Beginners Tips

I have been skating for over a year and I am by no means an expert, in fact one of the great things about skating in Greenwich Park is that there are some "experts" around who are always willing to give some helpful advice. However to get you started I have put together a list below of a couple of skating tips and tricks for people that are new to skating which will hopefully improve your skating a bit and in doing so make skating that much more fun!!

  1. Pad up - have you ever noticed how fearless kids are when they skate, and how easily they seem to get into it? By wearing the standard issue pads (wrist and knee pads are essential and elbow pads are useful too) you can mitigate some of the fear of falling. This will allow you to skate faster and try new things without having to worry about hurting yourself.
  2. Look up - try not to look at your rollerblades when you are skating. It will really help your balance if you are looking up when you skate. Aim to focus at least 6 feet away from you - this will improve your skating a lot, and also give you time to dodge obstacles like twigs, conkers and other skaters!!
  3. Bend your knees - a lot of sources of information on inline skating tell you to bend you knees. It can be hard to tell if you are bending you knees correctly or enough; my tip would be that you want to feel the top of your ankle/bottom of your shin pressing against the front of your skates. Skating with your knees correctly bent improves balance, helps to generate speed as well as making it easier to perform tricks etc.
  4. Get back on the horse - all skaters fall over once in a while, and beginners tend to fall a bit more than this. This is all part of the learning process and if you have the correct protection and dont go too fast too early on, this can even be a fun aspect of learning to skate. One tip would be that following a fall, never call it a day and go home - try skating a bit more, have another go at what you were attempting if it isn't too difficult. It is important to end the day on a high rather then a low. This makes it easier to motivate yourself to come skate again, and also takes away some of the fear of trying that specific trick again.
  5. Don't be afraid to ask for assistance - all of the skaters at Greenwich which I have met are friendly and always willing to give you some pointers. Don't be afraid to ask for some tips with the move you are trying to learn or to improve your skating in general!
  6. Rubber brake - learn to use the rubber brake. More advanced skaters often remove this (or buy skates which don't have one), but for a beginner this is the best way to avoid rolling away down hills, into traffic or into other people.
  7. Weaker side - you find that it is harder to do something in one direction than the other (e.g. turning right rather than left) then try to do the side that is harder more than the easier side. This will help ensure you are equally sure footed on both feet and allow for greater flexibility for your skating!
  8. Skate on 1 foot - every time you go skating trying this exercise at least once - build up some speed and then try and see how far you can go on one foot. At first I suggest you dangle the other foot just above the ground so that if you need to correct your balance it is easy to put down again. As you get better at this you can hold your lifted skate behind you, in front of you or just at your side. It is important to practice this for both feet as it will greatly increase your general balance as well as help with tricks which require you to be on one foot for a period of time.
  9. Make it a day - Greenwich Park offers more than just great skating surfaces in London. Bring a picnic along and have a break from skating to soak up some sun, have a snack and replenish your energy for another killer skating session!!