Film it.
Practise capturing the moment without deciding whether anybody will see it.
ONE Blades
THE ONE CREATOR ACADEMY GUIDE
How to film your skating.
Everything Adam knows about filming, editing and posting skating, written down in one place.
Thirty-five years in front of a camera. Twenty years behind one.
Free, open to everyone and built to keep growing.
YOU ARE A PRODUCTION STUDIO
Eight decisions. One complete process.
Content feels overwhelming when it looks like one enormous decision. It becomes manageable when you divide it into eight smaller ones.
00
START HERE
Skating is invisible unless somebody records it.
Why this guide exists and how to use it.
Our sport is small, and it is small partly because almost nobody outside a rink has ever seen it done well.
Skateboarding built a global culture on video. Skating did not. It was never a talent problem. Skateboarders filmed everything. We filmed almost nothing.
You have a camera in your pocket that out-shoots what television used ten years ago. What you probably do not have is somebody telling you what to point it at, where to stand and what to do with the file afterward.
That is what this guide is for.
Adam has spent thirty-five years skating and twenty of them being filmed professionally, on ice, on wheels, on television, in arenas and on cruise ships.
He has also spent years filming skaters, editing footage and studying what happens after a post goes live. This guide brings both sides together.
HOW TO USE THIS
Do not read it front to back.
Find the question you actually have. Read that answer. Go and film something. Come back later.
Every answer explains what Adam does and why he does it. The reason matters more than the setting because settings change and reasons do not.
Your situation will be different. Understanding the reason lets you work out your own answer.
01
Find the question
02
Read the reason
03
Film something
04
Return when needed
01
THE BRIEF
What am I making, and why does it deserve to exist?
This is the department everybody skips. It decides whether you ever press record a second time. Sort this first and the rest is technique.
01 I have nothing worth posting.
You have. You just do not recognize it because you are comparing your footage with finished, polished skating.
That is not always what people watch.
Five things that work:
- A repetition of the skill you are currently drilling.
- A fall.
- The same element before and after you changed something.
- A small win nobody else in the rink would notice.
- The ordinary part of training nobody outside skating has seen.
The interesting part is often not the finished element. It is the attempt before it.
02 How long should a clip be?
As long as it holds attention, and not one second longer.
7–15 SECONDS
One element or one clear moment.
20–40 SECONDS
A piece with a story or progression.
OVER 1 MINUTE
Only when you are genuinely teaching something.
Length is the result of the edit. It is not a target you choose before filming.
03 Why do people watch some clips and scroll past others?
Tension and resolution.
Something is at stake, and then it resolves.
A trick attempt has this built in. The viewer does not know whether it will work, so they stay.
A polished routine may remove that uncertainty. That is why a practice clip can outperform a finished performance.
This is not a social media trick. It is how attention works.
04 Do I need a niche?
A niche is what people return for. It is not a cage.
MOST
The subject you want to be known for.
SOME
Subjects closely connected to it.
A LITTLE
Your life, personality, and interests beyond skating.
The account still needs to feel like a person because people follow people.
05 I feel stupid posting. People I know will see it.
It often feels strange at first. Pretending otherwise does not help.
Separate two decisions:
Post it later.
Review the footage when the pressure of the session has passed.
A camera roll full of clips you never posted is still progress. You improved at filming while deciding.
02
THE ROOM
Where you film decides half the result before you press record.
Light, background, permission and space should be settled before the camera comes out. This is the department almost nobody thinks about and everybody suffers from.
01 Am I allowed to film at my rink?
Usually yes, when you ask.
Ask the duty manager rather than filming quietly and hoping nobody notices.
Tell them three things:
- What you are filming.
- That you will keep other people’s children out of frame.
- That you will tag or credit the rink when appropriate.
Their real concerns are usually privacy, liability and other people using the rink. Clear communication solves most of that before it becomes a problem.
02 Where in the rink should I set up?
What is behind you matters more than what is underneath you.
Look for a clean stretch of boards, an empty end of the rink or a darker background that helps the skater separate from the space.
Avoid:
- Doors.
- Bins.
- Bags and coats.
- Busy entrances.
- Distracting signs and adverts.
Frame the background first. Then place the skater inside it.
Most people do the opposite and end up with strong skating filmed in front of visual clutter.
03 Why does my footage look grey and flat?
Rink lighting is often high, cold and coming directly downward.
That combination flattens the skater and removes much of the depth you felt while watching in person.
Three fixes that cost nothing:
Lower the camera.
Overhead light combined with a high camera makes everything look smaller and flatter.
Film toward the brighter end.
Use the available light instead of placing the skater against it.
Avoid bright doors behind the skater.
The camera will expose for the doorway and turn the skater into a silhouette.
You cannot add light in the edit that you did not capture. Move before trying to repair the footage later.
04 The rink is packed. Should I still film?
Yes.
Busy conditions can make footage feel more alive. Other skaters can provide scale, depth and a stronger sense of speed.
The answer is not always to wait for the rink to empty.
Instead:
- Frame more tightly.
- Lower the camera.
- Film through gaps in the traffic.
- Use the movement around the skater as context.
An empty rink can look lifeless on camera. Perfect conditions are not required, and they are rarely available anyway.
05 Where should I film outdoors?
Four things decide the result:
Smooth enough to skate.
A little surface texture can make speed read more clearly on camera.
Film later in the day.
Late-afternoon light will usually improve the footage more than another piece of equipment.
Keep it deliberate.
Architecture, open space and clean lines can make the environment part of the story.
Check the wind first.
Wind can destroy spoken audio long before it affects the skating.
03
THE CAMERA
How you film it.
This is the department everybody starts with and most people get backwards. The right answer is usually cheaper and simpler than expected.
01 Do I need to buy a real camera?
No.
The phone in your pocket is already capable of producing strong footage. What it does not do is hold itself up or record clean spoken audio.
That is why the order you spend money in matters more than the amount.
Tripod
It gets the camera into position and keeps the frame consistent.
Microphone
Only when you speak on camera or teach.
Light
Only when available light cannot solve the problem.
Camera
Last, after the other limitations are already solved.
02 What tripod should I get?
Two things matter:
- How high it reaches.
- Whether the phone clamp actually grips.
Everything else matters less.
A cheap tripod you carry beats an expensive one left at home. If it does not fit in the bag you already take to the rink, it will not get used.
03 How high should the camera be?
Hip to chest height for most skating.
Above head height makes everything look smaller and slower. The camera looks down at a skater on a large flat surface and removes the sense of height.
Ground level makes the skater feel larger and faster. Almost nobody uses it.
04 What angle should I use?
Four angles work, and each has a different job.
Jumps
Shows height and rotation together.
Edges and speed
Shows lean and travel clearly.
Footwork and patterns
Puts the viewer onto the skater’s feet.
Pattern only
Use it when the shape of the movement is the point.
Pick the angle that shows the difficult part. If the angle hides the difficulty, it is the wrong angle.
05 How far away should the camera be?
Closer than feels comfortable.
Distance kills speed. Backing up to keep the whole movement in frame often produces a small skater moving slowly across a wide rink.
Let the skater leave the frame. Speed is created by things moving past the edges.
06 Should I film in 4K?
Yes.
The main reason is not sharpness. It is the ability to reframe after filming.
- Push in on the landing.
- Use a wider frame for the entry.
- Straighten footage that was slightly off.
- Create more than one shot from the same take.
07 What frame rate should I use?
Decide before pressing record whether the footage will be slowed down.
The default
Use this unless you have a reason not to. Motion blur helps the eye read speed.
Planned slow motion
Use for jumps, throws and moments you intend to hold open.
The middle option
Useful, but less slow than 120 and sometimes less dynamic than 30.
Higher frame rates require more light. If 120 FPS looks noisy in a dark rink, low light is the likely reason.
08 My phone is always full.
The solution is a habit rather than a larger phone.
Once a clip is posted, backed up and no longer needed, remove it from the phone. Do it while you still remember which files matter.
Deleting six clips today takes seconds. Sorting hundreds six months later takes an evening.
09 Should I use slow motion?
Slow the rotation. Keep the entry and exit at real speed.
Slow motion is a highlighter. Highlight one thing. If everything is slowed down, nothing is emphasized.
All-slow footage removes the speed that makes skating impressive.
10 Vertical or horizontal?
Vertical for current short-form platforms.
Vertical costs lateral space, which skating needs. The answer is not to back up and make the skater tiny.
Change the movement relative to the camera. Let the skater travel toward or away from the lens rather than only across it.
Film vertically from the beginning. Cropping a horizontal composition later usually damages it.
11 I skate alone. How do I film?
Frame a zone, not a person.
Set the frame, mark your entry point and skate into it. Do one test pass to check the framing.
Do not try to keep yourself inside a frame that is chasing you.
12 How do I film a jump?
Low. Front three-quarter. Enough room above for the height and enough room afterward for the landing.
Do not pan.
Let the jump happen inside a frame that stays still. Height reads against a fixed reference. When the camera follows the skater, that reference disappears.
13 How do I film a spin?
Spins can look flat because the skater stays in one place and the frame does not change.
Get low. Get closer. Cut on the change of position rather than showing the entire spin.
The changes are the content. The full duration is not.
14 Are extra cameras worth it?
Only when they solve a real limitation.
Best for solo skating
Records the whole environment and lets you choose the angle later.
Point of view and weather
Useful for durable, close or body-mounted shots.
Useful with another operator
More useful when somebody else is holding the camera.
Fun, but restricted
Check local rules before buying or flying one.
04
THE SOUND
What people hear decides whether they finish the video.
Sound is one of the fastest quality upgrades available to a creator. If you speak on camera, it matters more than buying a better camera.
01 Do I need a microphone?
One test.
If you talk, yes. If you do not, no.
No microphone needed.
Skating footage over music or natural skate sound can work without one.
Use a microphone.
Clear spoken audio matters more than another camera upgrade.
People forgive a rough picture. They do not forgive audio they cannot understand.
02 What kind of microphone should I use?
A wireless clip-on microphone.
The category matters more than the brand. It should connect directly to the phone you actually own and include wind protection.
Adam uses a DJI Mic Mini because it is small, wireless, and connects directly to the phone.
01
Connects to your phone
02
Wireless clip-on
03
Wind protection included
04
Noise cancelling available
Rinks carry constant low noise from compressors, air handling, and the room itself. Noise cancelling can remove much of it.
03 Where should I place the microphone?
About one hand’s width below the chin.
Clip it to something that does not move while you skate.
Avoid:
- Zips.
- Loose jackets.
- Fabric that rubs against the microphone.
- Anything that swings while you move.
A microphone in the wrong place can ruin an entire session.
04 Everything echoes in the rink. What can I do?
Rinks are difficult rooms for sound.
They have hard surfaces, high ceilings, and constant mechanical noise.
Move closer to the microphone.
A stronger direct voice gives the room less influence.
Move away from the centre.
The middle of a large rink often creates the most echo.
Record the voiceover later.
Film the skating first and speak somewhere quiet afterward.
The other option is to stop fighting the room and use the sound of the sport itself.
Blade sound and wheel sound often create more atmosphere than music. Most creators remove it without testing whether it was the strongest part.
05 I hate the sound of my own voice.
Almost everybody does.
You normally hear your voice partly through vibration inside your own head. A recording removes that, so it sounds unfamiliar to you and normal to everybody else.
Voiceover is often easier than speaking during the session.
It can also be clearer because you already know what the footage shows.
Notes
Write the points you need and speak naturally around them.
A full script
Reading every word can make the delivery feel less human.
Your accent is not a problem. It is part of what makes the voice recognizable and human.
05
THE MUSIC
What the skating is set to.
Most skaters have strong instincts about music but no clear framework for using it. The first question is whether you are building a program or editing a clip.
01 Do I skate to the music, or find music for the skating?
There are two different jobs here, and they have opposite answers.
Music first.
The structure of the music becomes the structure of the performance. Where the music builds, the skating builds. Where it drops, something lands.
Footage first.
Film the skating, then find the track that fits what already exists. The edit should follow the movement you actually captured.
Choreographing a short clip to music before filming can leave you with footage and music that want different edits.
02 How do I choose a track?
Do not begin with the mood. Begin with the moments.
Listen for the places where something happens:
01
A hit
02
A drop
03
A change
04
A held note
Then find the skating movement that belongs on that point.
- A landing on a hit.
- A spin beginning as the music opens.
- A change of direction on a musical change.
- A held position on a held note.
The track is not decoration. It is a set of markers that the movement can land on.
03 Why did my video get muted or removed?
Music licensing.
Personal and creator accounts usually have access to a larger library of popular music licensed for non-commercial use.
Business accounts are usually restricted to a smaller library cleared for commercial use.
Automated music detection is increasingly accurate, including when the track is quiet.
If there is a realistic chance the account will earn money, use music you are cleared to use.
04 What music can I use?
Three main sources, ordered by how easily they travel across platforms.
Original audio
Skate sound, your own voice, or music you own or commissioned. This can travel anywhere.
Licensed subscription music
Useful when posting across several platforms and building content consistently.
In-app music
Easy to use, but normally licensed only inside the platform providing it.
05 How do I make the cuts land on the beat?
Mark the beats before cutting anything.
Then place the cuts directly on those marks rather than slightly before or after.
When the skating does not line up with the track, move the footage rather than moving the music.
The music is the grid. This is the same timing skill used in a skating program, applied to an editing timeline.
01
Mark the beat
02
Find the movement
03
Move the footage
04
Cut on the marker
06
THE EDIT
Where the clip is actually made.
Most people expect the magic to happen here. The real work is subtraction. The answer is usually to remove something.
01 What editing apps do I need?
Adam uses two apps, each for a different job.
The edit
Trimming, arranging clips, changing speed and building the main sequence.
Captions and publishing
Text, captions and publishing directly to Instagram.
Then export the finished file and upload it separately to TikTok and YouTube.
Two simple apps can be better than forcing one app to do every job.
02 What should I cut out?
Cut the parts before and after the thing people came to see.
01
The walk-up
02
The setup
03
The breath before
04
The ride-away after the moment is over
Start on movement.
Everything before the first interesting frame is a cost. You are asking the viewer to wait before showing them why the video is worth watching.
03 Why do people scroll past my videos?
The opening frame has to promise something.
- Start in the middle of the action.
- Start with the result, then show how it happened.
- Start on a face.
- An empty rink.
- A title card.
- You getting ready.
The first frame is a promise. The next few seconds need to keep it.
04 Do I need captions?
Yes.
Many people begin watching with the sound off. Captions let them understand the video before they decide whether to turn the sound on.
Automatic captions will do most of the work. The final part is correcting skating terms the software does not recognize.
01
Read every caption before publishing
02
Correct skating terminology
03
Keep text out of the bottom third
04
Keep each line easy to read
05 How do I make the video look more polished?
One effect per clip, maximum.
The effect is not the content. A video carried entirely by transitions usually has a content problem.
The speed ramp is one effect that can help skating. It works best at the entry into the element rather than at the exit.
06 What should I write on the video?
One line. Top third. Six to eight words.
The text should state the promise made by the first frame.
Three things I got wrong for two years.
Everyone lands this wrong, including me.
Same jump, six weeks apart.
Why does this look better than this?
A title describes the video. A strong line gives the viewer a reason to continue.
07 Why does the quality drop after uploading?
Every platform compresses the file.
You cannot prevent all compression. You can control the quality of the file you give the platform.
Export at the highest quality.
Use the strongest export setting the editing app offers.
Upload the clean file.
Use the original export rather than downloading it again from another platform.
Avoid double compression.
A file that has already been compressed once will lose more quality when compressed again.
07
THE PUBLISH
Where it goes, and in what form.
Most skaters use one format repeatedly and ignore the other tools available. Choose the format from the job, not from habit.
01 Reels, Stories, carousels, or grid posts?
Each format has a different job.
Reach
Use Reels to reach people who do not already follow you.
Relationship
Use Stories to stay connected with the people already following.
Depth
Use carousels when the idea needs more than one screen.
Record
Your grid is what a stranger checks to decide whether the account is real and worth following.
02 What is a trial Reel?
A trial Reel is shown to people who do not follow you first.
It lets you test an idea without immediately placing it in front of your existing audience.
That makes it useful when you are trying a new format or feel nervous about posting something different.
03 What is a collaboration post?
A collaboration post appears on both accounts and shares the engagement across both audiences.
It is one of the strongest free reach tools available when two people genuinely created something together.
Puts you on their page.
A tag gives credit and connects the accounts.
Puts you before their audience.
A collaboration distributes the post across both accounts.
If coaches and skaters used collaboration posts as standard practice, the reach of skating content would expand significantly.
04 What should I write in the caption?
The first line is a second hook.
It is often the only line people see before the caption is cut off.
Hook
Give the reader a reason to open or continue.
Context
Explain what is happening and why it matters.
One useful thing
Give the reader a lesson, observation, or answer.
Invitation
Ask a real question or invite a useful response.
Caption length is a choice, not a fixed rule. A longer caption works when it earns the space.
05 How many hashtags should I use?
Fewer and more relevant than many people have been told.
Three to five hashtags that accurately describe the video are more useful than a wall of generic tags.
Hashtags help describe the subject. They are not a substitute for a strong video, clear opening, or useful caption.
06 When should I post, and how often?
Timing matters less than consistency.
For someone who trains, coaches, studies, or has another job, two or three posts each week may be realistic.
Three posts a week for a year beats twenty posts a week for two weeks followed by silence.
Intensity you cannot hold
Large bursts of content followed by burnout.
Consistency you can hold
A realistic pace that still works during difficult weeks.
Your cover image matters because it remains visible on the grid after the post has stopped circulating elsewhere.
07 Can I post the same video on TikTok and YouTube?
Yes, with a clean source file.
Watermarks from another platform can reduce distribution and make the post feel recycled.
Export one clean version without platform branding, then upload that file separately to each platform.
01
Export without a watermark
02
Adjust formatting where needed
03
Upload natively
04
Never screen-record between apps
08 Should I use a business, creator, or personal account?
The main trade-off is usually music access against business tools and data.
Wider music access
Often provides access to a larger library of popular music.
More commercial tools
Often provides additional business features with a more restricted music library.
Decide based on whether the account will earn money and what you need it to become.
08
THE READ
What came back, what it means, and what to change.
This is the department that keeps creators going. Most people stop because they read the wrong number.
01 Which numbers actually matter?
Three numbers matter most.
Watch time
Did people stay long enough to receive the idea?
Shares
Did somebody care enough to put their own name behind the post?
Follows from the post
Did the content give somebody a reason to come back?
Likes are easy to give and easy to misread. They are visible, but they are not the strongest signal.
02 What is a good retention rate?
Read the shape of the graph, not only the percentage.
Hook problem
The opening frame or first line did not make a strong enough promise.
Length problem
The clip continued after the idea had already finished.
Healthy pattern
People stayed with the idea and some remained until the end.
The retention graph is a map of where the video lost attention. It points to the exact second that needs work.
03 The skating was the same. Why was the result different?
It is often not the skating.
The difference is usually one of these:
01
First frame
02
Camera angle
03
Length
04
Sound
05
Opening promise
That is good news. Every one of those variables can be changed without becoming a better skater first.
04 Should I change what I am doing?
Three posts are noise. Ten posts begin to form a signal.
Change one thing at a time. Otherwise, you will not know which change caused the result.
Hook
Change the opening promise first.
Length
Remove anything that outlives the idea.
Angle
Show the difficult or beautiful part more clearly.
Subject
Change the topic last, not first.
Most creators change the subject first. That resets everything they had started learning.
05 I posted and got forty views.
Forty people is not nothing.
It is a full coaching session. It is more people than many skaters perform in front of during an ordinary month.
The number feels small because the platform places it beside accounts reaching thousands or millions.
Put the number into a physical room instead.
06 How do I handle negative comments?
Negative comments are often a volume problem rather than a quality problem.
They begin arriving when content reaches people beyond the audience already familiar with you.
That does not mean every criticism is useless. It means one hostile comment is not a strategy signal.
07 How do I stop comparing myself?
You are often comparing your training footage with somebody else’s highlight.
You will lose that comparison every time because the two things were never equal.
Compare your current work with your previous work instead.
Your process to their result
You do not know how many attempts, years, or edits came before it.
Your current post to your previous ten
That comparison gives you something real to learn from.
09
THE SHORT VERSION
If you remember nothing else, remember this.
The full guide compressed into the ideas worth carrying into every filming session.
Skating is invisible unless somebody records it.
The interesting thing is often the attempt, not the finished element.
Cut until it hurts. Then cut one more second.
Film first. Decide whether to post later.
Frame the background first. Then place the skater inside it.
You cannot add light in the edit that you did not capture.
Spend in this order: tripod, microphone, light, camera.
The lower the camera, the bigger the skater.
Choose the angle that shows the difficult part.
If you can see the whole rink, you are too wide.
Shoot in 4K. Reframe later.
Use 30 FPS by default. Use 120 FPS in 4K when slow motion is planned.
A higher frame rate does not automatically make fast skating look faster.
Post it. Back it up. Delete it. Same day.
Real speed in. Slow through the air. Real speed out.
Frame the space and skate into it.
Use a static frame for jumps. Do not follow them.
People forgive a rough picture. They do not forgive bad sound.
The sound of skating is an asset. Do not remove it automatically.
Program: music first. Clip: footage first.
Listen for the moments in the music, not only the mood.
Music you own travels everywhere.
Everything before the first interesting frame is a cost.
The first frame is a promise. Keep it in the next ten seconds.
One effect per clip, maximum.
Reach, relationship, depth, record. Choose the format from the job.
Tagging puts you on their page. Collaboration puts you before their audience.
Write the first caption line as though it is the only line.
Consistency you can maintain beats intensity you cannot.
Likes measure politeness. Shares measure conviction.
The retention graph points to the exact second attention was lost.
Three posts are noise. Ten posts begin to form a signal.
Forty views is a room full of people watching you skate.
You control the next post. Nothing else on the screen is yours.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
Stop learning. Start filming.
The goal is not perfection. The goal is momentum. If you complete these seven steps, you will already be ahead of most people.
Film one clip.
Do not worry about posting it. Just capture something.
Change the angle.
Film the same movement from three different positions.
Record the sound.
Remove the music and listen to the sound of the skating itself.
Create an edit.
Remove everything before the first interesting frame.
Write one line.
Add text that explains why somebody should watch.
Publish it.
Do not wait until it feels perfect.
Study the result.
Learn one thing. Apply it to the next video.
KEEP GOING
This guide is the beginning, not the destination.
Filming is a skill. Editing is a skill. Storytelling is a skill. Like skating, all three improve through repetition.
The people who grow the fastest are rarely the most talented. They are usually the people willing to keep posting while everyone else waits for perfection.
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Specific criticism
A clear point that helps you improve the work.
General hostility
A reaction with no lesson, evidence, or useful direction.