Why is roller skating so hard

I was in my mids and already felt like I was failing pretty much constantly. When I saw Angela soaring through pools of bright sunshine looking so at peace, it felt like my final push. I ordered my skates at the end of March and they came a few weeks later, in a rad box showing a cool girl in skates, radiating groovy waves of color. I worked until 6 and the sun set around 7, so even on rare sunny days, my window of opportunity was narrow.

I checked the weather several times a day, hoping in vain that the gray evenings would clear up. When I finally did get to practice, on the basketball courts by the Dougherty playground, I knew immediately that I had made a good decision. One of many great things about roller skating is that it is pretty easy to get your feet under you in order to glide around in big, fast loops, so even on my first day, I was able to move my body in this brand new, blissful way.

Really, the first thing you learn when you start roller skating is how to fall. I watched YouTube videos of women with thick thighs telling me it was okay to fall, that I was going to fall a lot, and that I needed to get used to it. They told me to always look where I wanted to go. The weather got better; the sun set later. Instead of dreading going back to my apartment after a demoralizing day at work, I was rushing home to get my skates and practice for as long as I could.

When I went to the gym, I spent extra time working out my quads and calves and inner thighs. Compare Skates vs. Blades While it's true that roller skates have a wider base of stability, the roller skate plate itself is fairly short and extends from just under the toe to the heel.

This can result in falls forward and backwards while the skater is still learning. This makes them very stable and less prone to wheel clipping.

Oh Hi. This makes stopping in them pretty simple. This is a little bit trickier than the heel brake on the inlines. Ready to Roll! Most inline skaters who suffer serious injuries do so to their wrists. Out of all serious injuries, Lower arms According to the CPSC a third of serious injuries could be prevented by wearing wrist guards.

These injuries may be in different proportion because this study looked just within rinks, where the main factor leading to injury was collision with other skaters. But, as mentioned above, both sports fit somewhere in the middle of danger and are not as dangerous as some much more popular sports. Both types of skates work well outdoors and indoors but some terrains will favour one skate over the other, but generally inline skates are easier to travel faster and further outdoors because of the wheel arrangement.

Small stones can get more easily caught between two wheels of inlines because the wheels are close together, stopping those wheels and tripping the person.

The less space inline wheels take up could arguably make them easier to dodge small objects too, however. But generally, the narrow arrangement of inline skates works best over outdoors terrain.

There are some historical reasons for this as quad skates became very popular in the s and beyond as skating rinks were opened for that purpose. It is also easier to go faster on rollerblades because their wheel arrangement results in less friction, and they sometimes have bigger wheels. Being able to go faster does make a big difference when you are outside. Choosing which is completely down to your personal preferences and circumstances and what you are going to be using the skates for.

In terms of learning curve, there is a learning curve for both and the difference here is not enormous. If you have very young children it might make more sense to buy them rollerskates because they are easier to stand up and balance on, whereas their less developed ankle and leg muscles might mean they struggle to stabilize the rollerblades.

However, rollerblades are also a very popular option and are usually completely fine for young children to use. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. If there was ever a summer to start roller skating, this is it. Perfect for social distancing, it's a low-tech way to stay busy and get some exercise, plus it's just fun, at a time when we need regular doses of joy most.

And now, with vaccination rollout well underway, themed roller discos and lively community skate nights also feel increasingly accessible—perfect timing as the energy around roller skating reaches a crescendo. So, where to start? To no surprise, gliding like butter on eight wheels doesn't happen overnight. Learning to roller skate means getting comfortable with the concrete, first and foremost.

But anyone who can hold their own on a pair of skates will tell you: It's worth it, and you will get there. Just look at Instagram skater Sebeey Chi for inspiration. He started roller skating during the pandemic and is already center-stage at rink nights , regularly posting skating videos of effortless-seeming twists and turns that could inspire any newbie. To help you begin to roller skate in time for the warm-weather season, we tapped our favorite skaters—the community leaders, the internet-famous, the apparel designers, the skate shop owners—for their tips.

Below, they share their advice for getting started, gear and apparel recommendations, and a few of their favorite places to jam. Skating exploded last year, but everyone was stuck at home. Now that things are opening up it's a great time to get out and meet new friends and get to learn in person.

My tip is to start slow—lacing up at home and spending time just standing in your skates, preferably on carpet or a rug at first.

Getting used to the balance and feeling of wearing them is really useful before you hit the pavement or rink, or my favorite place to skate, between Santa Monica and Will Rogers beach [in Los Angeles]; they just recently repaved the path and it is super smooth and super wide. I have a series of tutorials I just finished with impalaskate , which you can watch on their IG Live —plus, get all the tips you can by asking more experienced skaters around you.

And learn to fall safely! It will save you a lot of pain and hesitation when learning new tricks.