Inline! – A Manual for Beginner to Intermediate Inline Skating

Written by William Nealy

Published by Cordee

ISBN: 1-871890-23-3

If you are looking for a technical guide or a carefully crafted inline skating course then you should really look elsewhere. In this book the author draws upon his own personal experiences and his skills as an artist to construct a very down to earth guide to recreational skating. Unlike many of the other books on the subject, William Nealy manages to put across the sheer fun of skating by presenting the subject in a very unique and light-hearted manner.

Above all else the author is a very skilled artist and possesses a keen wit. If you have skated before then you will easily be able to identify with many of the humorous situations represented in the form of cartoons. The decision to use handwritten text rather than typeface also fits in well with the overall style of the book. William Nealy has essentially produced a scrapbook of useful hints and tips that he has picked up while teaching himself to skate.

The importance of correct protection could not be stressed more firmly. The author clearly leaves nothing to chance where his own physical safety is concerned. Various forms of body protection such as helmet, elbow and knee pads, wrist guards and even ‘butt armour’ are covered in a relatively high degree of detail. In many ways he has taken safety concerns a little too far. In fact if you follow William’s advice to the letter you would not even slip on a skate unless dressed up like the Michelin man. Although it is important to wear appropriate protection, this should really not be taken to the extent where body movement is impeded and therefore increases one’s chances of falling.

It is often difficult to describe body position and foot weighting using text alone and this also does not come across well in most photographs. The author has tackled his particular problem in his own unique style by using symbols and labels on his drawing to represent the physical forces acting between the body and skating surface during each of the moves described. This technique works very well, and more than makes up for the author’s lack of writing skills.

William Nealy has no formal training as a skating instructor and does not attempt to swamp the reader with too much technical description. The subject is covered in a very broad manner and virtually all the basic and intermediate techniques are described. This will, however, leave many of the descriptions a little too brief for some readers. If you are adventurous enough then there is enough here to keep you satisfied for a long time. Often all it takes is to be aware that a particular skill is attainable to be able to fathom out the finer points for oneself. 

In summary this book will provide many hours of reading pleasure. If you prefer a light read and don’t want to be bogged down with too much technical baggage then this book is definitely for you. If a more carefully structured skating course is more your style then there are many other books on the market that would serve your needs better.

Review by Steven Runyeard

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