Welcome to Skating!
I want to say shout out to all of the newbies skating or even to those who are researching skates, eyeing a new pair, or considering getting on wheels either for the first time or after years of not skating.
P.S. If you’re a parent and thinking about getting your child a pair of skates, I would highly suggest it. Youngsters might actually pick up skating quicker because of the ease of learning at a young age and the lessened fear of falling. Just make sure they’re head-to-toes in pads!
Many of us grown folks started skating as kids at local roller rinks. In my experiences, the phrase “it’s just like riding a bike” does not really apply to skating. As our bodies grow, even our awareness and fear of getting hurt might not be the same as when we were carefree, wreck-less kiddos.
Skating is a blast. At times, gliding can feel like you’re flying and you can see incremental skill growth every time you strap up your skates. As an adult, it’s amazing to see what we’re capable of learning and as for kids, there are so many skills, such as balancing, that can stick around. For everyone, skating is a healthy way to get active without the bore and pain of physical activities.
It’s extremely important to be careful and safe on your skates! There’s nothing worse than a medical bill or discouraging injury when you’re just getting used to skating (I’m typing this with a nasty cut on my elbow and a scape on my bruised knee.)
Confidence is important but overconfidence can hurt, too!
Being confident while skating will help you from feeling like you’re always about to fall to the ground and will relieve some of the earlier barriers for new skaters. However, that confidence needs to be paired with safety in skating etiquette. The safest way to skate is with your knees bent and your body leaning slightly forward. STANDING STRAIGHT UP MIGHT FEEL MORE NATURAL BUT COULD RESULT IN YOU FALLING BACKWARDS.
Knowing how to fall is essential to learning so your spills won’t be so painful or cause injuries. I’ll link two videos of how to fall properly.
For roller skaters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp-Cj9mko2Q
For Inline skaters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3dGSm6Qj9Y
As you get better and start adding speed, or even jumps or skating backward, always remember to focus on your form rather than style points. This type of skill will come with time and practice. We can’t all be TikTok or YouTube skaters overnight.
Speaking from personal experience, overconfidence can really be an issue for skaters, and may be more harmful for beginners. Even if you’re an experienced skater, there are times when the pavement has other plans: Rocks, cracks in the cement, unavoidable puddles, all of these situations are the recipe for a big fall. However, it is important to not be discouraged from a fall. As you become more acquainted with your skates and more confident, you’ll learn how to properly fall without harm.
PADS PADS PADS
There is absolutely no shame in wearing a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. You’ll be glad to avoid big gnarly cuts, sprained knees, or even broken bones. If you turn into a skating enthusiast like me, you’ll notice there are a lot of professional and expert skaters on the internet that don’t wear pads. That’s usually because they have been skating for so many years, they are aware of their skills, and they know how to fall without getting hurt. No one is forcing you to wear pads, but it’s definitely far better to wear pads for your next fall instead of hoping that fall never comes. Falls can be unpredictable and is a part of skating. Pads are used as a part of mitigating risk of injury due to the likelihood of falling, they are especially important for beginners and for those trying out new tricks.
What skates should I buy?
If you’ve made up your mind and you definitely want skates, the next step would be to identify what kind of skates you want, then you can begin the skate hunt. RGV Roller will be dropping a video for a Skate Buying Guide soon, so stay tuned!!!
Learning to skate.
Teaching skating skills and learning together is a big part of our goals at RGV Roller. Since we aren’t able to get together just yet, I’ve linked some videos going over the basics while we build lessons and plan for upcoming events later in the community.
Roller skating basics:
Dirty school of skate – absolute basics for roller (quad) skates
Inline skating basics:
SkaMiDan – How to Start Inline (Blades) Skating
Leave a comment if you’re new to skating and have any questions!
-Nate
