Curious if Roller Skating is Something You’d Enjoy – What You Need to Know
People are faced with a plethora of fabulous and fun sports and activities to get involved in. While this is wonderful in terms of choices, it can be pricey if you have to purchase equipment each time, only to find out the sport or activity may not be for you. If you’ve been thinking about giving roller skating a try but aren’t quite sure what to expect, what you need, and how much it will cost you, here are the basics to getting started in the sport.
What Gear is Needed?
Just like with any sport or activity, you need specific gear take part. Many assume all you need are the roller skates themselves, but this isn’t exactly correct, especially for beginners. If you’ve never roller skated before then chances are you may fall a few times, so with that said you want to be sure you’ve got proper protection.
The must-have safety equipment you’ll want to purchase is a properly fitting helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, and kneepads. Some people also choose to wear a mouth guard and it certainly doesn’t hurt to take this extra measure.
If you plan on roller skating outdoors, where the surface can be a bit rough, it’s also wise to wear long pants and a long-sleeved top to protect your body from scrapes and cuts while you are still learning how to get your balance on the skates.
Consider Renting First
For those who don’t want to invest a lot of money into a sport/activity that you may not end up liking, it’s a good idea to look into rentals in order to give it a try. As far as what type of skates to rent at a rink, Riedell roller skates are well-known in the sport. With these skates, you are guaranteed incredible quality, durability, and reliability, which will help to give you the best experience.
Do Some Practice Drills to Start With
Before you just lace up the roller skates and take off without any prior experience, it’s a good idea to start with some practice drills. These will help you to become more balanced, sure on your feet, and give you confidence.
A good place to start is with the knee fall. Once you have all your gear on move to a carpeted surface so you can’t roll, bend your knees without lunging forward, and then drop to the ground slowly and gently. You want to keep doing this until it feels comfortable and you don’t need your hands to get back up.
It’s also a good idea to learn how to fall on your butt in the proper way – yes there is a “proper” way to do it. You want to be sure you avoid landing on your spine, so that means you want to practice landing on one cheek or the other.
Make sure you are fully aware of where the brake is, and how to use it. This will likely be your best friend for a while.
These steps and information should help you to wade into the waters and decide if roller skating is the sport for you.