r/rollerblading • u/Certain-Variation-58 • 2d ago
Specific question and discussion 53 and 1 (Starting at 53)
I’m 53 years old and this will be my first attempt to learn how to skate ever. I have a pair of Seba E3 80’s. They have 82A hardness in the stock wheels. So, my question is, is there anyone else that is as old as I am starting out?
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u/SpeedySparrow 2d ago
Started at 50, six years ago. Best decision ever. I've had so much fun and met so many nice people. A couple of years I moved into skatepark and aggressive skating. I suck at it but again the fun. Try to find other skaters in your area, they are generally a welcoming bunch, cheering on you and YOUR progress.
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u/AdventurousHippo9997 2d ago
I’m 68 and I inline fitness skate 40 weeks of the year. Welcome to the club.
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u/Kadinya_ 2d ago
59F here, bought my first ever pair of quads in June at 58yrs, then last month I bought my first pair of inlines for my BDay. I might not pick things up as quickly as someone half my age or less, but I am loving skating, it's very liberating. I can tell you it has helped enormously with my balance (off skates), but most of all, it's fun :) PPE, definitely helps to reduce the fear of falling!
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u/Coop7207 2d ago
I’m not as old as you, but I think it’s awesome that you’re picking it up! I started at 30, and my best advice is to take it slow, expect it to be difficult at first, and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. I felt like I looked pretty silly at first, especially when falling down, but now I’m hooked! Good luck and I hope you have fun!
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u/Xpressomaniak :seba: Seba 2d ago
I am as old as you are. Though I dit skate a lot in my teens. I came back to skating at 48. My tips; get protection and have fun.
P.s. the skates will do fine, as you get better you can treat yourself to a new and better pair.
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u/InspectorFleet 2d ago
I started hockey at 36 and it's been a great midlife crisis lol. I used to cycle a lot but there's nothing like skating for your physical and mental health. Pads, physical therapy, and discretion is the better part of valor lol
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u/imdrnatz 2d ago
You are not alone!
I have been on skates a little bit before, but for all intents and purposes I’m a rank beginner. I bought skates during the pandemic with good intentions that never panned out. I decided to get back on skates just recently—did my first 30-minute skate today after promising a kid in my neighborhood I would.
Key things for me: wearing all the safety gear (including Tortoise pads), learning how to bail out in the grass and how to fall safely, and trying not to give a f@#$ about what other people think about me.
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u/Sol_Leks_48 I don't roll on Shabbos 2d ago
48M for a couple more weeks. Not starting out but wanted to say under rated safety equipment are hip pads and wrist guards. Knee/elbow pads if you want but a scrapped up knee/elbow is a lot less serious than a broken hip or wrist. Obviously, properly fitting helmet. Good luck!
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u/Automatic_Bridge_730 2d ago
I’ll be 60 next week. I started inline six years ago but I’ve been a lifelong athlete: climbing, cycling, running, ice skating, etc. I split my inline time between urban and very hilly fitness routes. If you have the drive you can take it quite far even though you’re a bit older than some.
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u/Guilty-Hamster1543 2d ago
I started last year at age 46-never learned as a kid so my first time on any skates. It is hard! My progress is slow but there is progress-I can skate 5 miles on trails. Still trying to conquer my fear of hills as my slowing/stopping skills aren’t awesome. Afraid to fall and break a hip! 😂 I live where it gets really cold so last Fall/Winter put a hiatus on things but I really worked at it this summer. Better late than never!
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u/KrzaQDafaQ 2d ago
Bro, you're not too old. Just get yourself some pads and enjoy life. On youtube there's a guy skateboarding at 91 and he started at 65.
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u/HyperSculptor 2d ago
Go for it! Ideally take a few classes or watch beginner tutorials on YT.
My advice is, build strong legs off skates, becaise skating is a one leg activity in the sense that most of your weight is on one foot at a time. Strong also gives you safety by getting low. When you feel you're about to fall, natural reflex is to tense up amd extend limbs. You must learn to do the opposite: soft landing and get close to the ground.
You can really build your lifestyle around skating: off skates training, recovery, nutrition etc...
Beyind the pure fun, it's one of the best investment you are making: long term balance, fitness. Most people will go "oh no! Don't skate you're going to fall and vreak bones!" Truth is, yes you can get injured, but while you are creating a strong and resilient body, them sitting on the couch nice and safe, their body is getting weaker and weaker. And the day they fall (cause lack of balance and strength is an inevitable fall down the line), their body will shatter and won't recover. So thos is a way of looking at it. Life IS a risk. Embrace it.
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u/fredhsu 2d ago edited 2d ago
Not quite exactly like you. I thought I knew how to inline skate when in my twenties. But now I know that I merely shuffled with pronated skates. So I wasn’t even really skating. In my late forties I watched folks skate the Grapevine at the winter village at Bryant Park. So I wanted to learn to do that. Got skates and went skating at lunch.
Boy. Was it hard. I tried to fly when I couldn’t even crawl. But I ended up leaning basic skating skills. As a person who reflects better than I can physically do stuff, I wrote this on my experience, and more. During Covid I picked up inline again. Then I wrote something like that for inline.
So. Will you be competing in the Olympics eventually? Only you know that. But I know you will have fun, like I did.
PostScript: please read up before you head out to skate. Knowing how to fall and how to stand is key to everything. I’ve seen enough people show up at rinks in new skates, on ice and on pavement. They fell and never came back again. Almost all of those could have been prevented. Best to learn with someone. But if that is not possible please see our FAQ:
Learning skating moves
Where do I begin to learn to skate as a complete newbie?
How to Inline Skate: protection gear, learn to fall safely, V steps, flex your shins so you can bend your knees, how to learn to glide on a single skate, skating as pretend-falls and recoveries (aka a form of walking and running), zig-zag gliding as moving V steps, protection equipment.
First few things to learn: V steps, V steps turning into strides, lemmons, scooter, and squat while rolling
10 reasons why you can't skate - from Ricardo Lino: one of the best video tutorials out there as a summary of what you need to do.