Hockey stop (parallel slide): turn both skates sideways and slide to a stop. Which brakes you must master first, how to build up in stages and when to stop.
The honest answer up front: in the hockey stop (parallel slide) you turn both skates parallel across the direction of travel and slide sideways to a stop, but you learn it only when heel brake, T-stop and powerslide sit, and preferably with a coach. It is not a beginner brake but a technique for advanced skaters. Related is the T-stop, which the curriculum of the German Inline Skate Teachers Association (DILV) describes as an advanced braking technique used mainly where skating without a stopper (hockey, speed, freestyle), not as effective as the heel stop and causing heavy wheel wear [1]. In plain words: sliding brakes are special tools, not the standard brake.
What does research know? There is no study on the hockey stop. General data show why build-up and protection matter: in a survey of 313 recreational skaters, 11.3% named "failure to stop" as a cause of involuntary falls [3], and a review lists skaters practicing new tricks as an at-risk group [5]. For the T-stop the DILV also points out that the strain on the ligaments should be addressed and heeded [1].
How hard is it? You understand the principle in a minute. Until you stop safely and on both sides sideways, many weeks pass, in experience terms. The technique details are practice standard without study backing; a coach has to see them on the skate.
Test: can you stop in a controlled way from calm skating in both directions with heel brake, T-stop and powerslide? The DILV teaches braking exercises first standing, then from rolling [1]. Milestone: you stop on command at a marked line, left and right.
Choose a smooth, dry surface and a low speed. Sliding brakes need room. DGUV warns against aggressive skating and braking techniques in sports halls [2]. Milestone: you have 20 meters of runout free.
Practice standing how both skates can be placed parallel across without rolling. Keep the knees bent, the upper body calm. The coach corrects the position. Milestone: you set the skates across without wobbling.
From slow, straight rolling you turn both skates across only slightly, so the wheels barely skid and you slow down slightly. Important: if you lose control, go low and fall in a controlled way onto the knee pads [2]. Milestone: you slow yourself within 2 meters with a slight cross-turn.
Raise the angle in stages until the wheels glide sideways. Repeat each stage 5 times, then move on to the next. Switch sides regularly. Milestone: from the same speed you stop four times in a row over a similar distance.
Film your stop from the front and from the side and mark start and stop with cones. A stop that is always the same length is a controlled stop. Count the steps to standstill: if the distance varies strongly from attempt to attempt, it is not yet a tool you may rely on in everyday skating.
A braking technique in which you turn both skates parallel across the direction of travel and slide sideways to a stop. It is for advanced skaters.
No. According to the DILV the heel stop is the most effective way to brake on inline skates and on a slope the best way to reduce speed [1].
Heel brake, T-stop and powerslide, in both directions and from calm skating. Those are prerequisites, not recommendations.
With complete protective gear, smooth dry ground, low speed and supervision the risk is much lower. When trying new tricks, even experienced skaters are at risk [5].
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