When it comes to roller skating, there are different places where one can think about. Garages, tennis court, basketball court, hockey rinks, racing tracks, etc. These places ranges from hard or rough surfaces to soft or smooth surfaces. You can virtually skate anywhere, but there is one thing that you need to ensure that you have – the right wheels. That aside, we shall discuss the best place to learn to roller skate and not break anything.
Roller skating with the right wheels will determine your skating experience on surfaces because not all surfaces are the same. Each of these surfaces require a certain type of wheel so that you don’t lose control of your roller skates and fall.
Best Place to Learn to Roller Skate and Not Break Anything
You should roller skate in places that is open and distant from residential buildings. The place should also not have any breakable property around because sometimes, one can’t be too careful rollerskating, especially if the roller skater is a newbie. He/ she might lose control of the skate and crash into something of importance. This is what we want to avoid surely.
There are several places where you can roller skate that’s open. As we previously stated, empty parking garages, basketball court, tennis court, roller rinks, hockey rinks, sidewalks with less traffic, pavement (not wet), etc. are some of the best places where you can learn to roller skate.
However, it’s important that you know that the surface determines your skating experience. All flooring surfaces are not the same. Some flooring surfaces favor some roller skates, while others don’t. We will take a look at the different types of flooring surfaces.
Types of Surfaces
Remember, we made mention of surfaces like asphalt, roller rinks, garages, sidewalks, sport courts, etc as places or areas where you can learn to roller skate, but do you know that these surfaces are made of different flooring materials? Knowing this will ensure you get the best out of your skating activity. It will also go a long way in determining which type of skating wheel would be ideal for you. In general, skating surfaces influence how you skate.
Now, let’s take a look at what these flooring surfaces.
Concrete Flooring Material
Concrete floors are slick in nature and very hard. This type of flooring material enables the skater to perform power spins, and skate very fast due to the hardness of the floor.
You should be careful when skating on surfaces that are concrete. That’s because the surface can easily throw people off. If you intend skating on concrete surfaces excellently, you should get hold of hard skating wheels. Hard skating wheels, alongside concrete surfaces will give you total control on how you want to spin and do a whole lot of skating skills.
However, if you are looking at skating with better grip because of how slippery the surface is, you can opt for soft wheels with scale of 84A – 85A. They provide better grip on surfaces like concrete and will allow you to a certain degree, perform some spins.
Asphalt is another surface similar to that of concrete. It’s slippery, and that makes it easier for soft wheels to thrive in them. However, if you should try any other type of wheel, other than soft wheels, you will fall off very often.
Hardwood Flooring Material
Rinks that are made of hardwood flooring material has a smooth surface and will favor mostly soft wheels. You can also skate on it with hard wheels as well if you are good with skating. Unlike concrete surfaces, wood floors are smooth and provide excellent grip. This means that as a beginner, falling off your skates while skating on this type of floor is less. It is stickier than concrete.
A wood floor is soft too and somewhat sticky. Like we said, it’s best for skaters who are looking for grip, rather than powerful spinning or those high-performance tricks.
Versacourt
Unlike wood and concrete, this type of skate floor is the least used. That’s because it doesn’t work well for roller skating rinks. They are not suitable for speed lovers, it’s noisy while skating on it, and even rough.
For beginners, we recommend that you avoid skating on this type of skating floor. The grip is poor and the floor can easily burn your skin if you should fall off your roller skate.
However, versacourt might be an alternative to those who are thinking of starting a roller derby rink.
How to Learn to Roller Skate
Roller skating is an incredible recreational sport that will keep you fit and excited. The best thing about roller skating is it can be practiced at any age. So whether you are a kid, adolescent, adult, or an aging person, it’s never to late to learn to roller skate.
Apart from keeping you fit, there are other healthy reasons why you should roller skate. Roller skating is good for the heart. It reduces body fat and most especially, cholesterol, which is lethal to the heart. Other reasons include developing your muscles and bones, fighting diabetes, etc.
We must tell you that it isn’t hard to learn to roller skate if you are dedicated and zealous about roller skating. It usually takes a person thirty minutes to few weeks learn to roller skate. So let’s teach you the basics of roller skating.
- Go Skate Equipment Shopping
First thing first, you need to buy the tools and equipment that you need for roller skating. This includes getting a new pair of roller skates and gears or accessories. Of course, there are different types of roller skates out there and you might want to ask which type is the right one to purchase, especially if you are just starting out. Well, let’s choose that pair of new skates for you.
There are different types of roller skates – outdoor skates, indoor skates, speed skates, jam skates, artistic skates, etc. These subclasses of skates are divided into two major ones – high-cut skate boots and the low-cut skate boots.
The high-cut skate boots are the ones that we recommend for newbies or beginners. This type gives you more ankle support because they lace up the ankles. They offer more balance and stability, and it’s the ideal type of skate boots for casual roller skating.
On the other hand, low-cut skate boots aren’t laced up like the high-cut skate boots, which means that they won’t offer the same ankle support as the former. However, they offer increased flexibility and they are used by intermediate to experienced skaters. You will find jam skate boots in this category.
Whichever one that you intend purchasing, make sure you don’t go for the extremely cheap ones. Skate boots aren’t something that you would want to compromise. The quality of the skate boot determines your skating performance and to a large extent, your safety because poorly designed skate boots will put your life at risk. Try the skate boots before purchasing and beware of those with plastic wheels. Those aren’t real skates.
The same goes for skating gear/ accessories. You shouldn’t compromise on quality because safety gears offer protection. Before going for each practice, wear safety gears to protect you from falling on your body directly. Start by wearing your helmet, then your elbow pads, your knee pads, and then, your wrist guard. A pair of socks is also needed because it will act as a cushion to protect your feet from direct contact with the interior lacing of the boot. Not that you won’t feel any pain while you fall, but you won’t feel the impact significantly because the gears will take the blow.
- Check the Boots
There are some boots that come too tightened, while there are others that come loosened. As a beginner, we recommend tightening them for more balance and less speed. But if you want some freedom of performing spins and flicking the wheels, you can keep them loosened a bit.
As we previously mentioned in this post, the durometer of the wheel is important and is determined by the type of surface you intend skating on. For instance, if you want to skate on indoor floors, you will need hard wheels with a durometer grading of 90A and above. This is because indoor floors are not so hard. If you prefer skating outdoors, which we believe most beginners would, you will need soft wheels with durometer rating of 70A up until 80A. This type of wheel will give you a smoother roll over hard surfaces like asphalt, concrete, etc.
If you want to learn skating both indoors and outdoors, be ready to purchase two different set of wheels – one for indoors and the other for outdoors.
- Find Your Balance
It’s normal to struggle on the wheels at first and at the same time, it can be an incredible feeling. Falling is inevitable and you might end up with your back on the floor more than usual. Skating is about finding the right balance. Even before you put your skates on, try your balance. This will determine your stance on the skates.
Stand with your feet and shoulder width apart and bent as if to sit or squat. Align your shoulders and hips over your feet. Lean left and right lightly while moving your hips accordingly. Shift back and forth over the ankles and do not lean forward. This hip and ankle pose will get you into position when you mount your skates.
Put on your skates, place your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees, and assume the same squatting position like you did at first. Remain in this position until you feel comfortable sliding forward at a relaxing speed. Keep your toes out and raise your arms in front with the elbows tucked to your sides to keep your gravity low.
Try to walk with it first. Practicing this on a patch of grass is recommended because it offers traction. If you are able to walk without stretching your arms, then you might have found your balance.
- Glide
This is where the surface comes into play. Look for a smooth, even ground to practice. Put one foot forward, push it back to glide before placing the other foot on the ground. Alternate from one foot to the other. Remember to start slowly at first and increase your speed as you skate.
- Practice Braking
Most roller skates come with a rubber brake on the front, and we recommend using this if you are a beginner. Once you are comfortable doing this, you can move ahead to stopping the skates without the rubber brake.
When you want to stop, shift your weight to the foot without the stopper. Bring the stopper foot around so that it’s perpendicular to to your leading foot. In essence, your leading foot and brake foot forms a ‘T’. Apply pressure to the stopper to stop the skate.
And if you want to turn at some point, turn your leg opposite to the leading foot in a scissors style, bend, and then, take your turn with the corresponding leg. For example, if you want to turn left, put your right foot in front of the left leg and bend the left leg into the turn, while your right leg swings out and returns to its starting position. This is to maintain stability.
Conclusion
As previously noted, there are several places where you can learn to roller skate. The best place to learn to roller skate and not break anything is usually not far-fetched. They are common places where you can go practice rollerskating. However, it’s of utmost importance that you wear the right wheels, so that you don’t become a victim of fall or accident. Also, learn rollerskating from an experienced tutor or skater. It’s easier to learn from someone who’s experienced than practicing on your own.
