How to Roller Skate Backwards

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: July 18, 2019

For many people, roller skating forwards is incredibly difficult. Learning how to skate takes practice, so you should make sure you wear protective gear in case you fall down. Before you attempt to skate backwards, you need to know the basics of roller skating. Once you are confident in your ability to skate forward and stop with ease, you can move on to learning how to skate backwards. By repeating the simple motion of bringing your toes together and then moving your heels apart, you will move backwards on your skates.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Skating Backwards

1
Make a “V” shape with your feet. Your toes should be touching together, and your heels should be apart. The outer edges of your feet should create a rough 90 degree angle with your toes forming the corner.^{[1]
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- If you find this uncomfortable, it helps to bend your knees a bit.
2
Push your heels apart and bring them back together. The wider the gap that you create when you push your heels apart, the faster and longer you will move backwards. When your heels meet, recreate the “V” shape with your toes and repeat.^{[2]
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- Alternatively, you can apply pressure to your right toes while lifting your left foot to glide backwards on one skate. Mirror this motion with the other foot when you start to run out of momentum.
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3
Look behind you over your shoulder. The only way to see where you are going is to glance over your shoulder regularly. This can be very disorienting, so be careful and take it slowly when you are first learning how to skate backwards.
- Do not lean back when you look to see where you are going. This is how most people fall down.^{[3]
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4
Increase the length of your strokes to pick up speed. The wider you can spread your ankles apart, the more momentum you will generate. The faster that you can repeat the process of putting your toes together and then pushing your ankles apart, the faster you will move.^{[4]
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- Practice before you skate on the rink. If you want to get good at skating backwards, practice by going slowly at first and stepping slowly. If you fall, don't panic; it happens to everybody and eventually you will get better.
- Skating backward takes lots of practice. Do not increase your speed or the width of your spread until you are comfortable and confident.
5
Switch between skating backwards and forwards. Transfer your weight to your right foot. At the same time lift up on your left foot and use it to swing your body 180 degrees. Then turn your right foot to face forward and use it to push off.^{[5]
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- Once you start to turn, make sure your core and hips stay aligned. Don't twist around at the waist.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Learning the Fundamentals of Skating

1
Wear protective gear on your head, knees, and arms. If you are just learning how to skate, you should wear plenty of protective gear because you will probably fall down sometimes. If you are an experienced skater, you should still consider wearing some gear because accident can even happen to professionals.^{[6]
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- The most important piece of protective gear is a solid helmet. You can injure your head from taking a slight fall. Make sure the helmet is comfortable and has a snug fit on your head.
- You can also get knee pads and wrist guards for some added protection. These are especially useful if you are skating on rougher surfaces like cement or asphalt.
2
Lace up your skates. Start with the bottom and work your way up the skate. The laces should go underneath the first eye-holes and they should criss-cross over each other as you run the laces up the skate. You will also rotate pulling the laces under and over the eye holes.^{[7]
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- Pull the laces as tight as you can after you run them through each eye-hole.
3
Learn how to skate forward. You should be practiced at roller skating before you start trying to skate backwards. Push off with one foot and glide until you lose momentum. Then, push off with the other foot.^{[8]
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- Develop your forward glide and a posture that works for you. Once you have these down, you can start practicing more difficult maneuvers like backward skating.
- You should be fairly confident in your ability to skate forward before trying to skate backward. Two important skills you should know before skating backwards are finding your balance and being able to increase your speed without losing control.
4
Use your front brake to stop skating. Roller skates have brakes on the front of the shoe. They are the round, hard-plastic or rubber knobs near the end of the toe. Move one skate in front of the other and lift it slightly. Then press that toe down against the surface you are skating on.^{[9]
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- Push down quickly with a good amount of force to avoid losing your balance.

Community Q&A

Question

Is it easy to skate backwards?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

It can be a bit tricky to master, especially if you’re not that confident on your skates yet. However, once you understand the basic technique, it’s not too hard. To start, simply point your toes together and carefully “march” backwards by lifting your feet slightly off the ground and putting them back down—just the opposite of skating forwards.
Question

How do you turn while roller skating backwards?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

To turn from your starting position, aim your rear end in the direction you’d like to go, and push off away from where you’re currently standing. You can also turn by leaning slightly in the direction you’d like to go while you glide.
Question

How do you do a backwards crossover?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Look over your shoulder in the direction you’d like to go, and extend your arm on that side behind you with the palm facing forward and your shoulder back. Keep the other hand in front of you slightly, also with your palm down. Put your weight on the leg on the side where you’re looking behind, and move your other leg in and out as you skate, while moving your body weight up and down at the same time. As you pull your other leg back in, move your foot in front of the one that’s bearing most of your weight so that your feet line up.