Rollerblading Tricks For Beginners

It can take a minute to truly feel confident on rollerblades. They may look easy, but rollerblades require a great deal of balance and coordination. Still, once you get the hang of it, you may find yourself looking for more. Tricks are a great way to continue to challenge yourself and to grow as a skater. You don’t have to have years of skating experience under your belt to get started, either. There are plenty of rollerblading tricks out there that are perfect for beginners and that may help you learn the foundation of skills necessary to learn more advanced maneuvers later on.

Safety First

If you are going to be practicing tricks, it is important to first have a firm handle on basic rollerblading safety. A good-fitting helmet and other safety gear such as elbow pads and knee pads are absolutely essential. Even the most skilled skaters fall from time to time and safety gear can help you prevent an injury.

It is also recommended to find an open area to practice your tricks in. A parking lot may seem ideal, but make sure that there aren’t many cars nearby. It can be difficult to maintain awareness of your surroundings when you are in the middle of practicing a new move. Plus, drivers in a parking lot may not be looking out for rollerbladers.

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5 Rollerblading Tricks For Beginners

1. Heel Toe

This is a neat trick that’s fairly easy to learn once you are confident with your balance on your rollerblades. The name basically describes the final position of your skate’s wheels when performing this maneuver– you will be using the heel of one skate and the toe of the other.

To start, find a straightaway where you can skate without having to turn for a bit. Then, skate up to a good cruising speed– not too fast, but you want your momentum to be able to carry you without the need to actively skate. Take one foot and position it in front of you, then lean that foot back so that only the rear wheel is making contact with the ground. Your toe should be pointed upwards at an angle. Next, take your other foot and position it slightly behind you. This time, point your toe down so that the front wheel of the skate is the only one making contact with the ground. In this case, your heel is pointed upwards. Now that you have an idea of what the trick looks like, practice gliding around with your feet in that position.

2. The Wave

The wave is a basic rollerblading maneuver. You may find that learning this motion is useful for performing a variety of other tricks, as well.

First, skate forwards enough to build up some speed. Once you have a fair amount of momentum, position your feet so they are parallel to one another and centered underneath your hips. Next, while still gliding, carefully move your feet outwards and away from each other– not too far, but so that your feet are now wider than your hip’s distance apart.

Then– still carefully– guide your feet back towards each other and their starting position. Practice this a few times until you feel confident with each individual maneuver. Then, try moving your feet in and out several times while gliding. This is the wave.

3. Backward Skating

Skating backward is a unique-looking trick, although it can take a bit of practice to fully get the hang of it. This technique requires different movements than skating forwards.

The easiest way to learn this trick is to start facing a wall, fence, or post– anything you can push off of. Look behind you to make sure there are no cars or other obstacles, and then push off your starting object. This will send you backward on your skate. After giving yourself a gentle push, practice your leg movements. You will need to move each skate away from the other, one at a time. You can use your hips to control the skate’s motion, in a sort of wave-like maneuver. Eventually, you will be able to create enough motion that you continue backward even after the momentum from your initial push has faded away.

4. Basic Jump

A jump on rollerblades is a little advanced, so make sure you feel very confident in both your balance and your core strength. You will need a great deal of both to successfully perform this trick.

Like with some of the other tricks we have talked about, you will want to start this trick from a solid glide. Find a good straight away and get a bit of speed. Bring your skates together so they are parallel underneath you. The skates should not be touching but they should be as close together as they can be. Bend your knees so that you are in a partial squat position and engage your core. Then, carefully, jump up. Do not move your legs during the jump. Leave them in the same position so that the wheels of your rollerblades can easily catch you when you hit the ground.

5. Fishtail

This trick can be useful for weaving in and out of cones or other objects in your path. To fishtail, first, get up to a good gliding speed and bring your knees in together. This should force your skates to be parallel underneath you, close together but not touching.

From there, practice moving your hips so that your feet kind of wiggle back and forth. Imagine the motion necessary to weave around a line of cones– this is the movement you are trying to mimic here. Just be careful not to bring your feet in too close together so that you lose your balance. The best way to practice fishtailing is to set up a few cones or other objects in your practice space and fishtail in between them.

Final Thoughts

Rollerblading alone is a fun activity, and tricks can really take it to the next level. Even beginners can learn to master basic tricks with enough practice.

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