Introduction
Can you imagine what would happen if the wheel wasn't invented. Nothing, that's what. Life would be static rather than dynamic without wheels, and concepts like speed would be irrelevant.
However, since that isn't the case, the use of wheels is applied everywhere today, be it cars, airplanes, trucks, bicycles and pretty much anything that needs to be moved.
At a different level altogether, wheels are also used for skating (roller skates), and which has a long and rich history that dates back to as early as 1760. In recent times, with the evolution of this pastime into a recognized sport, there are several disciplines ranging from speed skating to figure skating and roller hockey as well.
In more recent times, rollerblading has become popular among young and old alike, and which uses skates that have only one set of wheels as opposed to the skates that we grew up with that had four wheels attached to the boot imitating the formation of a vehicle.
Using Rollerblades
On the other hands, rollerblades are built in the shape of wheels lined up one after the other, and was created as a substitute for ice skates, unlike the quad skates that has been used for recreation for a long time now.
Another difference between quad skates and inline skates is the use of brakes that are either placed at the heel or the toe.
And depending on the kind of sport that use these skates such as aggressive skating, speed skating, inline hockey and artistic inline skating, there are differing specifications for the boots, frames and wheels used.
Rollerblading Basics
Tip #1: Get rollerblades that are a perfect fit, and are not loose or too tight either.
Tip #2: Wear protective equipment such as kneepads, wrist pads, elbow pads and a crash helment. Safety comes first.
Tip #3: Any skater knows what a 'stride', and before you try the stunts that you so love, practice how to push and glide your way into getting the kind of speed that makes this sport so much fun. And remember this takes a LOT of practice.
Tip #4: Practice falling down and getting a few times before trying anything risky, and remember to start skating on flat surfaces only after which you can progress to sloped surfaces. When you are comfortable with both of these, then you can go for the risky stuff.
Tip #5: Learn two ways of braking, one which includes using the brake provided either at the heel or the toe, and another way to stop just in case of a defective brake such as moving in the direction of a hill (which will slow you down), dragging your feet and most importantly, learning to use your protective gear to the maximum in order to break the fall.
Tip # 6: Avoid unstable surfaces such as rock, gravel and sand as they are not only bad for your blade but there are more chances of having a fall especially if you aren't an experienced skater.
After you have mastered these basics, then you can start learning tricks by using surfaces that are anything but flat and put your best foot forward in challenging the law of gravity and physics while pushing the limits.
In Closing
Even though rollerblading is a bit tough to learn, once you master the basics, there's no looking back, and so since words won't be enough to walk you through the process of buying and learning to wear rollerblades, take a look at part 1 of Rollerblading for Beginners
You will also find part 2 on Youtube as well!
1,154 views