How to Rollerskate on 4 Wheels for Beginners
Skating is a sport that can be done by both children and adults. In addition to exercising, it allows you to enjoy good times outdoors, as it’s a lot of fun. It also serves as a means of transportation. It may be for these reasons that more and more people are seen skating in cities.
5-Minute Crafts shares with you some basic steps you can use to learn how to skate on 4 wheels (quad-skates) so that you can start as soon as possible.
1. Get the necessary equipment to start skating.
To learn to skate, you need to wear the right equipment that provides protection against accidents:
- special helmets for skaters
- knee and elbow pads, which help cushion falls
- light gloves, to protect the fingers
- mouth guards, which protect teeth in case of collisions
- padded shorts to protect your tailbone
Now, find the right place to start practicing. Flat spaces, like basketball courts, parking lots, concrete backyards, and wide sidewalks are ideal.
2. Keep your balance
Before you start gliding on 4 wheels, you have to learn how to keep your balance. To do this, position yourself on the ground where the wheels cannot move. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly bend your knees. This position should be kept even while skating since it can help you regain your balance if you lose it momentarily.
This exercise will help you understand which one of your feet is stronger and more stable. Just stand on one foot at a time, while you lift the other. Count how long you can stand with each leg. You will feel which one withstands more pressure, while strengthening your leg muscles.
3. Move forward in a straight line
Also known as the “duck walk”, this exercise will take your balance to the next level. Stand with your feet in a V-shape, toes apart and heels together.
Take a step with one of your feet and follow with your other foot. When you finally feel comfortable and stable, you can try making longer strides.
4. Practice the “scissors” position
Now it’s time to perform the basic skating movement: the scissors technique. Push yourself on a flat surface and put one leg forward more than the other. This makes it harder to lose your balance and fall. Then do the same with the other leg. Keep alternating legs in the same way until you have mastered the technique.
5. Learn how to take a turn
If you have to turn to the right, start by keeping your skates apart by 6 in (15 cm). Bring your right leg forward and put all your weight on it. Now, look to the right by bringing your chin to your right shoulder and moving your body slightly to that side. Use your momentum to turn. Repeat the movement on the opposite side if you want to turn to the left.
To turn faster and do a sharp turn, get into the scissors stance, bringing your right foot forward. Place your right arm in front of you, wrapping it around your body. Bring your left arm behind you.
Let yourself go with the momentum and turn to the left. If you want to turn to the right, put your left arm in front and your right arm behind. Practice turning at different speeds.
6. Practice braking in different ways
The skates have a rubber part at the tip that is used for braking. One way to do this is to tilt the skate back a little and press the brake against the ground until you can stop. Your knees need to be a little bent in order to do that safely.
Another variant of braking is to do it with both brakes to stop in a more precise and dry way. To do this, you have to slide backward and rest the 2 brake blocks on the ground, pressed until you manage to brake completely.
7. Be prepared in case you fall
When you start skating, forward falls are pretty frequent. So that you don’t hurt yourself, you can practice how to fall correctly to reduce the impact as much as possible.
Try and bend your knees and if possible fall on only one knee. Your hands can help prevent you from falling face down, but you must remove them from the ground fast. Someone else might be coming after you and crushing your fingers.
8. Learn how to get up
When wearing skates, avoid getting up from the ground as if you did not have them on, as you may fall again. It is better to get down on your knees. Then, bring your left leg forward and rest your hand on it. Propel yourself upward by leaning mildly on your left leg until you get into a basic stance.
9. Get ready to enjoy skating
Now that you know the basics to start skating, put on your skates and go out and enjoy this fun sport. It can become your favorite exercise, which also happens to be healthy, as it engages every muscle in your body. 💪