Mike Williams Roller Skating

08/20/2021

Hi Skaters!

A word (or several) on some new lessons….

As some of you might know, I’m a 15-year skater and 7-year skate instructor, certified by the Skate Instructors Association. I have been teaching group beginner lessons since 2014 at the Church of 8 Wheels in SF, and I taught group beginner and intermediate lessons for 1.5 years at the Aloha Roller Rink in San Jose.

As interest in roller skating has exploded I see that many new skaters are trying to learn in various ways, like being taught by friends, or watching YouTube videos, etc. But what I’m seeing is that many skaters have not learned the basics enough to roll gracefully--or safely. There are lots of specialized lessons out there, but not many classes in the fundamentals of forward and backward skating. I want to change that!

I have been working on a new format for lessons for basic skating that I plan to introduce in the near future. These are NOT “dance” lessons. (There are plenty of good classes and instructors for dance already!) What I am offering are more like workshops, 30 minutes each, on various basic skating topics, for a low lesson fee.

I am referring to the classes as “Unlocking”. I see so many new skaters who practice some move, but are just a mistake or two away from really getting it. But I also see many developing bad habits that they will probably never shake if they don’t fix them early, habits that will prevent them from being great skaters. I want to fix that, too!

I plan to start these lessons on August 28, one or two of them at a time. I have tested out 3 specific courses, and I wanted to get an idea of what folks would like to see first. I can't seem to set up a poll, so I'll just ask you. What move would you like to unlock?

- Stops?
- Backwards?
- Basic Spins?
- Something else???

05/19/2021

Skaters and Future Skaters!

As you might have heard, the Church of 8 Wheels is open for sessions—and now beginner skate lessons!

Next one is this coming Saturday—MAY 22--at 11am.

Instructors: David Miles and Mike Williams Roller Skating (that's me!).

Do you finally have skates, tried them out, but found it’s harder than you thought? Those YouTube instructional videos not quite working for you?

Maybe you used to skate many years ago, and want to give it another shot?

Now you have a chance to learn the fundamentals of roller skating, the right way, taught in person by experienced instructors trained by the Skate Instructors Association.

We will cover:

• FALLING: How to fall, how to get up, how not to fall

• Correct BODY POSITIONING, so you’re not tipping over all the time

• Proper ROTATION and WEIGHT TRANSFER to skate safely and efficiently

• STOPPING: Using a toe stop (quads) or heel brake (inlines)

• AND MORE, as time allows

Please email to [email protected] to register, as the Eventbrite link is currently down. However, you can find more information at http://www.churchof8wheels.com/skatelessons.html.

Find a skate instructor from the Church of 8 Wheels

07/10/2019

On 7/13 at the Church of 8 Wheels, I'm teaching the Group Beginner Lesson from 1-2pm, and Lesson 2 (details below) from 2-3pm. Come learn to skate!

07/10/2019

LESSON 2, JULY 13

BEGINNING BACKWARDS

BEGINNING LINE DANCE

I didn’t feel like I was an accomplished skater until I learned backwards, and it looked so easy. But I just could not teach myself to do it.

Maybe you have tried to teach yourself. Perhaps others have tried to help you, but still no dice. Maybe you felt you just didn’t have it within you to learn.

It’s not your fault. Backwards skating is hard, but it can be learned much more easily if you have an instructor who really knows how to teach the basics. I started Lesson 2 to expose beginner to advanced beginner students to beginning backwards and beginning line dance—the right way.

This is not an intermediate or advanced lesson. I start on the very basics; for backwards, the essential body positioning elements that you need to get started. For line dance, very simple dance moves for people who haven’t done it before. All of this in a small group setting.

Deets: $20 lesson fee (all ages), $10 for rental skates if needed, Saturday July 13 at 2pm, 1 hour.

Please comment or DM if you have any questions.

06/21/2019

Flash LESSON 2! This Saturday.

Beginning Backwards
Beginning Line Dance

June 22, 2pm
Church of 8 Wheels

03/29/2019

For anyone closer to San Jose, Aloha Roller Rink is offering a 4-week program of lessons taught by yours truly.

Come learn to skate at Aloha! Our instructors will have you smooth rolling with this 4 lesson group skate class! There will a beginner and intermediate class for both kids (age 6-12) and adults (age 13+).Kids classes are Saturday 9:00am - 10:00am.Adult classes are Saturday 10:00am - 11:00am. These g...

03/27/2019

LEARN TO SKATE
LEARN TO SKATE BACKWARDS
LEARN BEGINNING LINE DANCE

APRIL 13, 2019
Beginners: 1pm
Backwards/Line Dance (Lesson 2): 2pm

If you are interested in learning to skate, or adding to your skills--or both--in one-hour formal lessons, your chance is coming up!

You may have seen good roller skaters, at the Church on a Saturday night or Golden Gate Park on a Sunday, and thought, how did they learn that? Skating is not natural movement to most people. We weren't born with wheels on our feet. To learn to really skate, you need practice for sure. But most beginners also need help from someone who's been there. The Church has instructors who are trained and certified in the techniques to help new skaters learn.

Skating backwards is especially difficult because it’s even less natural that skating forwards. But the right instructor, given enough time, can show you basics of backwards skating—the right way.

I am certified at Level 1 and Level 2 by the Skate Instructors Association, and I look forward to teaching you the basics of forward skating, backward skating, and a few line dance moves!

Fees:
Beginners (adults) - $20 + $10 for rental skates, if needed.
Beginners (kids) - $10 + $10 for skates
Lesson 2 (all ages) - $20 + $10 for skates

03/10/2019

Happy Daylight Time Everyone!

I am happy to announce that we are officially starting multi-week skate classes at Aloha Roller Rink at Eastridge Mall in San Jose next month.

There will be eight distinct lessons, divided into two levels: four lessons for beginners, four for intermediate skaters. We will have two separate times: 9:00am for kids 12 and under, 10:00am for students 13 and over (yes, that includes adults!).

If you know anyone who is interested, check out the Eventbrite listing for details. And please ask if you have any questions.

Say ALOHA 👋 to Skate Lessons starting in one month! Join us for a 4 week session so we can help you with your and you can have MORE FUN at ⛸✨! Register at: aloha.eventbrite.com 🖥

02/01/2019

PLEASE NOTE: The beginner lesson for 2/16 is canceled. LESSON 2 still on!

*********************

It’s a new year, with a newly refurbished floor at the Church of 8 Wheels. And it’s raining all weekend. What better time that this to improve your skating!

I know some of you on this page are already great skaters. Others here would like to be. Perhaps you are just starting out. Maybe you’ve been to the Church a few times, or to Golden Gate Park, and you are ready to take your skating up a notch.

We have some great lessons coming up on Saturdays in February:

FEB 2, 1pm – Group Beginner Lesson: how to skate, how to stop, how to turn ($20 adults/$10 kids/$10 for skates)

FEB 9, 2pm – LESSON 2: beginning backwards and beginning line dance ($20 all ages/$10 for skates)

FEB 16, 1pm – Group Beginner Lesson with Mike Williams Roller Skating and White Chocolate Roller Skate ($20 adults/$10 kids/$10 for skates)

The GROUP BEGINNER LESSON is your opportunity to learn the basics of skating (or brush up on the basics), while LESSON 2 is your chance to learn backwards skating—the right way—but also learn some of the basic Bay Area line dance moves you might see at the Church, the Park, or at other rinks.

See you soon!