Beginning Skaters: Share Your Experiences

[Kathie Fry]

If you are just learning to skate, or even if you are only *thinking* about learning to skate, we would love to hear about your experiences and thoughts. You will get a lot of encouragement and moral support from our forum visitors.

- Kathie

[Sherab]

well, as someone wanting tog et agressive skates - jumping over fallen poles and stuff, that are like... maybe 1 1/2 feet to 2 feet high feels really good - as does your first 180, or your first stiall, no matter how small the actual stall is - you just gotta keep at it.

[cbeck]

I agree, everything I have learned has been a big feeling of accomplishment. So far I've really enjoyed skating. Even despite the few strains, pulls, and sprains.

When I was around 10 or so (however old 5th grade puts me at) I went on my first and last skate for quite some time. I was on quads, and at a party for my "girlcrush" . She was sweet and held my hand as I tried not to fall down, but fall down I did. And again. And again.

And again. And.....

It ended up that night that I fractured my tailbone and also got my hand ran over and other parts of my body tripped on. I really thought that would be it for me. I refused to try it ever again, and swore by that.

I'm very glad now, though, that I didn't stick to my anti-skating resolution. Hopefully some day soon I'll get around to why I started up after all this time, but in the mean time; Let me say, thanks so much for this forum (and a few others) and all the helpful folks that hang around. Being able to roll has touched my life. In a good way.

[NakitiDL]

Well, today I have found a goldmine in a training area. It's an old abandoned shopping center with a huge parking lot. A bit run-down, but overall very smooth, and I get the entire place to myself. Unfortunately, it's about 20-30 minutes from where I live, so I don't have the time or gas to go except once or twice a week.

I went skating there this morning, and I no longer seem to have the pain in my leg that I was having. (See my other thread.) I feel a bit overwhelmed, though, just because I have so many things to learn. I keep trying to keep in mind to bend at my knees, but once I get going, I feel like I start bending at the waist. I've also been practicing with the heel brake, and I was doing better by the time I left, but I've still got a way to go. I'm left-handed, so I might try moving the brake to the other skate and see if that makes a difference. I've heard that sometimes it does.

[cbeck]

Oh, that goldmine does sound nice! I've so far been asked to leave every skateable parking lot around the area. It'd be nice to find one abandoned (or not patrolled by Eagle Security all night).

I know it can be overwhelming, especially at first. But stick with it. The first two weeks I practiced nearly an hour a day in a chained off parking garage and felt like I was getting no where... but finnally it just clicked. By the end of the month, I was able to jump off curbs and down a few steps.

I'm sure everyone's rate of progress is different based on past experience and such, but I promise, one day you will be looking back amazed at your former lack of mobility!

[NakitiDL]

I took my first spill yesterday, and it made me glad I was wearing my wrist pads. I would probably have some nice road burn now if I didn't have them.

I also went back to the empty parking lot this morning and spent most of my time practicing my posture and heel brake. By the end of my practice session, my posture was looking pretty good, judging from the doors of the empty shops which act as mirrors. But am I right that you're supposed to try to keep your weight centered on the heel of your foot? I tried doing this, and couldn't quite get it. I'm also having a time keeping my posture good the entire time I skate without stopping. It tends to start falling apart, but I guess I will get it with practice. Another question: which direction should your toes be pointed? Mine seem to point outward. Is this correct?

As for the heel brake, I'm still having difficulty learning it, but I did see some minor improvements today. I'd moved the brake to the left skate instead of the right, but the only real difference I noticed is that it seems to engage more quickly now than it did. Also, which foot is your weight supposed to be centered on while braking? I tended to push forward on the toe area a lot on my rear foot, but that made my foot sore. (I seem to be having a new pain every skating session. )

I also thought I might be asked to leave the parking lot this morning. My car was there and a cop must have seen it because I saw one pull in. (I was in a part of the lot where you couldn't immediately see me. I was afraid when he saw me that he might make me leave, but instead, he simply waved at me and drove off.

[sk8scott]

NakitiDL, a couple of answers:
Your toes should be pointing straight ahead, or as close to straight ahead as possible. Getting your weight further back will come. It's a bit of an exaggeration to say your weight should be all on your heels, but this is a way to combat the natural tendency many beginners have of pushing off by flicking their toes, instead of using their entire foot.

Where to put your weight when braking is a matter of feel. You want to balance it between your two feet such that you get enough braking power, without losing your balance. If I'm just slowing down on a flat surface, I'll have most of my weight on my back foot, and lightly graze the ground with my front/braking foot. If I'm trying to stop in a hurry coming down a hill, I'm practically sitting on top of my braking foot, maximizing the weight I put onto the brake pad. This will all come with time and practice!

Don't forget to have fun, and the skill stuff will take care of itself.

----Scott

[b3eyes]

PADDINGS! NEVER skate w/o them! I made the mistake to skate w/o them when I first started aggressive skating, fracture fingers and busted knees still haunt me till this day...especially my wrists, the injuries never fully recovered, now I have to deal with it on daily basis...

Have fun, but be safe when you skate!

[fablemaker2]

I try to keep my weight centered on my skates when on a smooth surface. This way I know that my center of gravity is perpendicular - very important when skating ramps & inclines. When I am concerned about loose stones and such, I will try to keep more weight in back. When going down inclines, I lean forward. With inlines, it takes a bit more to fall forward than backward, kind of like skiing.

[Guru]

How long does it take a 30 yr old to learn to skate? I can't stop, or turn yet. I been at this for about 6 hours. The slightest decline scares me to death.

[cbeck]

It recently took a 28 year old about a month to get turning and stopping down (me). Everyones a little different, but hang in there, it will come together sooner than you think! Each session will build a little more memory for your balance and muscle use. And once you can stop well, those declines will seem like nothing at all! Are you using a heel brake? There are some great tutorials on Kathy's site...

[Guru]

The only thing I've been practicing (not much due to rain) is breaking with the heel brake. Thanks for the encouragement

[spinjumpsk8]

Oh yeah, skating is very much a cumulative skill, the more you go, the more you know. If you try to skate as often as you can, I would prefer daily but can't because of work. Back straight, knees slightly bent, practice good posture right from the start, and learning will be quicker.

For those transitioning from quad skates to inlines, On quad skates you don't have a wheel sticking out beyond the front of your boot or the heel of your boot. So on my inlines, I removed the front wheel, since I am so use to the toe flick from quads, the front wheel sticking beyond the boot was tripping me up. Much better now, I still prefer quads.

[b3eyes]

Originally Posted by Guru

The only thing I've been practicing (not much due to rain) is breaking with the heel brake. Thanks for the encouragement

you're gonna have tons of fun, but before you start, make sure you have all the proper protective gear...check other posts in the beginner section, chances are the same questions/concerns you have, has already been discussed...for example:

http://www.skatelogforum.com/forums/...read.php?t=109

there are some helpful tips and hints, read up on it, then go out and have fun!

[NakitiDL]

Well, today was a completely horrible off-day for me. I haven't been able to skate all week, so I'm out of tune. I went out to the same city with the parking lot, but instead of going there, I decided to try a bike trail that's close to it. To get to the trail, I had to park in a parking lot, but I didn't realize that the trail didn't start immediately after that. Instead, I first had to travel down the slight ramp into the parking lot, and I fell. (It leads into a busy road, so I was trying to be extra-cautious and failing.) Then there's a short sidewalk, and after the sidewalk, you have to go up a very bumpy private driveway before you get to the actual trail. I fell here too. Somewhere along the line I cut my arm, but I don't know where.

Anyway, once I got to the trail, my right leg was being really painful. I've had this pain before, and I tried adjusting the skate fit, but it didn't really help. Part of it might be because I hadn't skated all week. If that's the case, is there anything I can do on the days I can't skate to help keep my legs in shape so that they don't fall out on me on the days I can skate? Because of this pain, I wasn't able to go out too far onto the trail. It also felt like I had forgotten everything I'd learned since I started skating. Very disappointing. It was slightly easier coming back because it was on a very slight downhill, but I wish I could have stayed longer.

Then, to add insult to injury, I met up with a mother and daughter skating pair when I returned to the beginning of the trail and started taking my skates off. (I wasn't going to try skating those rough areas again. I was just going to walk them this time.) They weren't wearing a helmet or any pads, but then they took off like speed demons as though they've done this a thousand times before.

[b3eyes]

Originally Posted by NakitiDL

once I got to the trail, my right leg was being really painful. I've had this pain before, and I tried adjusting the skate fit, but it didn't really help. Part of it might be because I hadn't skated all week. If that's the case, is there anything I can do on the days I can't skate to help keep my legs in shape so that they don't fall out on me on the days I can skate?

First of all, chin up! We've all had bad days when we first started, I know for a fact that my first few months were bloody, literally...yet I somehow managed to survive, and have been blading for over 10 yrs now

You should try to do some stretching before you put on your blades to loosen up your muscles, esp if you havent been blading for a while. On that matter, which part of your right leg was hurting? Try to be more specific, maybe we can find the root of the problem.

Avoid bumpy roads at all costs. When you're traveling at lower speed on bumpy roads, you are more likely trip and fall. I started as a street blader and started on bumpy streets...made very little progress, if any, until I found the nicest, most newly paved street around my neighborhood, that's when things started to pick up at a much faster rate.

Judging from your tone, I'm sure you cant wait to go out there and skate, even if it's not the most desirable time or place. One of the most important thing I've learned over the years is the fact that there's nothing wrong with pushing yourself for that extra mile, but if you overdo it, you'll get hurt; and when you get hurt, you'll be out for days, weeks, or even months and away from doing what you really enjoy --- skating. So work hard, but don't go overboard and hurt youself =)

Last but definitely not the least, use those mother/daughter team as inspiration, chances are they have done it thousands of times! With dedication and determination, you'll get there one day, i assure you

Now go find that perfect spot and have fun! Enjoy!

[b3eyes]

Just rememberd and re-read your other post, is the leg problem same as described in the previous post? If so I can think of 2 possibilities:

1st is if you're wearing socks that are below the boot, there's nothing to protect your calf from the boot, and thus it digs into your calf.

2nd possibility is your posture, you might be leaning to one side of your skates too much, and thsu causing the other side to carve into your calf.

Give us more details, hopefully we can help you solve this problem, you cant fully enjoy the experience if you're always hurting

[NakitiDL]

It's not the same as before. This is more of a muscle pain, and though I had experienced it once before, it was worse last week. I plan on skating again tomorrow, so we'll see if the pain returns.

[b3eyes]

after you're done skating. you can either buy icy-hot patch/pouch at a local drug store or take a hot bath and massage the muscle to help the muscle relax/recover. personally i find the bath method more helpful, but icy/hot patch is more convenient

hope this helps

[KeLLy]

Hi all,

I suppose this is where a little introduction is in place?

I'm 27, I live in Belgium (North-Europe) and i started fitness inline skating with a friend to get fit. I hate running or going to a gym, and since I used to ice skate a lot, back in my teens (can only do that in the winter anyway), inline skating seemed like a good idea.

So the first 5-6 weeks i was trying to get into shape and it was hard work at first. I really enjoy the skating now, the moves give a bit the sensation of ice skating (witch i loved to do and was pretty good at). Altought i don't dare to pick up to much speed yet.
Now i go skating 2 times a week for +- 7 km's (4,5 miles).
After 3 months, i still can't brake. This forum helped me by understanding the techinque of braking tho. Performing it is a different thing... i find the balance very difficult. - I just tend to put my feet in a 90°C angle and make a turn that way or grab something ^^ or just naturaly slow down.

Anyone living near Bruges wanna give me some lessons?