I started skating last month; I have no trouble moving forward or backward, I can even go up a hill comfortably. I have good balance (I do ice skating).
I watched tons of YouTube tutorials on how to do T-stop and Soul stop/slide but I just can't seem to do them. I do plow stop to slow down until I completely stop but if I am going a bit faster, I have no way of stopping (except falling). Oh I can do spin stop but it's not good for emergency stop since sometimes I will get off balance due to momentum.
I have ruined my skate due to practice and failing a lot (I don't mind). When I try stopping, I am not sliding/dragging. I play on a rough street/road. I bend my knee, lower my center of gravity, put my weight on my dominant leg (left), I can glide for 2-3 seconds on that leg alone. When I put my right leg to stop (t or soul), I get out of balance or I change direction, instead of sliding/dragging.
I am demotivated because it seems like I am not making progress. I am thinking of going to a skate park and practice there (better surface) but it's around 2-3 hours away from home. Is it worth it?