How to Roller Skate

Roller skate can not only be considered as a fitness sport but also a recreational activity, competitive sport, and mode of travel to nearby places. It helps the body in better strength and coordination and balance. Learning the skill “How to roller skate” is not rocket science. It just needs a proper posture, the right pair of roller skates, and a lot of practice to improve. Once you have overcome these, you’ll ace to glide in the rink like a dolphin swimming through the ocean.

Equipment you need

For either practicing how to roller skate or racing in the rink, you need the first basic thing i.e. Roller Skate. The sizes are the same as standard sizes for other shoes. You can buy a pair from any sports store or rent a pair from the rink. If you are passionate to learn roller skating and participate in games after, then you should buy a personal pair of Roller skates.  Different types of roller skates are:

• Quad skates (Speed skates, Indoor skates, Outdoor skates, and Roller derby skates)
• Inline skates (Recreational skates, Racing skates, and Roller hockey skates)

Quad skates are most suitable for beginners. Indoor skates are used for artistic purposes while for un-smooth rides, outdoor skates are preferred. As a beginner, there are high chances of falling off and hitting your elbow, knee, or head on the ground. To ensure safety, you will need a helmet, a knee pad, an elbow guard, and a wrist guard. All this equipment will protect you from any serious injury while practicing.

Start with

As you you want to know how to roller skate. Assume the right posture by placing your feet apart, bending your knees, and squatting a little. Lower your back towards the ground and start moving forward in the same comfortable squatting position. At first, maintaining this posture will be difficult but with time you will get comfortable with practice. As practicing is the only thing that will help you get better at roller skating, so practice until you masters it.

Acing How to Roller Skate

Succeed further by practicing “Walk like a duck”. In the same above-explained posture, place your feet in a V-shape (heels placed together and toes pointing out). Now, take your left foot forward than your right foot forward, and so on. Keep doing this unless you learn to walk in roller skates. You have come this far in learning how to roller skate, don’t give up.

For gliding in the rink, you need to push from the right foot and glide with the other unless you lose momentum. Then repeat this using the left foot. While gliding, your body weight plays a significant role in maintaining balance and gaining speed. The ultimate next step is to stop without falling on the floor.

The roller skates are equipped with brakes on the front side of each shoe. To stop, place both of your feet parallel to each other and slightly bend forward to maintain balance. Place one foot behind the other and press the toe of that foot. The harder your press, the faster you stop. However, in the beginning, you can use your hand to put pressure to stop.

Try Something Artistic

After learning the basic art of roller skating, you can specialize in different maneuvers. You can learn to glide backward. Place your feet in an inverted V position i.e. toes placed together and heels apart. Apply the same steps just in opposite direction. Keep in mind your safety. Go slow and balanced because you can’t see behind you.

You can also learn crossover turns, apart from knowing how to roller skate. For instance, if you want to turn to the right, cross the left skate over the right one, and turn. It is a pretty fancy way of turning that can spice up your dance moves. There are many moves you can learn and also discover your moves. If talking about roller skating at a higher level, you can learn freestyle roller skating, precision roller skating, figures, and solo dances.

Strengthen the skill

To upgrade your skills at a pro-level, you can start practicing at a rink. If you are up to something challenging, you can join a league. Roller derby has gained popularity in recent years. But if your country does not have any league you can invite friends who love to skates and practice together. Such practice will assist you to learn how to roller skate.

After Roller Skating

How to roller skate actually abets you a heavy cardio-vascular exercise requiring muscle strength. Body muscles need to be relaxed after an intense workout. You can add lying knee rollover stretch, lunges, Achilles box stretch, and hamstring stretch to post roller skating time. This stretching will help muscle repair and regain strength.