SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:

Side Kicks

Off-Skate Training

By Eddy Matzger
 

If it’s hard and gets your heart beating, it’s probably going to get you into good shape.

That’s my version of the old army adage, “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”

Side kicks are one of my favorite exercises because they require skill and stamina — and they remind me of Charlie Chaplin, who was also an avid skater. Side kicks, although difficult, just plain make me happy.

Although not a motion-specific exercise for skaters, side kicks do build explosive strength and improve the cardio-vascular system, two undeniable bonuses for skaters.

Dianne Holum, my premiere skating coach, introduced me to side kicks. Admittedly, the first time I tried them, I was pretty lame and felt uncoordinated and out of breath.

But with practice I was able to click my heels together higher, master the transition between the landing and the subsequent jump, and prolong the amount of time I could do the exercise without falling.

The trickiest bit of the side kick is the landing and preparation for the next jump. If I’ve done a Kansas kick (clicking my heels together Wizard of Oz style) to the right side of my body, ideally at hip height, I need to land with my weight predominately on my left foot, so that my next step can be a launch off my right foot, which allows me to click heels on the left.

The landing from the left heel click, then, is on the right foot, so that I can take off on the left foot to click to the right.

Got it?

Watch the short video of Kshitij, Hashwardin and me doing side kicks in the park outside their home in New Panvel, India.

Then try them for yourself and see how long you can go before you make a misstep or tire yourself out completely?

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Eddy Matzger is one of the winningest skaters in the history of inline racing and leader of the popular Eddy Matzger SkateFarm and Roadshows. He makes his home in Floyd, VA, site of the Skate Farm. When he's not skating in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, he's traveling around the globe, where he's in high demand as a teacher and coach. His longtime sponsor is Twincam bearings. (Eddy Matzger interview.)

• Eddy's web site

Related reading:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating