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Beginners Guide to Inline Skating

How to Skate

Here are some articles and links to help you get started on inline skates. Read them all. Take the warnings seriously. And have fun.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Beginning Inline Skaters ... The Top 7 mistakes made by beginning inline skaters and how to avoid them. ... Read this before you head out there!

Don't Hit the Trail Without It! ... Wear your protective gear while skating or Mr. Bumby will chomp you.

How to Start Skating, Part l: Your First Steps ... Here's a step-by-step guide that will transform you from Gumby to Giselle in ... well, not that long!

How to Start Skating, Part ll: Your First Strides ... You've learned how to walk on your inline skates. Now it's time to learn how to start rolling!

Start With Skates That Fit ... Don't make the mistake of starting out with skates that don't fit. Your skates should fit your feet and your abilities. ... Give yourself a head start. ... Start with the right skates!

Don't Try Hills Until You're Ready ... Lots of beautiful skating relationships have been destroyed by rushing into hills too quickly. New skaters must practice hill abstinence. Just say no — to hills!

Skate Coach: Kathy McSparran's Column Can Help Get You Rolling and Make You a Better Skater - Certified inline instructor Kathy McSparran has a passion for skating, a knack for teaching and a way with words. In her twice monthly column, she shares what she's learned during 15 years of teaching and skating. If you are learning to skate or trying to improve your skills, don't miss it! (Go to the Skate Coach directory.)

How to Buy Skates Online
skatesonline3
Kathy McSparran's 10 step program takes the guess work out of buying skates online.
Skate Tip

Top 10 Real World Skate Tips
thumbnail of Kathy McSparran
Hills, water hazards, broken pavement, snakes. (Yes ... even snakes!) It's a jungle out there on the trail! But fortunately we've got Skate Coach (aka "Skates With Snakes") to help us on our way. (Read Kathy McSparran's Top 10 Real World Skate Tips.) (April 14, 2006)

The Mayo Clinic's Guide to Fitness and Sports Injury ... You'll find lots of tips here for how to get the most out of your skating.

Do You Need to See a Doctor Before You Start Skating? ... If you have an existing medical condition or if you haven't exercised in years, it's a good idea to see a doctor before you start skating. Read this article to help decide whether you need to see a doctor first be starting to inline skate.

Don't Be Surprised If You Wake Up With Some Aches and Pains ... Don't be alarmed if you wake up with some aches and pains when you start skating. It's normal. The exercise nerds even have a name for it: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS. But DOMS, you'll see, doesn't spell doom, which you'll realize if you read this article.

You're Not Alone -- Everyone Started Out a Beginner ... Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of skating? ... Need a belt of courage to get you started? ... Read these notes from Planet readers describing their first time on inline skates. ... And remember: we all start out as beginners!

Carpet Training to Cure the Wobblies - If learning to skate seems just too hard, start your career with a little carpet blading, suggests Get Rolling author Liz Miller. Start with the basics, like standing in the ready position and practicing falling. And then move on learn the basic positions for braking and turning. Once your body learns the moves, it will be easier to perform them on pavement while rolling. (Go to Liz's tutorial in the Orbit.) (Nov. 16, 2005)

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Go to the Inline Planet homepage to continuing learning about skating and rollerblading.

Related reading

•Go to Skate Coach directory

Links:

•Go to USSG instructor finder

inlineplanet

Certified inline instructor Kathy McSparran has a passion for skating, a knack for teaching and a way with words. In her column, she shares what she's learned during 15 years of teaching and skating. If you are learning to skate or trying to improve your skills, don't miss it! (Go to the Skate Coach directory.)

Learning How to Inline Skate

Skating is a great way to get and shape and have fun, but if you’re just getting started, you might need some inline skating lessons to help you get off on the right foot.  Whether you want to focus on your stance and stride or just need help picking out the right set of skates, Kathy McSparran offers her knowledge and support to all first-time skaters out there.

The tips you find here provide you with advice for a variety of situations you’ll face while you’re out there having fun. From taking your first stride to how to handle hills, the free skate lessons McSparran provides are invaluable tools for helping you to get the best experience out of skating.

One of the many important things to keep in mind when starting your inline skate lessons is take things at a slow pace and don’t try to rush yourself. If you try to dive in too fast, you could end up getting hurt and become discouraged about continuing with the sport.

Whether you’re seriously getting into the sport or just doing it for fun, the invaluable tips and ideas you find here will help you learn to inline skate. Our site is full of other helpful information and news from within the skating world. In our forum you can talk with other people enthusiastic about the sport. The Skate Coach Café is another great place for a inline skating beginner to get even more tips and advice from fellow skaters.

You'll find all the latest news and information about inline skating on the Inline Planet.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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