In-line skating helps you refine your balance and also take the "intermediate skid" out of your skiing turns.
1. Find a traffic-free stretch of pavement that is flat or has a very gentle grade.
2. Set up a short slalom course using upside-down plastic containers or even mini-traffic cones in a straight line, 10 to 12 feet apart.
3. Wear supportive in-line skates, helmet, knee and elbow pads, and in-line skating gloves with built-in wrist guards.
4. At a moderate speed, pass the cups or cones alternately on the left and right. If the course is flat, take small gliding steps around the arc of your turns; if it is on a grade, you can "ski" it.
5. Keep your weight centered, your torso facing your direction of travel and your knees slightly and athletically flexed as you skate the course, linking your turns as you would in skiing.
