How to Moonwalk on Roller Skates: A Step-by-Step Guide

If there’s one roller skating trick that instantly gets attention, it’s the Moonwalk.

You already know the iconic Michael Jackson version — but doing the Moonwalk on roller skates adds a whole different feel to it. When you get it right, it looks smooth, effortless and seriously cool.

And the good news?

You don’t need to be an advanced skater to start learning it.

The Moonwalk is actually made up of a few movements you may already recognise. The trick is learning how to combine them so your feet flow rather than looking like you’re frantically running backwards.

And this is definitely one of those roller skating skills that makes much more sense when you see it in action.

→ Watch my full How to Moonwalk on Roller Skates tutorial on YouTube

I’ll break down the movement, show you exactly what each skate is doing and demonstrate the mistake that can turn your Moonwalk into more of a running man.

Can Beginners Learn the Moonwalk on Roller Skates?

Yes — but I wouldn’t make it your first backwards roller skating skill.

Before learning the Moonwalk, it helps if you’re already reasonably comfortable rolling backwards, shifting your weight and using your toe stops.

You don’t have to have beautiful backwards skating or loads of dance skating experience. You just want enough confidence that moving backwards doesn’t take all of your concentration.

There are four movements that will make learning the Moonwalk much easier:

• A staggered scissor switch

• A stationary dribble

• Basic backwards roller skating

• Confidence shifting your weight onto your toe stops

If some of those sound unfamiliar, don’t panic. I demonstrate each one in the video before we even attempt the full Moonwalk.

How to Moonwalk on Roller Skates: The Quick Version

Once you’ve got the foundations, here’s roughly what’s happening.

Start with a little backwards roll and move into a long staggered position, with one skate clearly in front of the other. Keep your knees soft rather than locking your legs.

From there, one heel lifts so you're using the toe stop. That skate travels forward while your other skate moves backwards.

Then you shift your weight, switch sides and repeat.

Slowly, it can feel like several separate movements:

Pull. Switch. Stagger. Drop.

But as you become more comfortable and begin joining everything together, that’s when you start getting the smooth gliding effect of the Moonwalk.

Trying to learn it from written instructions alone, though?

This one you really need to see in action.

→ Watch the full Moonwalk on Roller Skates tutorial on YouTube

You’ll be able to see my foot placement, where I’m shifting my weight and how the movement changes as I speed it up.

Why Your Moonwalk Might Look Like a Running Man

This is one of the most common things I see when teaching skaters the Moonwalk.

They understand the basic movement, but their feet are too close together.

Instead of creating a long, smooth glide, everything becomes short and quick. Suddenly your Moonwalk starts looking a lot more like a backwards running man.

The fix?

Give yourself more room in your stagger.

Think about creating some distance between your skates, with one skate clearly in front of the other. That longer position gives you more stability and more room for the movement to flow.

It’s a small adjustment that can make a massive difference to how the trick looks.

Don't Try to Make It Fast Straight Away

When you first learn the Moonwalk, it probably won't look smooth.

That's normal.

Your brain is trying to work out your weight transfer, toe stops, skate position and timing all at once.

Instead of trying to immediately recreate a fast Michael Jackson Moonwalk, slow the movement right down.

Get comfortable with each switch. Find the rhythm. Make sure you're getting that longer stagger.

Smooth first. Speed later.

Once your body stops having to think about every individual part, the movements begin to blend together — and that's when it starts looking like a Moonwalk.

Ready to Try the Moonwalk on Roller Skates?

This is such a fun roller skating dance move to add to your skills, and once you understand what your feet are actually doing, it’s much less complicated than it looks.

But I could write another 1,000 words explaining where every wheel, toe stop and foot needs to go, and watching it will still make more sense.

So grab your skates and follow along with me in the full video tutorial.

→ WATCH: How to Do Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk on Roller Skates

I'll show you the four skills to practice first, break the Moonwalk down step-by-step, show you the running-man mistake and then put everything together so you can see exactly how the movement should flow.

And once you get it? Go sand how it off!