How hard is it to learn how to rollerblade?

I tried it once in my youth for a few days, but never could get very far without falling down. This was especially frustrating because they told me it was pretty much like ice skating, and I was a competent ice skater at the time.

In any case, I think I’d like to try learning again, but don’t know where or how to start. Any recommendations for good brands of skates to buy? Other advice is welcome too.

I rollerskate (quads)and have tried ice skating a couple of times.

It was very easy for me to walk on ice skates the first time I tried.
Roller skates: not so much.

I roller skated for the very first time when I was in my late 20s and I learned by just doing it. I would ask a guy to hold my hand and would let him pull me around, so that I’d get used to the speed. Empire Roller Dome wasn’t for the feint of heart and I learned how to fall as well as how to get out of the way and back up on my feet after I fell.

I’d say it took me about a year of skating before I could do turns and feel comfortable skating backwards. It took another couple of years before I was ready to do the turns and little jumps at high speed.

Based on the inline skaters I’ve seen at the rink, it might be a little easier since the newbies on quads take longer than the ones on rollerblades.

Advice: buy your own skates - wearing rentals will make the learning period much longer, since you’ll need to readjust to the wear of a new boot each time you skate.

Advice: learn to skate on a wooden or acrylic floor before you go crazy on cement.

Good luck.

I’ll teach you to rollerblade if someone will teach me how to stop. No, I’m not an avid skater; I literally don’t know how to stop using the brake thingy. I either have to spin into a stop or dive onto the grass:smack:

Ha! I’ve been rollerblading for years and the stopping thing is still a major pain in the ass! I go in mainly flat areas so it’s not much of a problem but when you get hills and have to stop NOW forget about it. I’ve done my share of dive rolls onto grass.

I used to roller blade everywhere as a teenager. I’d suggest learning to ice skate first, since it’s basically the same motion with your legs. If you go to a ice rink you get to work on nice, smooth surface, and they usually will provide you with an orange traffic cone or something like it to lean on to keep your balance while you get the leg motions down.

Wear quads… you’ll look cooler.

What are quads? And why would anyone take skating lessons from someone named Push You Down? :slight_smile:

Quads are traditional roller skates.

and my name is a warning for those that fail me.

Rollerblading is more similar to skiing than Ice Skating IMO.

Stopping in Rollerblading is the hardest thing to master. Otherwise it’s just mastering proprioception and building your leg muscles.

The brake thing is terrible unless you’re going pretty slow. Take the brake off, and use your wheels to stop. Drag one foot behind you, perpendicular to the foot that your weight is on.

Video.

When I used to blade more, I found I got really good at spinning into a stop, and it actually seemed safer and more controlled.

My instructor also made us fall repeatedly onto our knee pads. Get good ones and practice it, because when you need it, you’ll be glad.

I kind of thought that’s what quads are but your comment about looking cooler threw me off. Please tell me that is not a whoosh because I can actually skate (and stop!) very well with quads and would love to see them make a comeback.

Thanks for the link, walrus,. The captions were kind of blocking the important part, i.e. his feet. I take it you drag the sides of the wheels? How does this affect the life of the skate?

And wear a cassette walkman with massive headphones and listen to Funkytown while you skate.

When starting to learn, stay away from even the slightest hill. Even a small hill can send you hurtling out of control.

…nobody… I mean nobody who knows anything about ‘cool’… thinks rollerblades are cool. Wearing fruitboots will get you nothing but scorn in the circles I run in.

…which are these ladies.

Hmmmmm. . .

You wouldn’t pull my leg, wouldya? I swear I have not seen quad style skates in 20 years. Of course, I’ve been living in Florida all this time and we are not known to be on the cutting edge. On the other hand I could start the trend out here and cite my L.A. roots. Now where did I put my skate key . . .

Not much. It wears out the wheels, but that’s ok. That’s what they’re for. The last time I skated much was 10+ years ago, but I never needed to replace my wheels more than every year or so, and I skated as a mode of transportation, for fun, and played roller hockey. You will want to rotate your wheels when you notice serious unevenness (the insides will wear faster than the outsides, and the back wheels faster than the front).