Let’s Start Rollerblading!
This picture was taken from: gophila.com
Rollerblading is a very popular activity. The reason is probably because anyone can do it, no matter the age, and do it at his/her own pace. It’s a fantastic way of keeping fit without the need of going to the gym.
If you want to have a go, it would be recommended to borrow or rent a pair of skates before buying them. You will be able to see if you really enjoy the sport and what sort of skates is good for you.
Once you’ve got a pair of skates, before going to the pavement, it is good to stand on the grass or the carpet. In this way you’ll practice your balance and walking. Once you feel comfortable, have a go on the pavement. Try slowly rather than fast at the beginning. But if you still don’t feel you can do it, take a few lessons. The professionals will help you to start and provide you with some tips.
To achieve proper balance, put you feet about four-to-six inches apart. Your arms should be slightly in front ready for the fall. Keep your knees bent and your body weight should be distributed on both legs.
Once you’ve got the right posture, before even starting, you need to know how to stop. Your skates should have a braking mechanism on the heel. In order to stop you need to slowly transfer weight from one of your legs to your heel so that the brake pad rubs against the pavement and gradually slows. The stronger you apply, the faster you’ll brake.
It’s a good idea to start rollerblading and practice stopping on even surfaces before going to the hills. Hit them only when you’ve got the whole control of your skates. The best places to start are any smooth surfaces such as tennis courts, quiet streets, etc.
And one more thing: DON’T start rollerblading without protection! A risk of injury is quite high in the inline skating so make sure you’ve got a helmet, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads. The most common injury is hyperextension of the wrist so that’s why wrist guards are so important. Another thing is a helmet. As your head is the most important part of you body, it needs to be well protected. Apart from that you also need to protect your knees and elbows as they are exposed to an injury.
Once you’ve taken those steps, you can enjoy faster skating with more obstacles and even switch to aggressive rollerblading if you want.
