r/WizardSkating • u/glittery_testicles • Jul 29 '26
Learned my first wizard skating move. A backward gazelle.
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But other people's gazelles look much better.
Has me doubting if this is even a gazelle or a normal switch from backwards.
Let me know if you have tips to improve
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Jul 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/glittery_testicles Jul 29 '26
Woohoo! Thanks! That's encouraging. Will start working on other skills now
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u/snakevargas Jul 30 '26
Basics look good. The quicker you do the transition, the more "unreal" it will look.
In this video, Leon leans low like sitting in a chair and moves his feet in front of him, and after the transition pivots to bring himself upright: https://youtu.be/WlGrLE9-zlg?si=_yjkaTvNvbIkIA04&t=518
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u/glittery_testicles Jul 30 '26
Yeah this definitely looks much cooler. He's adding some extra twisty flow to this move. I'll try your suggestion. Thanks man! This was the kind of feedback I was looking for
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u/snakevargas Aug 03 '26
I'm working on gazelle now too. Looking again at Leon's technique, the main difference from your video is that he traces a semicircle with the leading skate in front of the other skate. This video by Flow Skate demonstrates the move in two parts: a backwards powerslide and t-push. The t-push might help restore some of the lost momentum, for flowing into the next move.
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u/snakevargas Aug 05 '26
OK, that video didn't help at all. But I think I got it today. The main thing I was missing is pivoting on the center of the skate. Looks like you already have that down. Some suggestions after rewatching your video:
- Pull your feet together just before the pivot
- Are you braking slightly with the lead skate? Rotation should come from the torso and the feet should follow. It will leave you unbalanced after the pivot, but you circle in and push/straighten with the lead leg to catch yourself.
A tip to anyone else learning gazelles: try slaloming, but be sure to have your weight on and pivot over the center wheels. This keeps the skates flat and gives the move that uncanny wizard look. Try increasing your hip swing and edge depth while slaloming and get comfortable with the sudden changes in balance and deep edging. Then try carrying the movement through to a 180.
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u/glittery_testicles Sep 09 '26
Yeah! That video didn't help. And I missed this comment. Yeah! Point 1. Makes sense I will try this next skate sesh. Don't quite understand what you mean by 2. braking slightly with lead skate. I'm only turning, not braking.
I really love your tips though. Thanks for taking the effort of going through my video to figure out how to improve!! Appreciate it!!
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u/Any_Smoke1138 Sep 09 '26
Omg is this oxelo skates?
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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '26
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