How do you brake with the T-stop? From a slow one-foot glide, place the free foot across behind the skating foot and brake on the outside edge until you stop.
The honest answer first: in the T-stop you place the blades in an upside-down "T" – the back foot lies across behind the skating foot and brakes on the outside edge until you stand still [1]. It is a calm, controlled stop and the opposite of the sudden hockey stop.
A level correction up front: the inventory rates the T-stop as a beginner skill. In the Learn to Skate USA adult curriculum, however, it only appears on level 6 of 6, after the snowplow stop, hockey stop and backward crossovers [2]. We therefore list it as an intermediate skill. The reason is plausible: it needs a stable one-foot glide and a fine feel for the edge, which beginners are still building.
Stand so that one foot is the "stem" of the T and the other stands across behind it – an upside-down T position [1]. The back foot becomes the braking foot. Milestone: you stand so calmly that you can hold the T position.
Glide slowly forward on one leg. Place the free foot lightly on the ice, the little toe pressed down [1]. The aim is a gentle slowing down, not a hard jab.
Bend the skating knee and put pressure on the braking foot, drawing it towards the heel of the skating foot [1]. Milestone: from slow speed you brake to a stop on a short distance.
If possible, shift your weight slightly onto the braking foot, press on the outside edge and come to a complete stop [1]. The shoulders stay square to the direction of travel [1].
Practise with the other leg. The curriculum asks for the T-stop on level 6 without naming a side; so make both equally good [2]. Increase speed only when you stop cleanly three times in a row from slow speed.
Plan a short session for the T-stop (rule of thumb, not a study): five minutes of one-foot glides on both sides, then eight T-stops from very slow speed with the stronger side and eight with the weaker. Set a marker on the ice: where do you come to a stop? Over time the stopping point moves closer together; that is your measure of progress. End the session as soon as you only set the braking foot down hard or the shoulders turn along, because then your legs are tired. A phone video from behind shows whether the blades really form a T and the braking foot does not slide diagonally forward.
Your progress shows in the braking distance (rule of thumb, not a study): does it get shorter without you setting down hard? Can you aim at a marker and stop within one body length? If so, increase the speed in small steps. If the braking foot jumps or you break out sideways, go back to a slower speed until the scraping sounds even.
This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training. Braking on an edge is a moment of increased fall risk. In a US analysis of about 404,000 ice-skating injuries, 34.5% concerned head, face and neck [3]. Wear a helmet and gloves, look behind and to the sides before the stop and never brake directly behind others who may suddenly stop. The stop is not an emergency brake for high speed – for that you use the snowplow or, later, the hockey stop (practical experience).
Practise the T-stop first at walking pace: glide at a crawl and set the braking foot down briefly, just to hear the sound of the track. The sound of the outside edge, a fine scraping, is your feedback for even pressure (practical experience).
Glide slowly on one foot, place the free foot across behind the skating foot, the little toe down, and draw it towards the heel [1]. With pressure on the outside edge you come to a stop, the shoulders stay square [1].
The back foot becomes the braking foot; the front leg stays the skating leg [1]. Which side you learn first does not matter, but practise both.
Yes, in the adult curriculum the T-stop is on level 6 of 6, the snowplow already on level 1 [2]. It needs a stable one-foot glide and edge feel.
Start with a slow glide [1]. Add speed only when several stops in a row succeed cleanly and nobody skates behind you.