Let’s begin by addressing some questions related to your inline or roller skating
practice:
- How many hours per week do you dedicate to your inline or roller skating practice?
- Do you have a specific weekly time goal for your wheels? Are you able to skate more frequently during weekends?
- Do you commit to participating in local urban group skates, or do you prefer skating in your neighborhood park or along a seafront promenade?
- Are you primarily focused on fitness, aiming to increase your skating distance and speed?
- What types of skating activities do you engage in while using inline or roller skates?
- What do you mean when you say “practice”?
For many individuals, the concept of “practice” is often equated with the amount of time spent on skates, without much consideration for the specific activities performed during those hours.
- Are you making the progress you desire in your skating journey?
- Are you successfully achieving your skating goals? Do you feel confident and competent, capable of controlling your speed and stopping effectively?
- Are you able to navigate the city safely and with confidence?
One major issue with the belief that practice time equals time on skates is that, even
if you spend two hours skating, if you’re making common mistakes such as
inadequate knee bend, weight placement near the heels, lack of upper body control,
or leaning forwards, any mistakes can hinder noticeable progress. What’s worse is
that you might not even be aware of these mistakes.
Skating can be an incredibly enjoyable experience, with the wind in your hair and the
world whizzing by. It’s a fantastic sensation that should be cherished and enjoyed.
However, from observing numerous Skatefresh students engaged in a different
approach, it’s evident that using your skate time to follow a structured sequence of
specific exercises and movements in a focused and conscious manner leads to
more rapid and noticeable improvements.
Your skating then becomes not only your physical exercise but also a mindfulness
practice. This focused approach helps you develop the ability to coordinate multiple
actions with your body simultaneously, such as shifting weight to one skate, steering
in a desired direction, and controlling your upper body.
Skating is not a simple activity, and most people don’t have experience in making
their bodies perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Learning to inline or roller skate
is often more complex than learning to drive, where you coordinate hands, feet, arms,
head, and eyes. While driving, the torso remains relatively stationary, but skating
involves a more intricate mix of actions. Unlike driving, where most people receive
formal instruction and have to pass a test, the majority of adult roller or inline skaters
attempt to figure out how to skate independently, without a structured training
program of progressive drills.
It can be challenging to determine the most effective way to achieve your
rollerblading goals quickly and utilize your skate time productively for continuous
improvement. The feeling of progress is incredibly rewarding, and by treating your
skating journey as a personal development project, you can gain even more from this
sport.
The benefits of inline and roller skating can be divided into two areas:
- Yang-style learning, involving the development of multiple skills, including mental focus, physical strength training, stamina, and mental discipline.
- Yin-style sensory experience, allowing you to simultaneously feel the wind in your hair, the air in your lungs, and the burn in your thighs and glutes as you build muscle and focus on correct form.
You can be mindful of all these elements while skating, making it a multi-faceted experience that offers high-level mindfulness for those who prefer skating over running or going to the gym.
Skaters who engage with structured practice plans and skill progressions report significantly increased enjoyment of skating. Practicing with progressions involves breaking down each skill into manageable components, enabling you to track improvements from one session to the next and appreciate subtle adjustments. What was challenging three sessions ago becomes much clearer, whether it’s mastering a cruising scissor position, a stopping method, or the next phase of your skating stride.
Many individuals skip this kind of training and simply repeat the entire move over and over again. Some skaters have shared that they’ve been “practicing a specific move for months” without success. Yet, after going through all the progression exercises for the skill during a class or with an online program, they achieve the skill with some focussed repetition & optimum technical form.
In summary, practice is not merely the amount of time spent on skates; it should involve focused, conscious, and progressive learning of core skills one at a time, which are later integrated. This type of practice leads to progress, and more importantly, lasting progress. This progress can then serve as a foundation for making your skills safer, faster, smoother, and the envy of others.
For comprehensive progressive exercises for each skill, you can explore Skatefresh’s online courses, which include free trials to access full skill lessons. Just choose your level, beginner, intermediate, or advanced skater:
