed.
- If you’re going too fast, simply reduce the number of steps.
This method teaches you to use proper stride mechanics, gives you better acceleration control, and allows you to practice cruising and steering backwards in a straight line. As your confidence builds, these small steps will set the foundation for faster, smoother backwards skating.
This YouTube video teaches this method at 3 different speeds for Beginners, Intermediates & Advanced backward skaters.
3. Think Like a Beginner Again
If a brand-new skater suddenly sped up going forward, they’d fall. It’s no different backwards. Acceleration without control equals a fall.
This mindset shift is powerful — it helps you respect the process rather than fight it.
4. “Con” Your Body Into Skating Faster
You can’t force your body to relax at high speed — but you can gently trick it.
Skate at the upper edge of your comfort zone, but not beyond it. As your body adjusts, slowly nudge the speed up again. If it doesn’t notice the jump, there’s less resistance and fewer falls.
5. Don’t Be Misled by Social Media
Watching advanced skaters glide backwards at speed can make it seem effortless. But behind those smooth lines are years of practice.
- I’ve skated since I was 10. I’m 52 now — that’s 42 years, half of it backwards.
- YouTube’s popular The Stuttering Skater has about 20 years of roller hockey experience.
- One of my advanced students @northislandking started as an adult in his 30s but trained intensively for 15 years.
Social media shows the highlight reel — not the hours of work behind it. Adjusting your expectations makes the journey much more enjoyable.
6. Build Reflexes, Not Just Speed
Think of your forward skating. When you wobble, you don’t always fall — you recover.
Backwards skating is no different. Strong Scissors give you the ability to “catch yourself” during instability, drastically reducing falls and helping you build confidence at higher speeds.
7. Weight Distribution Tips for the Half Lemon Method
When practicing the half lemon method, consciously shift more weight onto your support leg:
- Start at 60%
- Progress to 70%
- Work towards 80%
This builds single-leg control — essential for speed. Staying stuck at 50/50 weight will limit your progression.
Try to maintain the support leg skate in a straight line backwards and on a centre edge (not a collapsed inside edge).
The Lemoning leg should not push wider than shoulder width.
8. Backwards Scissors: The Foundation of Safety at Speed
There are 4 different Scissor positions possible when skating backwards. Each of them involves having more weight (approx70%) on one leg and that leg can either be leading or trailing in the Scissor and they can be done on the right and the
left leg, so creating 4 different options.
If you want to skate backwards fast, mastering the different Scissor positions in progressive stages is essential:
- ¼ Scissor length
- ½ Scissor length
- ¾ Scissor length
- Full Scissor
Get fully comfortable at each stage of each of the 4 Scissors before progressing.
And here’s the crucial part: every time you increase your speed, even slightly, you must revisit these stages. This is why the lifting stride method makes you fall more often than the half lemon — it accelerates you quickly, often beyond your comfort zone.
Pro Tip: Take fewer lifting strides and cruise at a controllable speed. Build stability first — speed will follow naturally.
I teach this in depth in my Advanced How to Skate course (especially the lesson “The Secret to Backwards Skating”), but you can begin this work slowly right now.
9. Your Backwards Skating Speed Progression Plan
Here’s a structured way to build your backwards skating speed without fear or frustration:
- Work both methods — half lemon and lifting strides.
- Cruise before reaching your scary/fall speed.
- Progress through Scissor stages (¼ to full) slowly.
- Increase speed in small increments.
- Anticipate acceleration instead of reacting to it.
- Develop recovery reflexes to avoid unnecessary falls.
- Celebrate patience — not just milestones.
Every avoided fall builds your body’s trust in the skill, creating a smoother, faster skating experience.
10. Final Thoughts: Your Journey Is the Goal
Most skaters never master backwards skating because it’s intimidating. But if you’re here, working on it, you’re already ahead of the crowd.
You don’t need to compete with pros. Compete with your past self — last month, last year, or five years ago.
Speed will come but only when your technique is correct, safe & reliable. Trust your body, train progressively, and enjoy the process.
🚀 Ready to Take Your Backwards Skating Further?
If you’re beginning your backwards skating journey you’ll find the Skatefresh Intermediate How to Skate online course contains this training.
You’ll learn:
The Lifting & Striding Method
Lemons & Half Lemon Methods
Shoulder awareness & weight distribution
How to steer, cruise and reduce falls
If you’re serious about mastering fast, controlled backwards skating, check out my Advanced How to Skate Course— especially “The Secret to Backwards Skating.”
You’ll learn:
All 4 backwards Scissor positions
Shoulder awareness & weight distribution
Real-world speed progressions
Entire Advanced Lessons involving Backwards Skating eg Barrel Roll, Backwards Inverted Mohawk, Backwards Crossovers & Crossunders
Test out the Advanced How to Skate course with the Barrel Roll Lesson FREE OF CHARGE
Train smart. Go fast. Glide backwards with confidence.
📌 WordPress SEO Tips (Optional)
- Slug / URL:
how-to-skate-faster-backwards - Primary keyword: how to skate faster backwards
- Secondary keywords: inline skating backwards, backwards skating tips, learn to skate backwards, inline skating techniques
- Internal linking: Link to your beginner skating posts or related tutorials.
- External linking: Consider linking to a skating gear recommendation or reputable resource.
- Featured image idea: A clear action photo of a skater in a backwards scissor position. Alt text: “Inline skater demonstrating backwards scissor position.”