Beginners Guide to Roller Skating

A step by step guide to basic skating skills.

Beginners Guide to Roller Skating 11.21.03 Written by Lisa Suggitt RollerGirl Rollerskates Inc. 604-618-7823 www.rollergirl.ca rollergirl@rollergirl.ca

A FREE VIDEO VERSION OF THIS GUIDE IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.rollergirl.ca

Index

1. Introduction

2. Protective Gear 2.1 Buying Gear 2.2 Learning to use your gear

3. Skating 3.1 Surface 3.2 Body Position 3.3 Foot Movements and Pumping

4. Turning 4.1 Weight shift turning 4.2 Cross overs 4.3 Bracket turns

5. Stopping 5.1 Using toe stoppers

6. Summary

Notice to Readers

This guide provides useful instructions, but we cannot anticipate all skating conditions or issues that may arise due to the state of your skating equipment. For safety, you should use caution, care and good judgment when following the examples described in this guide. Neither RollerGirl Rollerskates Inc nor its directors can assume responsibility for damage to property or injury to persons as a result of misuse of the information provided.

1. Introduction

This guide is designed to help the beginner roller skater master the basic skills that are necessary to skate safely. Learning to skate requires patience, courage and a taste for adventure! I recommend first going to an indoor facility; indoor rinks are controlled environments with smooth floors that are more forgiving than pavement or sidewalks. Once you get comfortable with the basic skills involved in roller skating a world of fun awaits you!

2. Protective Gear

If roller skating for the first time, it is VERY important to wear protective gear. This is especially true when skating outdoors on concrete. I recommend that the following protective gear be worn: knee-pads, wrist guards, elbow pads and a helmet. Before you have mastered the basic skills of roller skating, sudden falls are something to be expected and wearing the above mentioned gear can prevent serious injury. It will also allow you to learn faster as you will feel more confident and safe. Even if you are not a beginner, wearing gear is a good idea. It gives you the confidence to push your limits and try things that you wouldn't otherwise.

2.1 Buying gear

Unless you are aiming at aggressive skating (ramps, bowls, rails, jumping etc), it is not necessary to purchase top of the line gear. A simple complete set is adequate for the beginner. These include the knee-pads, wrist guards and elbow pads and usually range in price between $15-$35 USD ($20-$45 CAD). Make sure to buy the right size gear, they usually come in SM, MED. and LG. Don't feel shy to remove the gear from it's packaging in the store so that you can try it on before buying. Put on the gear and bend your knees, wrists and elbows. You want to be able to move freely and without the gear shifting very much or falling off!

If you are planning on skating aggressively I strongly advise buying a set of top of the line knee-pads such as Pro-Tec or even better Boneless. Good knee-pads can usually be found at local skateboard, BMX or mountain bike stores and cost between $30-$70 USD.

2.2 Learning to use your gear

Once you have purchased your gear, practice using it! Put on your gear without your skates and go outside (in your driveway or someplace safe) and practice dropping to your knees pads and wrist guards. Softly, at first, so that you can feel to what extent the gear protects you. The trick to falling with knee-pads is to slide. You can slowly add more speed and force to your controlled falls. Learning to properly use your gear takes a bit of time and it is important that you do it progressively, if you throw yourself at your knees and hit hard and don't slide you can cause impact injuries despite the fact that you are wearing gear. Don't push the level of your gear, entry level knee pads have smaller hard plastic plates and are not meant to slide so much, they are mostly there to take the occasional impact. If, in your controlled falls, your gear starts falling off, stop! Should your gear slip out of place, it would expose skin and you could hurt yourself. Remember that the better you are at this skill, the more confident you will be on your skates and the more control you will have when you really need it!

3. Skating

3.1 Surface

Pick a safe, dry and smooth spot that is away from traffic or other hazards to practice skating. Inspect the ground for rough patches or small gravel or rocks that may cause an accident. Until you gain control of your balance, even the smallest bump can cause a tumble. If possible an indoor facility is a fun and safe place to start. If you don't have access to an indoor rink then try visiting a local park. Unoccupied basketball or tennis courts quite often make perfect skating spots.

3.2 Body Position

Stand on your skates with your feet approximately shoulder width apart. Bend your knees slightly and be very aware of not locking them when you are skating, it's a very common mistake made by new skaters. Use your arms to steady your balance. Stay relaxed and remember to breathe! Stand in one spot on your skates and become comfortable with the balance that this requires. Move your arms around, and twist yourself at the waist. Then try bending your knees into a crouching position. Notice how moving parts of your body shifts your balance. This exercise is simply to help you become familiar with the balance of roller skates.

3.3 Foot Movements and Pumping

Stand with your skates about shoulder width apart then bring your heels together so that your skates form a "V" shape. Lean your weight back and forth from one foot to the other, just to feel the balance. Try standing on one foot, than the other. Now lift one foot and take a forward step at the same angle that the "V" foot position formed. Put all of your weight on that foot as you step (which will cause you to roll in that direction). Bring your other foot around and, when you're stopped again, back into a loose "V". Do the same motion with the other foot, and then repeat. The more you push into your steps, the more speed you will gain. Eventually you won't have to stop between steps and will be able to straighten the "V" position so that your feet are parallel. As you gain speed, the movements become smaller and will eventually feel like sideway pushes then back as you propel the other foot forward. After a bit of practice this progression of movements becomes very natural.

4. Turning

4.1 Weight shift turning

This is the easiest and most commonly used turning method. To practice this technique try the following:

- Go forward and build a little bit of speed - Look where you want to turn - Slowly lean on the inner side of the inner foot as you bring your outer foot out a bit.

If you find that you are not turning very sharply with this technique it may be due to the tightness of your trucks (For information of tightening and loosening your truck assembly, please see the "Care and Maintenance" guide which can be found, in PDF format, in the support section or www.rollergirl.ca). The looser your trucks are, the easier it will be to turn using this method. Also note that the looser the trucks, the less stability the skates will have. Generally, it is better for beginners to start with medium tight trucks.

4.2 Cross over turning

This is a slightly more advanced turning technique that allows you to pump and gain speed in your turns. Most people find that turning in one direction is much easier than the other with this technique. Start with the side that comes easiest to you but remember to practice your weak side to become a stronger skater.

First practice the left turn cross over motion while you are standing still. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and lift your right foot and cross it over your left foot. Your legs should now form an "X". Now remove your left foot from under your right, bringing it back to its original position. Repeat.

The right turn cross over is done in exactly the same manner except that you start with the left foot instead of the right.

Once you understand and have become comfortable with the movement of the cross over, try it while in motion. This technique generally takes a bit of practice to learn and gets easier with speed as you lean into the curve.

4.2 Bracket turns

This technique is not only used to turn but also to stop and to change direction. This technique requires a fair amount of flexibility in the knees and hips. Proper stretching before trying to use this technique is advisable.

First stand still on flat ground. Stand with your skates a little more than shoulder width apart then bring your heels together. This is a bracket (penguin style). The angle of your feet should be greater than 90 degrees and at least a foot apart. The tighter the bracket, the tighter the turn.

Now go forward and pickup just a little speed. Shift your wait to your strong foot and open your knees so as to bring your other foot back at the desired angle, effectively standing sideways. Lean inward into the curve as you put your back foot down and put wait on it.

By moving into a tight bracket while skating, you will do a spin stop.

5. Stopping

5.1 Using toe stoppers

Stopping is an art that takes some practice. Once you become familiar with it, you will be able to make controlled stops even at high speeds. To learn to use your toe stops, follow the instructions laid out below:

While skating at a slow speed, practice lifting one foot (whichever foot feels easiest) and lightly dragging the toe stop behind you. If your skate is bouncing up and down try leaning a little bit of weight into the stopper as you touch it to the ground. This is all about learning the resistance of your toe stops and takes practice to perfect. It should feel like you are pulling a rubber eraser across the ground. You want the toe stop to bite as you drag it across the ground. Try using varied amounts of pressure and different angles.

It is important not to use really old toe stops, as toe stops age they dry out and are very difficult to use. To verify that you toe stops are still good, try pressing the sharp edge of your thumbnail into the toe stop, if it easily leaves a mark into the surface then your toe stops are still good. They should feel like a hard rubber eraser and not like hard plastic.

6. Summary

Skate safe and within your means, this is the key to having an enjoyable skating experience. Before attempting to skate in traffic, down hills or in any other potentially dangerous situations, make sure that you have mastered ALL of the basic skills listed above and that you are confident skating, turning and stopping.

Have fun, be safe and skate hard!

Lisa Suggitt RollerGirl Rollerskate Inc.

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