We all start somewhere! Roller skating is all about learning as you go. So here are a few tips and tricks to help you on your journey.
Start at Home
Learn to balance on carpet.
I know it sounds crazy to skate on the carpet, but you're not actually skating. A best practice is to strap on your skates, then learn how to stand and balance on a soft surface. Once you’re comfortable on eight wheels, you can transition to skating on hard pavement.
Prep Your Skates
1. Loosen the Wheels
When you receive your skates, the wheels may be a little tight straight out of the box. Grab a standard Y-tool to loosen or tighten the roller skate wheels based on your desired roll. Here’s a video using a y-tool for reference.
Watch a video on how to replace your wheels here.
2. Adjust The Toe Stopper
Adjustable toe stoppers, as found in the Dark Magic Collection, need to be adjusted to the perfect height for you! It’s super easy. Just twist on and off until you get your desired height. Just in case you forgot: Righty Tighty (shorten), Lefty Loosey (lengthen).
3. Fix Your Laces
When strapping skates, you want to make the laces tightly secured. There’s nothing worse than ill-fitting skates. If you want a little extra customization, you can replace the colors or tie them using different methods.
Check out three super cute lacing techniques here.
Skating Essentials
Okay, so there are some things everyone just needs to know when getting on eight wheels.
Proper Posture
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart
- Bend your knees
- Squat as you skate
- Lean forward slightly
How to Stop
- Your toe stops are your brakes
- Roll with your skates parallel to each other
- Place one skate (A) slightly in front of the other (B)
- Lean forward on the leg (A)
- Press down onto the toe stop (A)
Approach your stop with confidence! The harder you press, the faster you will stop. If you hesitate, you may lose and balance and fall. That isn’t the worst thing that could happen, but if no one ever tells you, you will never know.
Pro-Tip: Some skaters press down on the knee of leg (A) to apply enough force to stop.
Skate (S)quad, stay tuned for more tips and tricks! In the meantime follow us on Instagram.
Special thanks to our gorgeous model @elektricangel_!
