Superguides – Inline Skating

Written by Dawn Irwin

Published by Dorling Kindersley Books, ISBN: 0-7894-6542-6

More suited to children than adults, the Inline Skating book in the Superguides series provides a basic introduction to the sport for virtually all age groups. With its hard-back and glossy pages this book contains only around 40 pages but still manages to cover a large number of topics in a fairly clear and concise manner.

The first half of the book can be tackled in the comfort of one’s armchair and it is not until page 20 that any skating technique is described. There is a brief history of inline skating followed by several sections providing safety advice and a run-through of equipment. A couple of pages are even given over to warm-up exercises, which in my opinion is not particularly useful - especially when considering how sparing the publishers were in the paper department.

Each of the techniques are covered in a clear set-by-step manner. Describing skating technique is a difficult task at the best of times and the subtleties of body position and balance are not easily conveyed using text alone. The plethora of images that most adults find unnecessary in children’s books are an absolute boon when describing skating posture. My only criticism is that the photos are very ‘wooden’ and clearly staged. The models often look bored and lifeless – which does nothing to raise one’s enthusiasm for the sport.

Although all the basics are covered the book is often confused. One moment it will assume the reader is a complete novice and can hardly stand up, then on the following page will go into advanced techniques such as the power slides (and with even more brevity than with many of the simpler moves). However, despite this criticism the descriptions are generally clear and without too much unnecessary detail. Following the lessons you will build up your basic skill set from the ‘stroke and glide’ and how to stop safely to the more ‘interesting’ moves such as forward crossovers and then finally onto simple backwards skating. The last few pages are designed purely to wet the appetite. The section entitled ‘Taking it farther’ shows the many ways that inline skating can be used in a verity of sporting activities. Lastly there is the obligatory glossary.

In all this was a fairly pleasant read but for most adults who are serious about the sport it will act as nothing more than a small stepping stone to the intermediate/advanced texts that are currently available. Children will no doubt get far more mileage out of this book but judging by how annoying quickly youngsters can pick up skating skills it will probably not keep them satisfied for more than a few weeks.

Review by Steven Runyeard

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