How To Skate Backwards For Beginners in Four Easy Steps– Volition Skate Co

What You Need To Begin Roller Skating

Getting on without knowing the basics is out of the question. This includes finding out what protective gear and roller skates will work for you

So, before you enroll in this exhilarating sport, choosing the right equipment is necessary!

Roller Skates

There are many available varieties when it comes to buying skates. The four main subclasses include:

• Recreational outdoor or indoor skates
• Children’s skates
• Speed skates
• Artistic skates

Don’t just go for the ones you fancy; pick the skates that suit your feet. This doesn’t only entail size; you should try to find a pair that doesn’t wiggle under the pressure of your foot.

Protective Gear

The main rule for all sports is to ensure safety before getting to it. This is important to remember because starting as a beginner means a lot of falling and crashing.

It would be best if you didn’t even think about getting in your skates without adequate protective gear. This is something even professional skaters prioritize.

Without protection, you won’t be able to immerse yourself in the experience fully. But, conversely, with protective equipment, your focus can be directed where it should – on skating.

Class on roller skating for beginners will require:

• A helmet
• Knee cushions
• Wrist pads
• A pair of elbow pads
• Skating socks

Missing even one of these can jeopardize your safety and slow down your learning process. For example, wearing skating socks might sound unnecessary, but there’s a reason why they were mentioned.

A good pair of socks retain the comfort of your feet. They act as a cushion between your feet and the hard material of the boots. Moreover, socks provide a better grip by absorbing foot sweat.

Roller skating for kids is considered a playful activity, but it comes with several dangers. But if they go into it without socks on, the chances of accidents increase.

Video

Final Advice for Roller Skate Learning

·        Always check your wheels and toe stoppers (if they exist). Make sure they are not loose, or you will for sure land up breaking your bones.

·        Do not skate in rainy weather. In case your roller skates do get wet, then do not let moisture collect. It could lead to rust and further damage the metal parts.

·        Being a beginner, never roller skate downhill. The odds are that the force would prove too much for you to handle.

. Always choose one of the best roller skate brands. (i.e: impala)

Hope that helps to learn to roller skate. Learn quickly and enjoy the momentum of skating.

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What to avoid when roller skate in backward

Avoid learning to skate on your own

Try to fit in a group of experienced backward skaters. This helps you learn faster due to the support base you will have around you. You can join a skating club to get proper lessons on how to skate backward and general roller skating tips.

Avoid wearing roller skates that are not of your feet size

Choose roller skates that fit you perfectly (not too big or not too small)/ they will be very comfortable, and you won’t suffer from blisters and friction. If you have kids, you can buy them adjustable roller skates.

Avoid skating without protective gear

It is very reasonable to fall when roller skating. Make sure that you always carry and wear your protective gear to avoid getting injured. As your practice backward roller skating, you will fall quite often until you master your balance and speed.

Avoid skating without knowing how to brake

Learning how to brake can enable you to control your speed. This is important because it will eliminate the risks of being injured. As you learn how to move faster, you must also be able to brake when necessary.

Step 3 – Stopping Your Motion

What about stopping? It isn’t as easy as getting into the T-position. There are two primary routes to practicing the art of stopping while skating.

T-Stop

All the stress must fall upon your front foot. While in motion, you need to place one of your feet ahead and simultaneously bend the knees. Make sure your core is tight during this movement, as this provides the force you need to stop.

What about the back leg? The back leg has to be in a horizontally moving posture. As you are moving frontwards, friction will be created, and you will stop in an almost perfect T-posture.

Plow Stopping

If you are skating at high speeds, then forget about this stopping method. But, if you are a slow skater, then it would work. Your chin has to be facing upwards, you should be squatting mildly, and your shoulders must be in a straight direction.

While in motion, start spreading your legs and end by pointing your toes inwards. The motive here is to use your body weight on the floor. To get a hold of your upper body weight, you must push your semi-inverted legs in an outward direction.

Dirty School of Skate’s Video On Stopping

About Us

Hi there, my name is Tom and I have been roller & inline skating since I was a little kid. Learning the sport at such an early age allowed to me gain a lot of experience and try different types of skates. It took me a lot of trial and error to learn some of the roller skating tricks so I decided to share my journey with you guys!

Best Budget Pick

If you're not sure you want to invest in an expensive pair of skates, this is a good starter pair. Buying Options $48.99 from Amazon

The Bad

• Thin, unpadded tongue
• Women's sizing doesn't go below 7

The Bottom Line Get into skating without having to invest in expensive roller skates.

Pros & Cons

How to roller skate backwards

Step 1

Wear protective gear. Before you start skating, make sure that you are fully protected and safe. Wear a helmet on the head, knee pads on each knee plus elbow pads on each elbow. This will keep you safe because you are bound to fall a few times.

Step 2

Lace-up your skates. Start with the bottom and go on upwards. Make sure that your laces go beneath the first eye holes and then criss-cross over each other to the top of the skate. Remember to pull the laces tight so that they don’t loosen when you are skating.

Step 3

Start with skating forward. Before you attempt to skate backward, you must be good at skating forward. You must be confident in your capability to slide forward. You should be able to find your balance and increase your speed without losing control.

Step 4

Make a v shape with your feet. Only when you are confident skating forward, you can then start to practice skating backward. Make your toes touch together and your heels apart.

Note

If you are uncomfortable, you can bend your knees a little and make the v shape.

Step 5

Push your heels apart and bring them back together. If you can make a wider gap, it will be faster, and you will be able to glide longer backward. Once your heels meet together, make the v shape again and repeat the process.

Step 6

Glance over your shoulder regularly as you move so that you see where you are going. Remember not to lean back as you glance over your shoulder. If you do so, you will fall.

Step 7

Make sure to increase the length of your Strokes as you continue to pick up speed when moving backward. When your ankles are spread at a wider angle, you will be able to generate more momentum.

Note

Don’t increase your speed or the width of your heel spread until you are comfortable and confident. You will have to do lots of practice before you get there. Also, skate in a place you are satisfied with, and if you fall, know that everyone else has been through it already.

Step 8

As you practice backward skating, switch to forward skating as well. Move your weight to the left foot and at the same time, lift your right foot and use it to swing yourself at 180°. Turn the right foot two face forward and then push off. Make sure that you don’t turn around at the waist. Instead, your hips and core should be aligned as a u-turn.

Step 9

You need to practice and learn how you can turn left and right as you glide. When setting left, bend your body a little to the left. When you want to turn to the right, slightly bend to the right.

Step 10

Practice how to stop. If you are a beginner, use the knee pad to stop. Lower your knee slowly to the ground to stop. Alternatively, you can use the toe stop switch on the right of the right side roller skate. When using that toe brakes, scissor the legs one backward and the other forward. Then lift the heel of your right leg and applies pressure to the toe to stop.

Best Rollerblades For Men

Beginners and more advanced skaters will love this pair of inline skates. Buying Options $129 from Amazon

The Bad

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Pros & Cons

Picking out the Right Roller Skates

Before you can get started roller skating, it’s important first to have a pair of roller skates. If you already have a pair of skates, then you are good to go! If not, then check out my article on the The Best Roller Skates for Beginners. In it, I go over all of the parts of a roller skate and what to look for in a good beginner roller skate.

When you are first starting out, any good pair of skates will do, but if you want to make an informed choice, then check out the article above. Don’t spend a fortune on your first pair of skates (unless you just have money laying around). Just get you a decent pair of skates and get started. You can always upgrade later when you have been skating for awhile.

If you instead want to get the best inline skates available, then check out my Best Rollerblades page.

What are Artistic roller skating skills?

There are many moves that you can learn to compete while doing artistic roller skating. But the next moves are the most iconic moves of artistic roller skating.

Salchow 

Salchow gets performed along with other skating moves in a skating routine. To perform a Salchow, you need to start by skating backward with your left foot and arm in front. At the same time, the right arm is straight on your side. Same as making a 90-degree angle. The right leg should be behind the left with knees slightly bent. 

It may look as if you are curtseying. 

Keep your left foot in one place while making a sweeping motion with your left foot drawing knees in front. You can even bend your arms towards your chest to add more power to the spin. As you start to spin, you can now jump using your toe stops to land onto the right skate. Keep your arms forward and left foot forward to finish the move flawlessly.

Waltz Jump

The Waltz Jump is yet another interesting artistic skating move you can add to your routine. It starts with the left foot and right arm pointing outwards. At the same time, your right arm makes a 90-degree angle. Form an L shape by keeping your right leg behind you. Bend your right knee and skate forward. 

Pull your leg and arm forward in a spin that lands on the right skate. Meanwhile, keep your right knee bent as the left leg gets extended out in the front. You need to use your core muscles to stop yourself from spinning. Bring back your left leg, mimicking the motion of a swan.

The pads

Smith Scabs Pads, 3 Pack $46 $46 I’ve fallen. A lot. It’s kind of a prerequisite for roller-skating. Luckily, none of my spills have caused any serious damage (yet) — and I have these Smiths Scabs pads to thank for that. The set comes with wrist guards, kneepads, and elbow pads, all of which have protected me from fractured wrists and scraped knees. The pads aren’t that bulky, but they can still absorb a lot of impact. And I love that Smith Scabs makes its pads in fun colors (red, blue, purple) and patterns (leopard, holographic silver, rainbow, and checkerboard). One thing to note: I have thick thighs and calves — my legs are 20 inches above the knee and 16 inches below the knee — and the extra-large Smith pads just barely fit. If your legs are thicker, I suggest you check out the Thick Set pads from Moxi, which have a similar streamlined design but with much stretchier bands. $46 at Select Skate Shop Buy

What can I do to prepare for my first roller skating lesson?

Limbering up and stretching your body is key for being prepared. During skating, your body takes a lot of twists and turns, so preparing the muscles for these movements is key! And the more flexible your muscles are, the more protected you are from injury. But don’t force stretches as that will definitely lead to injuries before you’ve even started skating!

Stretches such as quadricep stretches to loosen up the front of your thighs and your hip flexors, hamstring and glute stretches, half or full splits, and hip openers like the yoga ‘pigeon pose’ are really helpful. Yoga can really help increase your range of motion!

Don’t forget your upper body as well. It’s all about loosening and moving your shoulders and neck. Yoga sequences, such as sun salutations, can really stretch your entire body and get you prepped for skating.

What should I expect from my first roller skating session with PlayTone?

You’ll get to learn roller skating basics and combine the art of skating and fitness in our classes! Our special ‘Learn to Roller Skate’ sessions are low impact and high-intensity classes, with games and tricks guaranteed to get the heart pumping and pop smiles on faces all around.

The moves you’ll learn are:

• Moving and glide forwards

• Stopping

• Falling safely (it will happen so best learn how to fall the right way!)

• Spinning

• Team activities and games that incorporate all you learn

You’ll work up a sweat and meet the fab community that is PlayTone – we’re a family. Our classes have 15 spots each so you’ll get the attention you need.

Once you’ve grasped the very basics, we’ll progress onto more advanced moves like skating backwards, spinning, crossovers and fancy footwork – these cool tricks will really work your fitness and your core is going to get STRONG!

Learning To Skate Effortlessly

Wonder how pro skaters make skating look effortless? It’s because they trust their feet and don’t fear falling. But, of course, the whole point of wearing safety gear is to avoid injury, even if you fall to the ground.

So now that you’ve learned to skate, learn to let go of your fear as well. Convince your mind that you’re skilled enough to make it through.

Scan your body for tight spots and loosen up. Once the terror is behind you, you’ll become a pro yourself. Most of the prep entails readying yourself psychologically.

You’re not expected to nail it your first time on the board. It’ll take time and practice. Hence, just keep pushing yourself to practice and never quit.

And because they are older and have a weak center of gravity, roller skating for adults can be more complicated than for kids.

Moreover, adults are reluctant to overcome their fear compared to kids who have a better chance of becoming effortless skaters in no time.

Conclusion

When it comes to learning to skate, you can’t do anything without having the essential equipment for the job.

Once you have all the necessary gear (skates, elbow and knee pads, wrist pads, helmet, etc.), the next most important element of skating is your balance; in roller skating, balance is everything. This is why it’s important to perfect the T position, as well as simply getting comfortable and feeling stable in an upright position.

When you’re certain you can remain upright without wobbling and avoid falling, then you can begin to introduce movement into your routine. This is why starting out slow and taking your time is preferred. That being said, due to the nature of this activity, falls will happen from time to time, it’s an inevitable part of the sport.

Nevertheless, to keep falls to a minimum, remember to stay in that bent kneed squat position, as it will always help maintain your balance. This way, when you take on new moves or attempt to move with more speed, you’ll be in the prime position to land those moves more easily.

Lastly, if you can roller skate with experienced skaters, it will help you when you begin to introduce more dynamic and challenging moves into your routine. However, this isn’t essential, and works more as a means of reducing anxiety as a first timer skater. We wish you a happy skating!

Final Thoughts 

Remember that the Roller skating curriculum for every skater is pretty much the same. But, the progress of each skater depends on the personal skill level. Some skaters may progress to advanced skill levels in no time. In comparison, some skaters may take some time to get accustomed and learn their way on skates. 

In my article, you will find all the information about the essential roller skating skills. Having a fair knowledge about the different skating moves and learning skating skills helps build confidence in a skater. You will have more fun skating if you know how to skate correctly. Though, falling is inevitable in skating. But with some practice and skill, you can learn how to move with grace. 

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