Student Question:
“I can transition from backwards to forwards just fine, but I can’t do forwards to backwards at all. Is it purely psychological?”
Short Answer:
It’s completely normal—and no, it’s not “just in your head.”
In fact, Forward-to-Backward (F/B) Mohawks are almost always harder than Backward-to-Forward (B/F) Mohawks, especially in the early stages. Here’s why:
Why F/B Transitions Feel So Uncomfortable
When you do a B/F transition, you finish going forwards—your body’s happy place. It feels safe, familiar, and comfortable. Your nervous system literally goes, “Ahhh, we’re fine.”
But with a F/B transition, you finish going backwards—which is naturally less comfortable for most skaters. The body doesn’t like uncertainty or reduced visibility, so it instinctively resists.
This resistance shows up as:
- Hesitation
- A blocked feeling
- Tension in your body
- Or feeling like the move just “won’t happen”
The Real Problem: Speed Mismatch
The main reason F/B Mohawks fail is not fear—it’s speed.
Even when you think you’re moving slowly forwards, you’re often still going faster than your comfortable backward speed.
Try this:
- Skate backwards in a straight line.
- Find the speed where:
- You feel relaxed
- There’s no tension
- You can scissor comfortably
That is your true comfortable backward cruising speed.
Here’s the key:
Your body will NOT allow you to transition into a backward speed that feels unsafe to it.
So when you attempt an F/B transition:
- You enter it thinking you’re “slow”
- But your body detects that you’d come out too fast backwards
- It instantly applies the brakes through hesitation or stiffness
That’s your nervous system protecting you—not sabotaging you.
The Fastest Way to Fix It: Improve Backward Comfort First
The quickest way to unlock your F/B Mohawks is to increase your comfortable backward speed.
Work specifically on backward striding, which most skaters skip or avoid.
Here’s a simple routine:
- Take short, quick backward strides to build speed
- Then cruise in ready position
- Use backward scissors to slow down
- Repeat: accelerate → cruise → scissor → repeat
This does two important things:
- Builds real backward control
- Trains your body to stay relaxed at slightly higher backward speeds
Do this for 10–15 minutes each time you skate.
Then Return to the Mohawks (Ridiculously Slow!)
After your backward work, go back to your F/B Mohawks—but do them painfully slowly. Walking speed slow.
So slow that you think:
“This is ridiculous. What’s even the point?”
That’s exactly the right speed.
At this pace, you’ll likely notice:
- The hesitation disappears
- The transition suddenly feels possible
- Your body stops fighting the movement
From there, it becomes a gradual speed game:
- Increase the speed just a tiny bit
- Let your body adapt
- Then increase again later
You cannot exceed your current comfortable backward cruising speed—so improving backward skating and mohawks must progress together.
In Summary
- F/B Mohawks are harder because you finish going backwards
- Your body blocks transitions that feel too fast backwards
- The fix is:
- Improve your backward striding speed
- Practice F/B Mohawks extremely slowly
- Increase speed so gradually that your body barely notices
With patience and consistency, the transition will unlock naturally.
If you’d like the definitive guide to learning to skate backwards and do seamless transitions, these are both taught in the “How to Skate – Intermediate” Online Course.
Check out the full course syllabus here;
