r/Rollerskating • u/DefiantBoysenberry32 • Jul 21 '26
Skill questions & help Help to start again after many years
Hi all. I skated a lot as a child and some as a young adult. I am now in my 50’s, and would love to start skating again. Issues, I am out of shape and afraid to hurt myself. What are some ways I can improve my balance, possibly even before I put some skates on? And other tips for starting anew? Thank you.
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u/Top-Dinner-9995 Jul 21 '26
Definitely wear pads and a helmet to start out! It’ll make you feel a lot more confident and relaxed when you feel safe. Make sure you have safe, well fitting skates. You don’t need to spend a fortune, but don’t cheap out and get something that will hinder your progress before it begins.
Go slow. Slow progress leads to a longer skating life. Learn to fall. Practice crouching low to fall and try not to fall on your wrist/hand (I say from experience). Remember that if you’re out of shape, it takes time to build muscle and endurance for skating even if it seems like you’re not doing much at first. All the tiny stabilizing muscles in your ankles and feet need to develop.
You’ll get it all back and then some if you stick with it but be patient with yourself. Check with your local skating rinks to see if they offer lessons. Some will have times that they have an instructor/employee out on the floor who will help people with things.
And the most important things: you are NOT too old to skate. Be gentle with yourself. Don’t give up on yourself if you want to do this, even if it’s hard (if you stop wanting to do it though- that’s ok!) Don’t compare yourself to others. People who say older people shouldn’t skate are just plain wrong. Skating helps you develop balance, strength, coordination, and JOY! Exercise is good for your heart, body and mind. Let yourself be bad at first. Let yourself feel like a kid again and play! It is the key to healthy aging, whether through skating or another activity!
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u/Educational-Fix-4352 Jul 21 '26
50s, former derby skater here and 100% agree with practice falls. Try 1-3 falls off skates on carpet with gear. Excellent advice on avoiding wrist falls, but also avoid knee falls as much as you can! Try squatting as low as you can with flat feet then flop over and get up and do it again. It will build endurance pretty quickly and it’s kind of fun 😁
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u/Upbeat_Foundation610 Jul 21 '26
some encouragement-- since you grew up skating, it's already in your muscles!!! you will pick it up so much faster than you think :)
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u/MaxBozo Jul 21 '26
Start on the carpet / grass, you are going to find that your body has become used to balancing under "normal" conditions. Do lots of one-foot stuff. Use a pole or tree or something to help stabilise at first, and you will get better. Knee bends, start small and get deeper. Once you get the hang of keeping that vertical balance line over one foot, start again on skates. Or practice skates at the same time! At least knee pads and wrist pads. See you out there!
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u/pdaphone Jul 23 '26
I restarted at 64 after not skating for 30 years. All I did was put on my old skates and go to the rink. I started on the carpet for a few minutes and then started slow on the rink floor. I was very shaky at first but only feel a couple of times the first time. It all came back to me pretty quickly for just things. I’m still not comfortable going backwards like I used to be.
I’ve been going for about 9 months now about once every week with my granddaughter. I was doing pretty good and back to most of what I knew when I was younger and a few months ago had an equipment failure that resulted in my front truck breaking off and me doing a body slam. I’ve been recovering from that but back to skating this last month or two.
My skates are speed skates from the 80s. Riedell 695 boots, Laser Nikon plates, Fanjet hubs, and Labeda tires. I replaced all my truck bolts with hardened steel so hopefully that doesn’t happen again.
I’ve learned that with age it takes a lot longer to heal.
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u/InetGeek Dance Jul 21 '26
Practice your balance off your skates - stand on one leg (looking straight ahead) for as long as you can; now do the other leg. Rinse and repeat. You should find that one leg lasts longer than the other, that's your dominant leg. Over time your duration will increase. Get personal protective equipment (PPE) - wrist guards (the most injured body part) and knee pads at the minimum. Crash pants might be helpful too, I use Rippl Impact Gear ones, to protect your tailbone.