Any Inline Skaters here?

[B-1]

Walking around on grass isnt going to help you much you need to Rollerblade on the grass to get the feeling. In fact trying to walk on Rollerblades is generally a terrible idea.

For weight distribution it depends on where your feet are. If you have your feet parallel then you want your knees bent and weight on the balls of your feet.

If you have one foot in front and one behind then you can have the weight towards the toe and heel. Toe back foot heel front foot.

But its far better to have your weight forward on the ball of your feet than towards the heel with your feet below you. Falling backwards is far more prone to injury than forwards.
If you feel you are going to fall don't stand up rather crouch down as the damage will be far less.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

How is it going @Jet-Fighter7700 ? I started recently and found it to be very hard. Funny is that I first got rolllerskates (quad skates) and despite trying many times, I was never really comfortable in them.

Then one day, I bought second hand rollberblades (inline skates) off FB marketplace and was way more comfortable them in one session even if first 15 minutes were rather difficult. I don't have easy access to any rink nearby but based on YT I try some exercises in the garage every other day, with skates of course. I plan to visit rink this month to check my progress.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

Helmets and pads are not dorky.

I took a knock (fell flat backward) at my 3rd session with rollerskates and I wasn't wearing helmet. My wife was watching and she said I instinctively lifted my head a tiny bit just before my head hit the ground so that could be reason I didn't hurt myself. My neck was a bit sore for 2-3 days.

Lesson learnt. Helmet is non negotiable. Also, now with rollerblades (inline skates) instead of quad skates, it seems much stable in forward/backward motion.

 

[rh1]

In the 90s we just got the Mitchells Plain Town Centre cheap roller blades and we skated.

As a teen I dont recall falling, at least did not break anything.

Dont know about all the fancy exercises, our one foot (back) was roughly perpendicular to the other foot and we would push off the back foot and alternate.

For jumps, ramp up speed using above texhnique and makes sure both feet are parrallel and jump, if you feeling special, do a splits in the air.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

did get the Hard shell boot 4 wheel inline ones, and they weren't too expensive should I mess this up and its really not for me, but at least want to try it once.

I started recently and found quad skates very hard despite trying for 7-8 sessions. Then on a whim, I bought inline skates off FB marketplace and within 30 minutes, I was way more comfortable than quadskates. Practicing every other day to improve balance on skates. Tons of YT videos on this.

I always wear helmet & knee pads. I am probably the only one to wear safety gear in the rink but hey, safety first.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

In the 90s we just got the Mitchells Plain Town Centre cheap roller blades and we skated.

As a teen I dont recall falling, at least did not break anything.

Dont know about all the fancy exercises, our one foot (back) was roughly perpendicular to the other foot and we would push off the back foot and alternate.

For jumps, ramp up speed using above texhnique and makes sure both feet are parrallel and jump, if you feeling special, do a splits in the air.

Wow. I see kids & teens and adults falling around the rink all the time but you could be one of those who have decent core muscles due to genetics or probably due to other sports you did at the time.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

By all means skate if you want to .. I started inline skating age 49 and am now a very creditable skater aged 52.
Some good advice above. If you’re based in Cape Town, happy to give you a lesson or two to start you off.

Well done. Age is no bar for this but IMO one just needs to take it very slowly if doing it after mid-40's

 

[neoprema]

So decided to try something, I never got a chance to try when I was younger,
Inline skating, (rollerblading)

I must be Nuts to try this at my age, but you only live once I guess,

sure there are quite a few here, so let me ask, for tips?
really don't want to break every bone in my body trying something new, last time I broke an arm trying Karate
(really dont want to repeat the last time, I left my comfort zone).

so far, watching some YT videos, getting ideas on what to try first, as it looks like I will fall A LOT,

Helmet and Knee-pads/elbow pads?, necessary, or not so much, thankfully we live in a free country
where you wont go to prison for 100 years if you dont wear those, you have a choice, and seen many without any protection, and others looking like they encased in bubble wrap

I think for now going to try skate on some grass first, as my understanding is you can get used to how the skates feel and its softer to fall on,
but let me ask here, whats best to start as a complete beginner, parking lot? tennis court?
or like I thinking at least initially as they are basically boots, and you need to get used to how they feel and "bed in" like any pair of shoes,

before I get the inevitable questions, yes Im a 80's/90's kid, and I was playing Doom back then and not rollerblading
so before I'm too inflexible to try something new let me try this.

did get the Hard shell boot 4 wheel inline ones, and they weren't too expensive should I mess this up and its really not for me, but at least want to try it once.

I'll call the hospital so long, Netcare ok? Oh and let me know if you prefer an opioid-based pain killer in your latte or you'll just get a shot in the drip?

 

[neoprema]

going to try normal first, especially the standing up without falling on my A$$ first,
then going to see how I get along, practice makes perfect I guess, more want to try something new without quitting and walking away that its too hard,
you need to teach us old dogs new tricks I guess.

also it beats being planted in front of a PC I guess, as people here keep telling me to go touch some Grass,
in my case more than I ever planned to when I faceplant cause I have the co-ordination of a giraffe.

Go to a coffee shop and have Greek or Turkish coffee and talk about news like a normal man

 

[rh1]

Wow. I see kids & teens and adults falling around the rink all the time but you could be one of those who have decent core muscles due to genetics or probably due to other sports you did at the time.

All the kids were into it, since it was fun.

We would have jump competitions, who go the fastet/longest backwards (I could just go backward using my initial momentum, but could not maintain it. My friend try to teach me, but he did it intuitively and could not properly explain the movements).

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

How is it going @Jet-Fighter7700 ? I started recently and found it to be very hard. Funny is that I first got rolllerskates (quad skates) and despite trying many times, I was never really comfortable in them.

Then one day, I bought second hand rollberblades (inline skates) off FB marketplace and was way more comfortable them in one session even if first 15 minutes were rather difficult. I don't have easy access to any rink nearby but based on YT I try some exercises in the garage every other day, with skates of course. I plan to visit rink this month to check my progress.

honestly speaking very close to giving up on it, have the full set pads, helmet, Knee, elbow, and wrist protectors, look like a glorified boxer wearing everything, looks totally ridiculous, I imagine self pride goes out the window when you try Rollerblades

so far, been able to stand on grass,mud and sand and walk around in the 45 degree angle all the tutorials show,
but as soon as I try transitioning to concrete instantly fall backwards, have fallen twice already very very badly, hurting my back but nothing broken, luckily, but was about a 2 week or so recovery with deep heat and voltaren all over my backside to try and heal from falling over backwards.

did try to PM some members to see if they can help,, did get in touch with the Skate shop in CPT, linos skate shop, who referred me to somebody in CPT that offers private inline lessons, going to give that a go, because I feel so stupid and dumb trying this out, it looks deceptively simple, and ive watched a 100 tutorials and still not getting it at all,

am very frustrated and exhausted, as I thought by now with al the practicing ive been doing I'm still not getting anywhere to rollerskating with confidence, I just fall over as soon as I try concrete or a solid surface,

even tried to hold on to a broom to steady myself when I get up from a crawl, tried holding on to walls fences, nothing is working,

hoping a one on one will help me get to a point in time I dont look like an absolute fool, trying Roller blades and not something simpler like flower arranging

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Well done. Age is no bar for this but IMO one just needs to take it very slowly if doing it after mid-40's

Im not quite 40's, still a few years away, but already feel ancient and hard to be able to move and get up the way the tutorials show it,

the pads/helmet and gear has saved my skin a few times now, gotten scratched up decently already,
so its proven itself as a necessity, don't know how I will go in the future, but don't find anything for the back, I just land backwards, constantly all the time.

and yes, Ive watched the tutorials a few times advising to try lean foward, or land to the side, and not completly on my Ass, but Im finding that bit impossible to do, as it just feels like the wheels have a mind of their own.

one thing I never understood, is why did nobody invent electromagnetic brakes, or a way to lock the wheels from turning when your starting out, maybe with a hand trigger you can unlock as soon as you feel you standing correctly, to gain the confidence to start rollling and get over the feeling of rolling without moving your feet.

almost like when im starting in the grass where they dont roll, replicate that but on the concrete

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

I'll call the hospital so long, Netcare ok? Oh and let me know if you prefer an opioid-based pain killer in your latte or you'll just get a shot in the drip?

as long as the Doctor is a fellow Jew, says a few kind word in Hebrew/yiddish to me to calm me down
I get a mega dose of opiods to make me forget the pain in the backside, and believe I'm a 8 yr old kid and all my friends had rollerblades and I didn't.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

But its far better to have your weight forward on the ball of your feet than towards the heel with your feet below you. Falling backwards is far more prone to injury than forwards.
If you feel you are going to fall don't stand up rather crouch down as the damage will be far less.

fell from a crouched position a few times straight on my bum, was lekka sore, if I try straighten up, while still bending the knees, fall even harder backwards, its like the little 8 wheels are like a bucking bronkho and cant wait to fling me off straight on my behind.

keep thinking something is off, either im too tall (195CM) or weight too much, there is a little label stuck inside that says weight limit is 100KG, and my weight is over that, but not be a lot, (108KG)

so between that, and the couple of hard falls ive had, really not seeing results, hoping a one of one will help me out here.

 

[neoprema]

as long as the Doctor is a fellow Jew, says a few kind word in Hebrew/yiddish to me to calm me down
I get a mega dose of opiods to make me forget the pain in the backside, and believe I'm a 8 yr old kid and all my friends had rollerblades and I didn't.

I'll see what i can arrange. my GP is Jewish so that's a start i can arrange him

 

[NoStepOnSnek88]

honestly speaking very close to giving up on it, have the full set pads, helmet, Knee, elbow, and wrist protectors, look like a glorified boxer wearing everything, looks totally ridiculous, I imagine self pride goes out the window when you try Rollerblades

so far, been able to stand on grass,mud and sand and walk around in the 45 degree angle all the tutorials show,
but as soon as I try transitioning to concrete instantly fall backwards, have fallen twice already very very badly, hurting my back but nothing broken, luckily, but was about a 2 week or so recovery with deep heat and voltaren all over my backside to try and heal from falling over backwards.

did try to PM some members to see if they can help,, did get in touch with the Skate shop in CPT, linos skate shop, who referred me to somebody in CPT that offers private inline lessons, going to give that a go, because I feel so stupid and dumb trying this out, it looks deceptively simple, and ive watched a 100 tutorials and still not getting it at all,

am very frustrated and exhausted, as I thought by now with al the practicing ive been doing I'm still not getting anywhere to rollerskating with confidence, I just fall over as soon as I try concrete or a solid surface,

even tried to hold on to a broom to steady myself when I get up from a crawl, tried holding on to walls fences, nothing is working,

hoping a one on one will help me get to a point in time I dont look like an absolute fool, trying Roller blades and not something simpler like flower arranging

Sell all of it, and take up a shooting discipline.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

honestly speaking very close to giving up on it, have the full set pads, helmet, Knee, elbow, and wrist protectors, look like a glorified boxer wearing everything, looks totally ridiculous, I imagine self pride goes out the window when you try Rollerblades

so far, been able to stand on grass,mud and sand and walk around in the 45 degree angle all the tutorials show,
but as soon as I try transitioning to concrete instantly fall backwards, have fallen twice already very very badly, hurting my back but nothing broken, luckily, but was about a 2 week or so recovery with deep heat and voltaren all over my backside to try and heal from falling over backwards.

did try to PM some members to see if they can help,, did get in touch with the Skate shop in CPT, linos skate shop, who referred me to somebody in CPT that offers private inline lessons, going to give that a go, because I feel so stupid and dumb trying this out, it looks deceptively simple, and ive watched a 100 tutorials and still not getting it at all,

am very frustrated and exhausted, as I thought by now with al the practicing ive been doing I'm still not getting anywhere to rollerskating with confidence, I just fall over as soon as I try concrete or a solid surface,

even tried to hold on to a broom to steady myself when I get up from a crawl, tried holding on to walls fences, nothing is working,

hoping a one on one will help me get to a point in time I dont look like an absolute fool, trying Roller blades and not something simpler like flower arranging

Heh. I thought you stayed in glenhazel as we jabbed each other a bit on Israel/Islam threads.

If you were in Jozi, I could have asked you to take 1-2 lessons from my son's coach here. I just took his help for one session & it was kind of helpful but then decided to be on my own to save money (not that he is very expensive but still) and I think I am getting quite comfortable. I am not cruising with confidence yet but getting there. I don't have natural sense of balance as I never did any of such sports when I was kid.

I will try to find YT videos that help me immensely. Later this week, I will try to summarize & list few things that I learnt after watching all those videos. My intention is to just learn more and one sometimes learns when one tries to explain it to someone else so there is selfish motive behind this.

I never stood on grass or sand to "try it" though. I directly started on rink even though first day was challenging as hell. I am exceptionally slow learner though and I focus on stability than speed.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

Im not quite 40's, still a few years away, but already feel ancient and hard to be able to move and get up the way the tutorials show it,

the pads/helmet and gear has saved my skin a few times now, gotten scratched up decently already,
so its proven itself as a necessity, don't know how I will go in the future, but don't find anything for the back, I just land backwards, constantly all the time.

and yes, Ive watched the tutorials a few times advising to try lean foward, or land to the side, and not completly on my Ass, but Im finding that bit impossible to do, as it just feels like the wheels have a mind of their own.

one thing I never understood, is why did nobody invent electromagnetic brakes, or a way to lock the wheels from turning when your starting out, maybe with a hand trigger you can unlock as soon as you feel you standing correctly, to gain the confidence to start rollling and get over the feeling of rolling without moving your feet.

almost like when im starting in the grass where they dont roll, replicate that but on the concrete

Heh - you are still a spring chicken if you haven't even reached 40's.

One tip I found very helpful and changed my huge imbalance. This is when I was doing quadskates.

Instead of thinking it as leaning forward, dorsiflex a bit and bring your shin forward so that knees are over your toes. Keep both your hands forward try to feel this movement. I used to gym a bit and was used to traditional squat but this bending legs is not similar to that movement AT ALL. In traditional squat, you keep your bum below so you basicall squat backwards.

Here you are not partial squating that way but just bending legs so that knees go just over your toes.

Try it. If you don't understand above, I will try to find a YT video which demonstrates it very well.

Of course, since last 3 weeks, I am using inline skates (in garage ever other day) and just that has improved my balance tremendously. There is a lateral challenge to ankles but I find it less disturbing than fear of falling forward/backward which seems to be quite common with quad skates, more than inline ones.

Note. I am overweight by about 12-15kg as per BMI chart. I am suppposed to be between 75-80 but am 91kg.

 

[Gabe Owner]

Sell all of it, and take up a shooting discipline.

 

[NoStepOnSnek88]

I don't have that amount of cash to do that, but I do that with my empty brass casings.