Stride and Glide
1. It's best to do a static drill to demonstrate this awkward-looking, forward positioning of the skater’s upper body. You need to practice this bending motion because it’s quite different than the staggered stance in terms of your balance point in the fore-aft plane. Let’s call this upper body position the forward stance.
2. To position your body in a static forward stance, stand in the ready position.
3. Bend at the knees, so that your weight is on the balls of your feet.
4. Position your right skate out in front of you while you left skate remains behind.
5. Let your right hand hang lose at your side.
6. Position your left hand and arm behind your back so your lower arm makes a 90-degree angle with your upper arm.
7. Bend forward at the waist and chest as far as you can go and raise your head so that you’re looking straight ahead.
8. Now, let’s apply our knowledge of the speed skater’s forward stance to inline skating. Locate a section of trail that is long, straight, and flat for about a mile. To stride and glide like a long-track speed skater continue with steps 9 through 15 below.
9. Stride and glide to pick up speed.
10. Position your body in the forward stance.
11. Push outward to your left side as far as possible and slightly back using the inside edges of your left skate.
12. Raise your left skate about 12 to 16 inches off the ground and hold momentarily at the high point. While your left skate is in the air, your full weight is on your right skate providing directional stability as you glide forward.
13. Circle your left skate back under your body until it returns to the home position next to your right skate on the surface.
14. Repeat steps 11 through 13 above with your right skate.
15. Continue to stride and glide in this manner for a mile or two.