3 tips for roller skating (for beginners) and where to buy –

Always wanted to learn how to skate but never had the courage? Know that the modality is actually quite easy if you follow the correct instructions. “The problem is that most people use the wrong posture and the wrong mechanics, trying to use the same logic you use to walk (taking your foot forward) and, with skates, it is not like that”, he explains. Deborah Harry, a skating teacher from the United States who has a channel where she teaches the technique. Learn here 3 tips for skating that every beginner needs to know and some Good Shape tips on where to buy.

In the last month, the video of a girl dancing on roller skates went viral on Instagram (see below), leading many people to develop (or revive) the desire to learn the sport.

With that in mind, asked Manuella Alves Antão, skate instructor for the Gray City Rebels, 5-time Brazilian roller derby champion, to give us the main tips that every beginner should know:

3 tips for roller skating

1. Posture

First of all, no standing with your legs stretched out on the skates. You should have your knees bent, spine straight, feet slightly apart. “Having your knees bent helps you maintain and regain your balance. If you keep your knees straight, you end up pushing the weight forward”, explains Manu.
Another important tip is to look ahead. The tendency will be to look at your feet, for fear of falling, but this also ends up messing with the body’s balance center, making you more likely to take a tumble. So always look ahead.

2. Passed

“To walk forward, it’s important to keep your supporting foot flat on the ground (making it easier for the wheels to slide) and the foot that will propel you diagonally, so the wheels ‘lock’ and you can use friction to propel yourself forward. ”, says Manu.

The movement here will not depend on taking the leg forward (as we do when walking), but on shifting your body weight from one leg to the other, while the other propels you forward.

3. Beginner exercises

“Stick skating is an exercise to skate without taking your foot off the ground. There are several types. One of them is to draw a balloon with your feet. The movement helps you strengthen your legs and is also a simpler way to slow down and stop”, teaches Manu.

Below, our editor teaches, in video, how to do the exercise.

Testimonial from our editor: learning to skate

“I’d been on inline skates before, the kind where the wheels are on a straight line — ‘walked’ is a very generous term in this case, I knew how to stand up and roll forward. I recently bought the quad (4-wheel) skates to learn and it’s amazing how the stance tip totally changes the balance (either on the quad or inline). I’m walking much more easily and the exercises that Manu gave help a lot to get the necessary movement to skate. After practicing this exercise, the movement will feel natural when you are walking freely. I’m still a beginner but, in less than a month, I’m already much more confident and I’ve even managed — timidly — to walk backwards and do a complete 180-degree turn in the same place. The tip I give is, if you can, train at least 20 minutes every day, not 3 hours just on the weekend”

— Larissa Serpa, editor of .

Skates: where to buy

– (Brand/Disclosure)

Roller Skates Retro Oxer Sweet Suede, buy here.

– (Brand/Disclosure)

Quad Skates 100 Oxelo, buy here.

– (Amazon/Disclosure)

Candi Girl Carlin Roller Derby Skates, buy here.

unisex row skates, buy here.

– (Amazon/Disclosure)

Bel Fix Classic Weekend Skates, buy here.