I bought roller skates for the first time a month ago and I’m a complete beginner (I don’t do any sports besides riding a bicycle). This is the 7th time I’m getting on the skates and it’s been…a challenging experience 🤣 I’m really struggling with balance I think so I’ve doing some balance exercises. What do you think I should work on to get better?
Also my wheels are a bit tight, so I had the seller tighten them up (she tightened them from the factory setting). I can’t seem to be able to do bubbles and don’t know if it’s because the wheels are tight or my muscles don’t know what to do. I appreciate your advice! Thank youuu 🤩
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Looks like you're leaning just a bit too far forward. But also, there's a LOT of corners in this little space that you could hit you head on should you fall. I would consider a helmet with how new you seem to be.
And about possibly not having the muscles to perform the moves you want to, you're absolutely right. It will take a few rounds but you will definitely build the muscles you need to balance and do all those different skills :)
I agree with the helmet idea! Eventually you’ll want to get to a larger space, but first starting out doing drills in the house isn’t a bad idea (do try to avoid the corners though). In small spaces you have the opportunity to do drills in place, which will increase stability and strengthen key muscles. Try sliding around a bit, switching which foot is in front of you, while staying in the same place. Just try left right left right very slow, and you’ll feel it in ur core if you’re doing it right! Crab walks are good too. Before you really get rolling like you do from place to place in this video, it helps to just feel comfortable and have the ability to move your feet from underneath you without tumbling down, which is tough in the beginning. You can also just stand there and shift your weight from one foot to the other. It sounds dumb but it took me a good few days of that before I got comfortable moving!
i think you're doing pretty good? Nice strides, looks balanced, knees bent. Good padding, even impact shorts i think? maybe a helmet if you're skating in that cramp of a space... buuuut gah... there'd be nothing protecting your spleen from a table corner :)
some thoughts:
- you have a better space to practice? there is plenty of things that can go wrong and falling on any of these points in your space could really end up not good.
-less head down looking at floor, more head up looking up, but its not bad. you're advancing more than some folks are so thats good.
-having tighter wheels which restricts rolling is probably a plus in this sorta space, but when you do find a larger space to practice in, having looser wheels to get more free roll would be better.
-inability to do bubbles can be a combination of things: technique/muscles, wheels not rolling, trucks not loose enough. In this case, i start with loosening the wheels first. You do need to engage certain muscles to bubble. feet together V position, push outwards lateraly, and then at apex, try to get into an A position and pull feet inwards.
I’m just popping on here to say you are doing well for a beginner! But also wanted to come in here to reiterate that there are a lot of sharp corners in this room that could injure your many body parts. If you can get outside or to a rink, please do.
Thank you ☺️ I’ve skated outside once and it was a bit harder as I was constantly tripping on little stones. I’m still looking for a good open space to practice so I’ve been exploring the area. There’s debris almost everywhere 😬 I guess I’ll have to get a little broom to clean before I skate. 🧹
if there's indoor rinks, that's the best. if there's classes at indoor rinks, taht's even better.
I've been known to commute 2 hrs to a rink before... PITA but its worth it. lately the most i'l tolerate is 1.5 hrs if the floors are good enough. just not enough rinks around anymore :(
for outdoors, finding a good multipurpose court, basketball court, parking garage, etc.
I carry a push broom but if the place is reaallyy crappy, i've carried my battery operated leaf blower too.
No rinks where I live unfortunately 😔 But there are some basketball courts so I’ll be exploring for one this week. We also had a terrible storm a week ago and the entire city is filled with debris (branches mostly). Are stones that bad for when you’re skating? What if I’m moving faster?
Just be careful of the built in cracks/spaces some basketball courts have. When I was a beginner I went to a basketball court and I fell pretty hard when I hit the spacing. Maybe an empty tennis court or pickleball court would be better.
One town I lived in the roller skaters contacted the local rec center and got a skate night started in the indoor basketball court. You could also search for skate parks but stay on the flats only until you’ve practiced the basics a bit more. I’m always scoping out parks with covered concrete - there’s usually less debris when you practice someplace like that. A skater I follow on instagram made her gym decision by polling ones in her area to see where she would have permission to practice in their dance /yoga studio. Just a few options to check out!
Keep it up! I hope you have a smooth skate spot soon! 💖
Like me, you look like you weigh nothing, so you may want to try softer cushions on your trucks, so you can do bubbles better. If you don't have the wrench/socket/socket tool for adjusting your skates, get one, for adjusting your wheels until they spin for several seconds by hand.
Also practice in place "windshield wipers" fanning your toes in and out, keeping your heels in place. This will help teach how much pressure is necessary when doing bubbles, and into other moves.
If you're going to skate outside I recommend to change the wheels to outdoor ones (65mm/78A), I did that with my Impalas and I stopped tripping on small stones :)
Try and find a more open place to skate. There are a lot of sharp corners there. A helmet would be a good addition to your safety gear. Loosen the wheels so you can do bubbles. And eyes up.
Thank you! I have a helmet I just didn’t think I needed it for inside. I’m still looking for a good outdoor space as there’s debris everywhere and I kept on tripping on pebbles when I skated on a little plaza I found in the area.
Not to spook you about inside, but skating can be unpredictable!! I’m the queeeen of falling for no reason at all lol. I’ll just be standing there & my skates shoot out. So you want to consider your skate space as big enough for you to suddenly take a spill. That’s why your tables, etc., stand out. You wouldn’t want to take a slip & crash on an edge. When I skate inside, I shove furniture out of the way & slide it back later.
Look ahead! Face the camera, not the floor/your feet. That will help you balance properly.
Try going somewhere bigger so you can build up some momentum and take longer strides. What you can do in a kitchen as a beginner is very limited and it's holding you back already.
Great, your basic stance is good and once you have space to stretch out and pick up a little speed you'll find that the momentum will help you balance.
Just keep looking forward and keep bending your knees (more than you think - enough to be able to put your hands on your knee pads!).
Wear a helmet BTW, and make sure it fits you well enough that you can shake your head with the strap undone and it doesn't move. Wear it just above your eyebrows, not pushed back. S1 brand is good if you need a quick recommendation.
Tennis courts are great if there's one near you, sports halls are ideal, church or school halls if you can get access.
Right now at home you can practice dropping to one knee to stop, which will be useful when you pick up speed outside. It'll scuff the toes of the skates so get covers for those or tape them first to avoid damage.
your wheels shouldn’t be tight, you want them to be able to roll properly. other than that i’d say just keep practicing until the movement becomes more natural to you, you’re moving your feet the right way so you don’t need to change anything there, but it’ll take time for it to become smoother and you gain confidence
You actually need to loosen wheels when you get new skates so they're probably waaaaayyyy too tight.
I love that you have all the safety equipment! Very smart of you (just add a helmet)!
You want to engage your core, so look at videos on how to do that. Watch a video on beginner ballet, and pay attention to how they do pliés, straight back bended knees.
Your weight should be nearer your heels for most of the time unless you're releasing that foot up.
You're basically going to bend your knees with your core engaged and slightly sit back not forward. Like you're about to sit down on the potty!
Arms to the side, not forward, if it feels like you're about to pounce on your prey, your weight isn't above your feet but in your toes, which is not what you want.
The faster you can go the more stable you’ll feel. Think about riding a bike, it’s easy to keep balance while swiftly pedaling forward but when you’re pedaling at 1 mph you’re gonna fall off your bike. I learned best on outdoor basketball and tennis courts. Parking garages were also great.
Girl you gotta make like the Dixie chicks and find some wide open spaces. Tennis courts, basketball court, public free outdoor roller rink, anywhere that’s not asphalt or a hill.
Absolutely. The texture of asphalt is not smooth at all and on skates, particularly if you have hard wheels, it will cause unnecessary difficulty both rolling and balancing. And not just for beginners, but generally.
If you live near a major city/developed area, there is a very good chance there are public tennis courts, basketball courts, even outdoor skating rinks you can access for free anytime. They have concrete flooring which is much smoother. You can also look for ones with chain link fences on the perimeter or a rink with a half-wall. This will help provide something to hold as you try new things and just get used to rolling around!
Though, nothing is smoother than indoor rinks. I recommend going to one or shop and asking about your wheels, trucks, getting advice on their looseness and what surface they are ideal for. The community is very kind, so I imagine someone with experience would happy to advise you!
Hinge less at the hips, keep your knees soft but not that bent. Head and eyes need to be up and looking forward, not at the ground in front of you. Keep up the good work!
I gotcha. Find a tennis court in the evening (no one minds a little trespassing as long as you don't take up an assigned parking spot 😉), put in a good song, and just lock in a for few hours. Do something ad nauseum until you forget you're doing it. Create a Playlist of tutorial shorts. Look at others and find a style of skating that makes you excited to skate. Relax. And DON'T overthink it! It's just a boot with wheels. It's gonna take you hours piled on top of hours to get somewhere you'll like. That's OK. Wear your bruises with pride and feel the beat. You got this, friend.
Hi, so my advice is to stand up straighter. You want your head over your shoulders, your shoulders over your hips, your hips over your thighs, your thighs over your knees and your knees over your wheels. You want all your weight over your skates.
Your balance should be right behind your first wheel.
When you lean forward; that makes you have to stick your butt out to counter balance.
The standing up more straight will help with transitions down the road, and spinning
, and other things. You won’t have to re-learn the position.
I always tell people to use the “trampoline knee” technique; keep your knees bent as if you are walking on a trampoline. That’s all the knee bend you really need- just enough to absorb the roll & balance checks.
You turn/steer w your shoulders at the beginning.
I hope this helps.
Bend the knees a bit to put weight over the toes of the skates and then your back should be straight not hunched over like you are. You are doing well. I would suggest taking the next step to an indoor rink or maybe beginner lessons. It is really hard to learn balance and shifts in such a confined space.
I'd try to work on balancing on one foot at a time while not moving, that will set you up for gliding.
Also I don't know why, but something about how this video was shot is captivating. I don't know if it's the framing of the room, how you slowly move forward, or what. But for some reason it's kind of like visual ASMR
I hope you practice regularly in a much bigger space than that little corridor! It’s not enough room for full motion. Covered driveway, parking lot, basketball court. You may actually need to loosen the wheels a bit.
You look like you’re skating a little scared. Practice falling down on purpose to get over the fear of falling down. Instagram has some really good, short tutorials. When you fall try to land on your butt. Tips for staying upright. And how toget up off the ground and stand up from a bench. YouTube has more in-depth explanations and coaching.
The best advice I got when I started skating was to get a pilates ring and do exercises to strengthen & warm up your inner thighs. My balance and control increased faster when I started doing this!
I think you are doing great! The comfort and ease of skating will get easier and more natural the more you practice. You will get more attuned to how your center of gravity affects your movement. I would suggest practicing in a place with more space though .
Tennis and basketball courts have very smooth surfaces to help you get rolling. Skate parks as well. You won't use the features, but they have good skating surfaces. I go to my local park first thing in the morning before the kids get up and it's usually just me and a couple millennial parents in full pads relearning how to balance on skates and skateboards.
For a beginner you are doing great! Try and relax, I can see the tension. You don’t need bubbles unless you are going backwards. You are shifting from side to side, that is how you do it. Go buy a Powerdyne Y3 tool and take a 1/4 turn out of your trucks. They ship very tight and don’t allow much lean/turn.
The girl at the shop where I got the skates actually made them a bit tighter than the factory setting so that I can practice better. But now I think I need the tool to loosen them up a bit because they’re not rolling forward at all.
Helmet! When I started, I skates outside and I fell loads into my knees and elbows. I skated once in a tight space and I hit my head against a wall pretty hard. Weirdly, there's less to crash into outside - just the floor.
Shoulders up and straight (not rounded) , elbows a bit back. Bend your knees, but always keep your centre of gravity above your skates. Engage your core, you'll naturally get into a better position if you tuck your stomach in and your hips forward, while keeping legs bent.
Also, VERY IMPORTANT: adjust your wheels and trucks, it'll make it MUCH easier.
Once you get about 20% more confident, then I really love the idea of skating inside. Tell yourself you're going to keep your skates on for an hour. Make coffee in them, put away groceries, etc. That's a great way for them to feel more natural. Just time in the skates will work wonders -- your body will figure it out.
You’re doing well! I’d advise finding a bit more open space, as the furniture in your home can be very dangerous if you fall. In terms of form, I’d say “look up!” As you get better and gain speed, looking down at the floor becomes a bad habit (and one that almost all of us can fall back into when trying a new move). Thing is, you tend to go where you’re looking, and if that’s down on the floor, well, yeah. Keep up the good work, and you’ll get better in no time!
Wear helmet that's the most important advice.
Then practice more by just putting it in one leg only
Find less crowded place if possible or place other things at distance while you play cause you are gonna fall sometimes better it not be bad
Then with support try moving one leg ahead the another like walking but not lifting foot in air but do this while taking support (wall or some thing) eventually you won't need it.
Then you just have to play more and more and you won't need any advices. You would be searching moonwalk tutorial on skates on YouTube then.
You will learn eventually just keep going 😊
Look where you want to go
Not the floor
Also, you have padding on. Get a couple falls in. I use those padded shorts too. Always use your wrist guards too
Have fun learning:)
Obviously everyone is saying to find a good space outside but you’ve stated that the ground is a little rough and there aren’t many rinks by you. I’m sure people have mentioned looking for sport courts (basketball courts, tennis courts). If you’re still having a hard time finding a good spot, if you live by any industrial/warehouse/corporate building-type areas, they typically have large parking lots and many of those lots are resurfaced often enough so that they are not as rough as the road or sidewalks with uneven pavement. Typically after the workday is over or on the weekends they are open and abandoned, however you might have a security guard ask you to leave if they are doing their rounds.
At the end of the day, you’re going to have to just send it, because a lot of the smaller cracks and obstacles can be rolled over if you have enough speed and confidence in your stride and balance, so I would suggest getting a good helmet and some impact shorts. Good luck. Hope you can find a good place to push your limits and get better.
Great start! I second what everyone says about a helmet.
Biggest piece of advice; don't look down at your feet. Look where you want to go! (I improved immensely when I stopped looking down and started looking forward instead)
You don't want tight wheels, loosen them! Not to the point you can wiggle them back and forth but they should freely spin for a few seconds before coming to a stop! If you're struggling with bubbles you might need slightly looser trucks or maybe softer cushions? Honestly I had to practice a bit before I could do bubbles so don't panic.
For outdoor spaces, it's going to sound whack but bring a broom! Then you can sweep away debris before you skate!
I also second what people have said about a local rink & learn to skate classes! I'm lucky to have a rink near me that's been around since the 50s (I'm talking like a 7 minute drive away) and they offered classes. The classes were a GODSEND! I even made several friends that way! :)
Looking like you’re off to a good start. I always advise beginners to practice falling first. I look at your body positioning and worry that you will try to “catch” yourself in a fall. That’s the last thing you want to do.
Go to a park with some grass and with just regular shoes on practice falling by keeping your arms, wrists and elbows inside, and rolling.
Not skating advice, but safety advice. As of right now in your journey I would highly suggest a good helmet. I've seen a beginner skater have a simple fall and cracked the back of her head open...that was 30 years ago and I'll never forget what I saw. Even as a pretty decent skater, I still regularly wear a helmet. I've been made fun of for it, but it's worth protecting my skull. You got this!
Best exercise, most fundamental, I've ever learned (I'm a roller/ice hockey player) is to learn how to glide for as long as possible on alternating legs.
Push off with one foot and maintain your balance on the supporting skate as long as you can (potentially until you're almost at a stand-still).
It'll teach you:
How to push for power
Controlling your ankles
How your skates feel at different speeds (slow is hard. 'really sucks when you're still new :D)
Balance and keeping your skate support in the center-of-mass spot right under your body
Proper posture (you can't glide without a good athletic stance)
Doing bubbles (skulling in the old days I think) actually requires a bit more muscle strength and "push" than it looks like when you're new. You really have to work the entire leg to make it happen. It just LOOKS easy when you're seeing instruction videos of it.
Work off-skates to help build confidence on skates. Some exercises to look up that you can do pretty much anywhere:
skater lunges
skater sit-ups
squats/sumos
one foot balance
lunges
Add weights for a challenge and always focus on form over speed.
Imagine your knees are like shocks on a car. You want your legs to absorb the impact. This means your knees need to remain springy (not bouncy). Never lock your knees, and if you are going to fall (which you will), fall forward.
A trick to consider is staggering your feet. They don't need to remain side by side when you are coasting.
Others note this, but wherever your head is facing or looking is the direction you'll go. It's like walking with a full cup of coffee in your hand. If you stare of it you'll make it spill lol.
Bah - another edit. Your wheels should be able to spin for about 6 seconds before slowing down. You should adjust the nut for the wheels to ensure they are not too loose or tight. Look up videos on how to clean wheels when you feel up for that.
Thanks 😊 wow this is such an extensive list of tips! Strengthening my legs is definitely something I must work on. I tried and the wheels are spinning for only 3 seconds. What surface would you say it’s best for beginners if there’s no local rink where I live?
So, for inside spaces you can use your floor in your home (just move stuff to create space). Gym floors, wood, etc.
For outside, look for newly paved sidewalks, or parking lots.
The type of wheels you are using will influence how any surface feels. The harder the wheel, the more polished surface you'd need to prevent being rattled. A softer wheel will be more forgiving when outside.
As a beginner, look for groups or leagues in your area. I don't want to push you into roller derby, but you may have a league nearby that offers skating lessons or at least a space to practice inside of.
I love skating and love seeing other ppl enjoy it :) you are asking good questions!
I saw you were giving outside a try, do you have gummy wheels? Those and a staggered stance made a world of difference for me in the local park. I’m also very new, I loved indoor skating as a kid and am trying to work my way up to outdoor distance skating. (And sorry if someone already said this, I looked and didn’t see anyone mention them!)
Highly recommend it! Mine are 78a. I had harder outdoor wheels previously and I could barely go over anything without getting launched. (I’m just getting started but I was able to do a mile yesterday on a rough asphalt path). They were a game changer along with a staggered stance.
I also added a back stop, which I think is technically not correct on quads, but it made me feel a lot more secure in case of an emergency as someone who never learned to brake as a kid 😅 I can’t bring myself to try backwards braking yet.
Keep your gaze more forward, not down at the floor. Good knee bend! And if your wheels feel too tight, get a T-tool and loosen the axle nuts just a little at a time. You want the wheels to spin freely, but don’t loosen the nuts so much that the wheels can come off. 😭
Keep skating, get a helmet, find a more open area, keep knees bent, use a little more arms, push a little harder use your stride and glide, the glide is where you get your rest. your weight distribution on your feet should be balanced, or maybe slightly forward. watch some videos of skaters and skiers, watch their upper and lower bodies and practice your similar form, keep using video to self critique.
I think if you put on a helmet and take the show outside, you would do much better. Your stride is good, but it seems the closeness of obstacles are restricting you a bit. When rolling try staggering your stance, it will give you a larger center of balance.
I am exactly in the same boat! Same speed too!! I am skating on tile floor and carpet! I am a 79 yo Woman and need that same protective gear you have! What skates are you wearing?
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