Level 1 Cert

Level 1 at Camp Skate IA in Richmond, BC, Canada. 6 successful candidates and two examiners.

Level 1 Certification the Short Version: It is for those who want to learn how to teach inline and roller skaters at any level. The Level 1 Certification teaches you how to teach, how to improve your teaching, how to break down ANY move into easily digestible steps, for all ages, and how to create a beginning, middle and end to every class you teach.

Click here to Register and take the action that will change your life!

The Longer Version: Level 1 is for inline or roller skaters who are either brand new at teaching, or have been teaching without the the skills to break EVERY move into easy, clear to follow steps: to create an Introduction including safety, credibility and warmth; a Teaching Model that includes proper demonstrations and breaks down each move into 3 steps statically and dynamically, what to look for to provide feedback, drills and proper execution; an end to the lesson that empowers the student to practice more, what to practice and how that moves fit into more complex moves.

You will also be taught modifications to the move so that you can teach to a wider variety of levels in the same class. You will learn how to set your students up for success, who to keep them safe while learning, where to situate yourself in the classroom for maximum learning, how to teach to a variety of learning styles (thinkers vs. doers) and how to use props to increase learning and fun in the classroom. The students are left, at the end of the lesson,  with an understanding of what it takes to do the move, how to do it in a safe manner, what the 3 steps are, how it creates new openings for similar moves and what moves they will learn when they return to your next lesson.

Longtime coaches and teachers who have been teaching skating and other sport disciplines have 100% agreed that taking this certification has improved their teaching, allowed them to teach to a wider variety of students and formalized their instruction. They have explained, in the post certification survey, how they wished they had taken the course sooner and that is was worth their time and money.

NYC 2014 Graduates

The Level 1 certification generally occurs as an evening session(7-9:30pm) followed by two full-day (9am-6pm) sessions. You cannot miss any of the sessions in order to be candidated to pass. The evening session is off-skates and includes a PowerPoint on Skate IA history, reviews important aspects of the 35 page Level 1 Manual and you begin teaching by learning how to create Lesson Plans. The first full day is on skates and includes learning/reviewing the 8 moves taught during the weekend, and learning how to demonstrate and fully teach five of the moves. Three moves are for you to demonstrate your proficiency and five of the moves will be broken down into the 3+3 system within the Skate IA Teaching Model. All 8 moves will be taught so that you can perform and demonstrate them for any audience. The second full day includes completing the Teaching Model for the final move, and testing on the 8 skills. While there are five moves you learn to teach and three moves you only demonstrate, you are given options, as listed below, because we know many of our candidates are teaching to specific audiences (hockey, derby etc). After the skills test, you will take a written exam based on the Skate IA Level 1 manual and finally you will tested on your teaching: the Examiner will select a move and you will teach the introduction, and a full class on teaching the selected move.

The second full day ends with a graduation, which includes a T-shirt, a Certificate of Completion, Swag from our sponsors, your Skate IA Patch, Luggage Tag/Membership Card/Stickers and information on how to obtain your Skate IA instructor pro-deals from our sponsors and information on how to apply for your insurance.

Level 1, Freestyle Slalom and Skate Park Certifications are all entry level certifications. However, Level 1 has a stronger focus on learning to teach brand new skaters and how to apply the Teaching Model to all ages and abilities. It is strongly recommended that if you are take the Freestyle Slalom or Skate Park courses, that you also consider taking the Level 1 Certification. It is the foundation for all disciplines. From Hockey to Derby, from Slalom to Race, all those who completed the Level 1 Certifications stated that it increased their ability to create a larger stream of students into their programs because they could start with beginners to skating and set them up with the fundamentals for success in their intended skating programs.

Candidates should attend with a proficiency in skating. While you will learn the moves, edging and form, you should be considered at least an intermediate skater.

The five moves you will learn to teach are:
1. V-Walk to Basic Stride
2. Heel Stop (inlines) or Toe Stop (roller skates)
3. Lunge Turn
4. Backwards Skating (Backward Swizzles or Backwards Stroking)
5. Parallel Turns

The 3 moves to demonstrate proficiently:
1. Hockey Stop, Spin  Stop or Pivot (you choose based on your skating discipline, but all will taught to advance your skills)
2. Crossovers in a circle (one direction)
3. Mohawk transitions (moving from forward to backwards and backwards to forwards by stepping)

Cost is $300 per person and includes membership in Skate IA for the calendar year. Those getting certified in August or later will receive a pro-rated membership for the next calendar year. Contact us for details.

• Excludes individual or skate school insurance which is sold separately at $90/$850 per year
• Excludes location fee. If this is required it will be shared by all the candidates but we rarely pay for a location.
• Assumes examiner has a couch surfing option (except in Seattle)
• Minimum of five candidates required
• We do not have an online certification for this level because it is considered an intensive program.

Candidates need a minimum score of 85% in each category (written, skills & teaching) to pass. Upon full registration payment, all Candidates will receive an electronic version of the Level 1 manual and an agenda.

Our schedule for certifications in North & South America are updated regularly. We can come your way, or you can find a Certification to attend locally or through travel. We can help with finding couch surfing options for our traveling candidates.
Consider hosting a certification in your city and create an opportunity for a discount based on the certification.

Once Certified, new Skate IA members are offered the opportunity to purchase annual liability insurance as an individual or as a skate school. Skate IA is exclusive in its’ ability to offer this type of insurance. The insurance is sold for the calendar year and may be purchased anytime during the year.

Get certified, teach with the knowledge necessary to create new skaters and develop long time skaters. Build your community through teaching and sharing your talent for skating.