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Roller skates are about as green as transport gets, and these tips for learning how to skate like a pro will have you rolling like a speed demon in no time. When you commute to work on roller skates, every Monday morning is more like a Sunday afternoon in the park, which is clearly its own reward. Add to the fun the fact that you're helping reduce your carbon footprint by giving your gas pedal a break, plus the fact that you'll be getting an epic workout without even thinking about how many calories you're burning or how much muscle you're building, and you've got a seriously winning equation. Talk about green fun. Who knew your inner child could make such environmentally responsible choices?
Quad Skates vs. Rollerblades
Quad skates is the official jargony name for those old-fashioned skates with wheels in the front and the back, which look like they're from the 70s. Rollerblades, also called in-line skates, have a single line of wheels all in a row, and look like they're from the 90s. Quads are better for indoor skating than for outdoor, so you'll probably want blades, which can handle a wider variety of terrain, and will be better suited to the sidewalks you'll soon be conquering, owning, and/or ruling over like a friendly but omnipotent despot.
Get The Right Safety Gear
Especially when you're first starting out, you'll probably plant on the ground a couple of times without meaning to. This makes some protective gear extra-crucial. You'll want knee pads to cushion your falls, and most importantly, you'll want wrist guards. They'll keep you from doing any damage when you instinctively try to catch yourself if you do fall. When you start to go groundwards, you'll probably put out your hands to stop yourself, which means you'll be asking your dainty wrists to absorb the impact, so you should give them some extra support to avoid sprains or nastier results, like the all-too-common Colles' Fracture. A helmet's not a bad idea either, so strap one on, in case you tip backwards.
Stay Relaxed
Beginning skaters often tense up their legs, but you'll have an easier time if you can stay warm and loose. Keep your knees slightly bent, to help yourself balance. Think of how ice skaters move- fluidly, with bent knees. In fact, if you know how to ice skate, you're halfway to rolling mastery. The kind of balance skills you'll need in order to rock some blades on pavement are almost exactly the same as the skills you've mastered on the ice.
Take It Slow
Rollerblades can tempt to you go super-fast, but until you've got your newly be-wheeled feet completely under your command, don't try to break any world records. Practice on flat surfaces so that you don't accidentally build extra momentum by plummeting downhill. Start out by standing on your skates on some soft grass to get a feel for how to balance and how to do correct braking positions, then once you feel comfortable, switch to the sidewalk. It's also smart to start learning in small sessions, rather than going for an epic learn-everything-in-one-day blowout. You'll be using muscles that you probably don't call on very often, so give your body a chance to work up to longer skate sessions.
Watch Some Pros
There's no substitute for experience, but gleaning insight from people with lots of knowledge is about as close as you can get, and can save you a lot of time, and a lot of trial and error. Watch some videos on skating for beginners, and read articles on how to skate, 'cause knowledge is power!
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Want to know what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint? Find out on Planet Green TV's Wa$ted.
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