The scissor is one of the most useful positions that you can learn: it's safe and forms the basis of many other skills that you can learn on skates.
- Stand in the ready position
- Shift a little bit of weight onto one leg (we call this the support leg)
- Roll the other foot forward until the back of the skate passes the toe wheels of the support leg skate
- Keep all 8 wheels on the ground
The support leg is also called the trailing leg. The other leg is called the leading leg.
Typically you'll learn this as part of the heel brake stop, where the leading skate is the one with the heel brake on it. But remember to practice doing a scissor with the other foot leading so that you can learn more complicated skills.
If you find the front wheels of the skate you roll forward lifting off the ground you must bend your knees more!
This position is the safest way to roll when not skating. Think about the position for a moment: if a stick was to hit the front foot you'd be able to lift the back one to recover (something you couldn't do in the ready position), and the position of the skates forms a rectangle on the ground which makes it stable.
Try practicing the different forms of scissor:
- Start with a scissor that has the majority of your weight on the leading skate
- Slowly move weight from the trailing leg forward onto the leading leg
- Move it backwards slowly
You move the weight by bending the knee of the leg you are moving the weight onto.
By practicing these (standing still, rolling, and with left and right foot leading scissors) you'll become more proficient with being able to adjust your weight, making it easier for you to learn skills based on this position.
