Tips for Spinning on Roller Skates

Full disclosure: I am NOT an expert or an artistically trained skater. The best way to learn how to spin is with a coach. I’m sharing every tip I’ve gotten while struggling through spins with limited coaching for anyone else also struggling without coaching/with limited coaching. But the best place to start is with a good coach.

If you’ve never tried to spin or can’t get a single rotation, I’d recommend starting with the following videos:

Study their arm and body movement. Slow down the videos and observe how they hold themselves, and how they pull in their arms. It’ll become clear that different things work for different people.

…And without further ado, here’s the full list of tips I’ve collected!

  • Patience. Most people cannot learn to spin well in one day. It can take a long time to see results. A lot of spinning practice will be “unseen progress.”
  • Be prepared to have bad spin days and good spin days. Spins are fickle and sometimes it’s just not going to happen and that’s okay. Also be prepared to fall. A lot.
  • Focus on your posture. Make sure your back is straight and grounded through out the spin, with shoulders back. If you’re hunching forward or leaning back, you’ll lean out of balance.
  • Make sure you are pressing into the spin with your inside edges. Focus hard on pressing into your left inside front wheel and right inside back wheel (if turning counter clockwise/to the left). Press press press! Looser trucks can help with this. Having a strong, foundational edge control is necessary for spins.
  • Start with your arms at a 90 degree angle, NOT out at your sides (180 degrees). If you’re spinning left/counter clockwise, your left arm is directly in front of you at 12 o’clock, and your right arm is out over your right side at 3 o’clock.
  • Don’t swing your arms hard for momentum. Swinging your arms hard can cause you to be off-center, shortening your spin. Instead create the momentum by keeping your arms tense and controlled. You should feel the spins gain momentum as you puuuuull your arms in. Your arm muscles should be flexed and controlled the whole time. Don’t let your arms flop around limp.  
  • Once you start your spin, try to keep your arms outstretched as long as possible (challenge yourself to hold them out 1 rotation, 2 rotations, etc.). Bringing your arms in will give you a speed boost. If you bring your arms in SLOWLY and more controlled, you can sustain that speed boost for longer, thus more rotations. 
  • When you pull your arms in, make sure you bring your arms in evenly (else it’ll make you lose your balance). You can try bringing them in to make a U shape (such that your hands meet at the curve in U) OR in a pizza/ V shape (such that your arms are straight and the point is where your hands meet). After holding that for a bit you can slowly bring them into your body. 
  • Keep your elbows up when you bring in your arms. Like you’re “hugging a beach ball.”
  • Once you can master pulling your arms in for a longer sustained spin, then it’s time to try bringing your hands above your head — but again, only after you’ve brought them into your body. 
  • When you bring your arms up above your head, interlace your fingers with your palms facing towards the sky.
  • Try to start with your feet wide and parallel to each other and generate your power by bringing your feet in together. (As opposed to scissoring your feet, one foot in front and one foot behind. I struggle with this tremendously.)
  • Look out of the corner of your eyes in the direction you’re spinning (instead of looking straight ahead). It looks silly, but try pressing your tongue into the cheek of the direction you’re spinning in. It’ll force your eye focus to the right place.
  • You will improve your body balance and control from practicing very slow, controlled one rotation spins instead of fast out of control multi-rotation spins. 
  • Remember to breath while you’re spinning. Don’t hold your breath. 
  • Gear matters. You will get more rotations with harder wheels. Smaller wheels are supposed to be better for spins. Looser trucks will help you get a deeper, more controlled inside edges.
  • I personally spin better with glasses/contacts (maybe because I can spot better/get less dizzy).
  • Record videos of your spins to review your body movement. But make sure your arms and upper body are in the video, so you can asset that part of your spin!
  • Again, consider working with a coach, if possible. Real time feedback from someone who knows what to look for is invaluable.

Try them all. See what works for you. Different things work for different people! Shoot me an email at thewheelnicole@gmail.com if you have any tips to add that I haven’t covered.

Also just want to note, only 50% of my spins are 8+ rotation spins right now. Don’t get discouraged by what you see on people’s Instagrams… you’re probably only seeing the highlight reel.

Whenever I feel discouraged, I remind myself there was a time when only 10% of my spins were one full rotation. 🙂

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