This guide will show you how to fall while roller skating. These strategies will ensure that you do not fall so often and help you fall safely.
If you have ever fallen, you will know the feeling.
You feel adrenaline rush through your veins and your heart pumping.
Then you suddenly realize you must act fast to avoid falling. Roller skating is fast, and you can move at high speeds.
It’s not ideal for falling in this sport. But it’s a fact that sometimes falling is necessary.
This prospect can seem daunting, but it’s not as terrible as it sounds.
There are ways to prevent falls from happening, make them less painful, and even make them more fun.
This article will help you avoid the worst situations that could occur when roller skating.
How Can You Get Over The Fear of Falling?
People don’t like to fall. This is normal and part of our human nature.
But in roller skating, everyone falls constantly.
You’ll likely experience it multiple times throughout your skating career. It can be frightening at first. Understanding your fears and how you can get past them is important.
Consider the best and most dangerous outcomes, considering that you have done everything possible to ensure your safety.
This mental exercise will help you relax and lessen your anxiety about falling while roller skating.
To overcome this fear, you must actually fall.
There are many ways to approach falls. We’ll explain them all below.
Once you have learned how to safely fall, you can apply that knowledge to grass or carpet. This helps you to be in control of your fall and understand how it feels.
These techniques can be done on grass or carpet to increase confidence and prepare for the worst falls.
There Are Many Reasons Why You Might Fall
It is not a random thing to fall on skates. It can only occur when there is an underlying problem. It is possible to avoid falling if you identify the reason for your fall.
These are some of the most common causes of falls:
1. Skating in the wrong place
Choosing the right place to skate is crucial until you are confident enough to handle all surfaces.
Smooth, flat surfaces are essential for beginners.
Avoid any slopes and avoid debris like leaves, gravel, or twigs. It is much harder to roll over roughness at slower speeds, making it more likely that beginners will tripped by debris.
Falls are also caused by unseen slopes or surface camber. This is why it’s important to be careful when you start skating.
2. Tension in the body
Your body will feel nervous when you learn to skate. This is normal because your body knows that falling could be painful.
However, this anticipation paradoxically makes it more likely to fall.
The first step in learning to relax on your wheels is to be aware of your body.
Are your feet relaxed?
Can you move your toes when rolling, or are they tight?
Are your back, arms, and shoulders tight?
You can identify tension by focusing your attention on certain body parts when you are skating.
3. Failure to properly bend the knee
Your main cause of imbalance is having your weight in the back or middle of your feet.
This is often caused by your knees being too straight. Instead of being bent so that your kneecaps reach your toes, this can cause imbalance.
Any surface obstruction or wobble you come across with your weight on the backside of your skates can cause a backward fall.
4. Issues related to posture
If your upper body is positioned forward at the waist or hips, your rear end must shift back to prevent you from falling forward over your toes.
This is a common mistake that almost all beginner skaters make. This is clearly explained in the video tutorials.
5. Unable to stop
Beginner skaters often panic when they can’t stop on their skates and fall.
Avoid any slopes until you’re confident that you can stop using a toe or heel brake.
Many skaters aren’t able to master their stopping skills so that they can perform at their fastest speeds.
However, a stop is useless if you can only execute it at slow speeds. It is important to spend time and effort learning to stop on skates.
How Do You Safely Fall When Roller Skating?
Falling safely is possible with the help of several factors.
1. Protective Gear
Protective gear is the first thing to think about when roller skating.
You will need a helmet to fully protect your head, wrists, knees, and elbows.
Because Protective gear is required for some fall techniques.
They will make you feel confident, even if you think they are silly.
2. Surface
It is equally important to choose the right surface for your skating. Different surfaces can offer different experiences, depending on the type of skater. It hurts less to slip on wood flooring than concrete.
Concrete is more susceptible to injury because it lacks shock absorption or cushioning.
3. Environment
In addition to the surface that you are skating on, it is important to think about your surroundings. Skating rinks are safer because you can see the terrain, while outdoor areas have more variety. With potential obstacles in the way, it can be more difficult to fall safely.
You should avoid hills and slopes until you’re comfortable enough.
4. Your body
To avoid serious injury, there are some body parts that you need to be careful not to fall onto.
5. Don’t fall on your wrists.
Usually, Your first instinct might be to try and reduce the impact of a fall by extending your arms. This is not a good idea, as your wrists, even with guards, are fragile and easily broken.
Roller skating is a common sport that can cause wrist fractures and sprains.
It is also not a good idea to drop directly onto your butt or tailbone. This can make it difficult to recover later.
Furthermore, falling on your head and knees is dangerous as it can affect your ability to skate.
6. Warming up
Although it is not something many people think about, warming up can help with falls. You need to prepare your body for intense exercise like any other sport. Failure to do this can lead to injury.
Before it’s too late, make a habit of warming up now.
Falling Techniques
Knee Slides
This trick can only be used with knee pads. You can drop onto one knee if you feel you are falling forward.
At higher speeds, you will find you will slide a bit.
Do your best to get as low to the ground as possible. It’s easier to fall onto your knees when you are closer to it.
Keep your core engaged and your body in the middle of the ground when you do knee slides. This will prevent you from spinning around, which can cause you to lose your balance.
Tap your knees
In situations where you feel out of control, you can also try the “knee tape,” which involves lowering your knee to the ground for a second and getting back up.
Rockstar fall
Another variation of the knee slide is this: you can fall on both knees. It is important to fall first on one knee and then follow the other.
It is dangerous to fall on your knees at once, even if you have kneepads.
Your body fall on your side
You will need to fall onto the side of your body if you are in an un-ideal situation without any protective gear. This is because it is the most comfortable and least painful part of your body to fall on.
Simply bend your knees, go as low as you can, and then fall to the side you are most comfortable with.
This is safer than falling on your knees or wrists.
Accept the fall
falls can be unexpected and catch us unawares. We don’t have the time or resources to react quickly and avoid falling. The tips above can help you skate safely.
There will be times when this will happen to you, and out of gut instinct, you extend your arms to catch yourself.
This should not be your last resort, but it can sometimes be the best thing for you at the moment.
If that is the case, you must bend your elbows when falling as if performing a pushup.
Although it’s not good for your wrists, it will absorb most of the shocks and soften the impact. However, Do not make this type of fall a habit.
How Do You Not Fall When Roller Skating?
The most common reason people fall is when they’re off their edges. Skating is a sport that requires you to be constantly on your inside or outside edges.
Many beginner skaters mistakenly assume they’re walking. Skating is more forward-and-back than side-to-side. Skaters will overcorrect in the opposite direction if they move too much forward or backward.
Here are some simple ways you can prevent further falls from happening in the future:
Stagger Your Feet
Roller skating is different from walking.
I repeat! Roller skating is different from walking.
You must reconsider your belief system if you think the opposite is true. Skating with your feet like walking can cause balance problems for new skaters.
Instead, stagger your feet and place one foot in front of the other. Place most of your weight on your back leg.
This will allow you to move more freely and help you shift your weight easier.
Bend your knees
You will most likely hear this repeated hundreds to even thousands of times.
It is important to bend your knees so that you can get low.
It can reduce the distance you fall and may even prevent you from falling. This helps stabilize your balance and helps you to maintain your stance.
Keep your arms at your sides
You’re still learning the ropes, especially when you are first starting out and trying to balance on moving wheels.
You may find yourself flailing your arms and waving your arms in an attempt to keep balanced.
But what if I said that it was the opposite?
Your body should be in line with your skates. When you are skating, your arms should be relaxed at your sides.
Shift Your Weight
Skating is not a straight line. Skating is a dynamic sport. It involves turning, edges, and transitions that require you to shift your weight to a certain degree.
You can start by placing all of your weight on one leg and then switching to the other.
Gradually incorporate this into your roller skating and use your weight to support your turns and edges.
Fall more
This might sound counterproductive, but hear me out.
We’ve discussed all possible ways to avoid falling so far. These are also practical strategies. Because it happens so often, falling safely is like a technique. This is necessary to be able to skate down the line more successfully.
It is better to fall more, as it builds muscle memory and resilience.
How Do You Get Up After Falling?
Roller skating is not like other activities outside of the skatepark. You need to immediately get up if you fall.
Anybody who does not make themselves a danger to other skaters around or near them.
But how can you still appear composed while getting up?
There are several options:
Get a friend
You can always get help from a friend or other skater nearby.
If you are in this situation and need to help someone, it is important to offer support to them and let them know you are there.
Many people make the fatal mistake of pulling the skater up by his arm. However, this can lead to more injuries.
Crab position
You can also help yourself up by taking the crab position.
Place both your skates on the ground with your feet flat on the ground. Your hands should be behind your back. Next, lift your butt off the ground to get in a “crab” shape.
Stand straight up by bringing your upper body forward.
Push one knee off
After recovering from the fall, you should kneel on one side. The other skate should have all four wheels in contact with the floor.
Next, extend your arms straight out and lean forward. Rollback, then stand up.
Three-step pattern
The three-step pattern is another way to get up.
You want to get up on one knee while the other skate is up with all wheels in contact with the floor. Stand up by shifting your weight to the side with the upright skate.
Conclusion
It’s a pain, but it is something you can’t avoid in your roller skating journey. It’s almost an inevitable evil.
But on the other side, It is a positive sign that you are learning.
Many skaters view it as positive and encourage other skaters who fall. It’s okay to fall, even if you are a professional skater.
There are many ways to overcome the fear of falling. You can fall safely, avoid it, and recover as gracefully as possible. You’ll soon find falling becomes second nature and something you can quickly overcome.
We are confident that with the information you have learned today, you will soon be able to fall like a pro.
