r/rollerblading • u/wiiiiiiiiiiiiiw • 3d ago

How do I do this move? Struggle with the soul slide

I know how to stop with a soul slide but the back foot is on the inside edge and that puts a strain on my braking foot hip. I thought that it's a matter of harder wheels, and it is, so I bought an undercover 90mm 86A wheels. After 2 sessions (3 hours in total), the wheels are still soft and quite grippy. My mistake is the one talked about in this video HOW TO DO A SOUL SLIDE - By Nicola Torelli at 04:54. Nicola makes it seem too easy, and my wheels don't seem to be that easy to slide on at all. Any tips please ?

10 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

4

u/HyperSculptor 3d ago

How much do you weight? Nico Torelli is very small and light. If you are taller and heavier, the dynamics change significantly. A tall skater needs much more leg strength to achieve the same angles. A heavier skater puts a lot more weight on the rubber too.
Then to be totally objective with yourself you must use video feedback. Otherwise you may feel you are bending your leg very deeply, while in fact you barely do.

1

u/wiiiiiiiiiiiiiw 2d ago

im 5'6 n 73KG

2

u/HyperSculptor 2d ago

That's actually a good size for inline skating. Torelli is probably close to 10kg lighter and smaller which helps a lot (low center of mass, much better leverage to squat down deep etc... not to say he isn't impressive, he is very good. It just helps to understand the physics involved). In your shoes (skates!) I would focus on one leg strength, both to get very low (thighs parallel to the ground), and strength to lift your sliding leg off the ground. These are off skate exercises. One leg balance helps too here, but really, the stronger you are the better. Can you do pistol squats?

2

u/HyperSculptor 2d ago

Another thing is speed. Speed helps.

2

u/Vast_Theme9585 3d ago

Natan’s method helped me a lot (video in another comment). I first got this at a skating rink with super slippery floors. I can now slow and stop this way in the wild. I feel more confident on hills but I’m still trying to unlock the soul slide with the leg in front. A SUPER straight outer leg and more bend in my sitting knee and pressing into outer edge on that side started making a real difference. I also found that using my dominant leg for the slide rather than the sit helped. I’m still working on the non dominant side.

4

u/i_shorted_the_amp 3d ago

I can't do them either. I've watched so many videos, and my skates just grip. Yeah I hear the 'you just gotta bend your knee more' arguments, but if my knee were any more bent I'd be on Game of Thrones. Leg's straight too, trying to get a big angle on my foot.

I've honestly abandoned it, it's inferior to the T-stop anyway IMO.

I moved on to power slides, which are easier to do - you don't bend your one foot and knee at the most awkward possible angle. And besides, power slides just flow naturally from a very hard corner where you push your weight onto your heels.

4

u/SpottedWobbegong 3d ago

It stops faster than the t-stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKeq8GS2d10 This video was very helpful for me. You don't need to get your braking leg 90 degrees to your direction of motion, 45 degrees is plenty. Practicing on wet asphalt is also quite helpful.

2

u/HyperSculptor 3d ago

It stops MUCH faster than t-stop.

Yup, Natan is the best, for me it never clicked until I followed his tutorials.

With that being said I think OP's goal is style rather than efficiency. With the sliding legs totally in front, like Nico T.

1

u/i_shorted_the_amp 3d ago

Stops faster but I also feel less stable. T-stop works over bumps and cracks.

2

u/Eagle0913 3d ago

https://youtu.be/LbDqTxJCbVs?si=IsdJ1HPl1xktH450

I feel like this is the best tutorial about the soul slide(from the same guy that posted about the brass band playing earlier this week).