Learning Heelys, a 'How to' guide

Yes, it's compelling, seeing youngsters zooming around on their Heelys with no effort or danger. But how do you (or, more suitably, your child) get started?

The commonest query I hear is "I've bought a pair of Heelys but I can't seem to balance or stay upright!".

It's all very well watching the official Heelys How to on my Gallery page, but what happens if you can't even stay upright on them? Well, relax, because I have a solution for you.

The trick is to get the body used to having wheels underneath your trainers, of course, the balancing act needs to be totally automatic without you having to think about it.

Let's assume that you're helping your child to learn. Get them to stand next to a kitchen surface (in the warm and dry and possibly with a more forgiving surface, should they worry about falling) with their feet one in front of the other and with each foot raised slightly at the toe, so that all their weight is on the wheels.

They'll feel safe because both hands can be on the work surface. Now get them to rock gently forwards and backwards as shown in this video, gradually moving further and further each time. Let them get completely used to the feel of life on Heely wheels:

When they're happy, get them to do the same with just one hand on the surface and gradually get them to use this hand to 'push off' and then roll a few feet hands-free, with the feet in the classic Heelys position.

After a few hand push-offs, get them to help push off with the back foot as well, as shown in the official Heelys video. Finally, of course, simply don't use the hand.

Tip: one thing NOT to do when helping a child learn is to walk along besides them, supporting them - the sense of balance HAS to be learnt with no compensating support from someone else. A passive kitchen surface is fine, a 'helpful' mum or dad isn't!