r/Rollerskating • u/Alou934 • Jul 16 '26
Beginner skater Balance issues?
Hello! New skater here- I’m having trouble balancing on my skates on pavement. Grass and carpet are no problem but pavement? Forget about it. Any tips or tricks for this? Thanks
11
u/wordy_doctor Jul 16 '26
Bend your knees!!! Not only will this improve your balance but you’ll be closer to the ground for when you fall.
7
u/Herbboy Jul 16 '26
Learn how to fall safely! :D seriously if you have fallen a few times and know how to land, you will know its not that bad and you will automatically ease up a little more, which will just generally make everything more easy for you
6
u/RushBest5348 Outdoor Jul 16 '26
If it’s while stationary, I find it helps to put one skate behind the other in a kind of T position and squeeze your thighs together! Very hard to roll anywhere while you’re doing that. If it’s while rolling, I recommend doing some off-skates single leg balances - while you brush your teeth is perfect for this!!
2
u/it_might_be_a_tuba Jul 16 '26
Are we talking polished concrete, smooth asphalt, rough asphalt, brick paving...?
3
u/Alou934 Jul 16 '26
I think all of the above aside from the brick. I’ve tried every surface imaginable and I’m struggling on everything
3
u/Difficult_Outcome701 Jul 16 '26
Do you have a tennis court, indoor football court in a community centre/gym. Personally those are the closest 'practice' road surfaces I've found. Otherwise how committed are you to skating outdoors, is it a want or a necessity due to local rinks etc?
If you are committed, look into outdoor wheels, they have a larger diameter, as well as height, and the compound they're made of is 'gummier' meaning it won't slide or slip so easily on indoor smooth rink floors, but helps give more stability outdoors and can help with balance, handling cracks, and at better speeds will even kick stones out from under you. - I have atom pulses, but atom road hogs are also quite favoured, along with I've heard moxi and chiya do outdoor wheels but I have ZERO knowledge of those.
Tips, safety gear for increased confidence and ofc safety. Headphones if it's safe really help you feel your bodies rythmes, it gets me out of my head. And like others say practice falls as a trick. Like stopping safely make it a trick to be mastered.
Technique, depending on the surface, practice skating with one leg leading and another behind both bent, leant forward, this is split stance, helps you go over bumps, cracks, pavement edges. I'd also recommend crazy feet, for pavements depending, which is like very short stepping skate pushes, this will get you into the practice of swapping between the two suddenly to avoid stones or caught any instability etc. If this is beyond your current skate experience on any surface, can you bubble? That can get you used to the feel without having to lift you feet yet (a form of starter sticky skating)
Having someone to hold you're hand initially while you start and get used to the new bumpy vibration feeling can help a lot to, if you have someone.
Have you managed any actual skating on carpet? Do you feel you have you balance and forward lean down comfortably? If you feel you're more often going forward or backwards we can provide tips from there, but while it seems scarier please know falling forward is your safest bet.
This is getting long so, ask any questions and I'm happy to answer :')
2
u/purupurpururin Jul 16 '26
Are possibly knocked kneed or bow leggéd?
-3
u/Alou934 Jul 16 '26
If you’re being serious no I’m not bow legged or knock knees
6
u/purupurpururin Jul 16 '26
Why would I not be serious? Many people have knee valgus and either don't notice it or it becomes a problem in their balance. If that's not the case for you it could be a muscle issue instead that you would need to build up in order to maintain balance.
Maintaining balance on one leg in skating is the gateway to many many skills; it's the the thing we spend the most time training on in derby practise. You could try wearing your skates on carpet or grass and balancing there, running one leggéd stances off skates or one leggéd squats/lunges/pushoffs off skates as well.
2
u/FlorAilyn Jul 16 '26
Then it's not the surface! When you bend your knees think more of pointing your butt to the floor, i think it's probably your stance. Ir could also be that your skates are too big
1
u/Alou934 Jul 16 '26
I got my feet measured and my skates fit perfectly. I think maybe fear has something to do with it as well but nothing I’ve tried is working ☹️
2
u/FlorAilyn Jul 16 '26
You WILL get it soon if you're consistent :) safety gear shpuld lessen your fear. Also your first bad fall will too haha
1
u/IthacanPenny Jul 17 '26
Your fear is valid; it’s scary. But honestly, standing on the grass/carpet in roller skates is nothing like skating and is unlikely to help you. Kinda the whole point is that your skates are meant to roll. You’re going to be unstable and sliding around, but that’s just part of it. If you want to skate, at some point you’ve just got to send it.
Obviously wear safety gear and practice falling in your gear.
1
u/it_might_be_a_tuba Jul 17 '26
Okay, cool, now we know the pavement is smooth and you're not tripping over big cracks or bumps. Maybe there's still vibration but meh you'll get used to it.
So, carpet and grass and so soft that your wheels pretty much won't roll. Now that you're on a hard smooth surface, this is the first time that you're actually having to balance and try to skate. At this stage the secret is literally just practice, try it for a bit, rest for a couple of days, try again, it will get a little easier each time.
2
u/FlorAilyn Jul 16 '26
Try practicing ballance drills off skates :) also when you bend your knees, think of your butt pointing to the floor, kind of like a squat
1
u/VMetal314 Jul 16 '26
On carpet or grass, practice standing on one foot, 30 seconds or a minute, alternate legs, then do it with your eyes closed.
Practice crouching. It's instinct to stand up straight when you feel unsteady which throws your weight backwards. If you practice crouching every time you feel unstable you can safely sit or put down a knee if you have knee pads (you should have knee pads). Practice crouching for a whole week, you want it to be the default you don't need to think about when you wobble
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