If you love to roller skate you may have wondered if you can safely skate on the street. As a general rule, roller skating is easier indoors, where the surface is more even and smooth.
Skating on the road can present challenges that will not be present when skating inside or on sidewalks since roads tend to be uneven and bumpy. But, does this mean that you should never try it? Not necessarily, but there are a few things that you need to know before you attempt to roller skate on a surface street.
The key to skating on roads is practice. Here are just a few tips on what you should practice:
- Bend your knees while skating to achieve stability.
- There are cracks and bumps in the road. To best maneuver the streets, practice putting your weight on one foot and stepping over these obstacles.
- It may sound counter intuitive but you should practice falling. You should learn a controlled way to fall, like taking a knee when falling forward. Falling backwards is far more dangerous. Learning to do a butt slide is critical.
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Are Roller Skates Made To Use On Roads
Most roads are somewhat bumpy and uneven, which means it is usually not good to roller skate on them. A lot of things can happen, including accidentally falling or even losing your balance as you skate. There’s also the danger of the traffic on the roads, which means you could get hit by a car if you aren’t careful. Some roads have less traffic on them and are much smoother than others, but roller skating on roads is never an ideal situation regardless of the type of road you’re on and how careful you are.
Roller skates can have indoor wheels or outdoor wheels. The indoor wheels are smoother and harder because they’re meant to be used on smoother indoor surfaces. Although having outdoor wheels on your skates may help, it isn’t just the wheels that you need to consider when deciding whether or not you should roller skate on a roadway. When you skate outside, there are factors that are out of control that can make it difficult regardless of what type of wheels are on your skates.
These dangers include bumps and cracks in the road, pebbles and rocks, pedestrians, and cars that can accidentally get too close to you and cause an accident to happen. In other words, when you’re skating outside, there are always going to be things you can’t control that are potentially dangerous for you.
Is It Hard To Roller Skate On The Road
Roller skating on the road is difficult. The terrain of streets is less predictable than what you’ll find at an indoor skating rink. Streets have less even surfaces with potholes and cracks. There are also uphill and downhill slopes that will have to be maneuvered on streets.
Adding to this difficulty are the dangerous obstacles that you will have to avoid like vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Also, there is an increased danger of injury when you fall when skating on a street. Falling on concrete hurts more. In addition, you can fall into traffic and be hit by a vehicle. Finally, there is nothing for you to grab onto (like a wall) to slow your fall.
What Roller Skates Are Best For Roads
When choosing roller skates for skating on streets, the wheels are the most important feature to consider. These are some of the best skate features for skating on roads:
- softer wheels
- long stemmed toe stop
- a boot with a heel can shift your weight onto the ball of your foot for increased agility
The advantages of wearing flat skates are that you can skate faster, you have more push when going forward, you’re more stable when skating on ramps, the skates support the ankle better, they are better for jumping, and it is easier to fall backward in flat skates.
Wearing high heel skates is better for keeping weight more toward the front. It’s also harder to fall backward in high heel skates. These heeled skates are good for beginners.
Using traditional skates may be easier and more stable than inline skates, especially downhill.
A Safety Tip For Skating On The Street [Video]
One tip to use when skating on the street is to stagger your feet while skating to achieve a more stable base. Check out this video to see how it’s done.
Can You Use Quad Roller Skates Outside
Quad skates (aff. link) are what you would generally consider being a traditional skate. They look like boots or shoes and have two wheels on one side of the bottom section and two more on the other side. They often have a stopper on the bottom front section of the skate right underneath your toes.
Just as with any other skates, these can be used outdoors if they have the right wheels on them. However, most quad roller skates are actually made for indoor skating. If you have a pair of skates that you like but have indoor wheels you can replace those wheels with some made for use outside.
What Are The Laws And Rules Regarding Roller Skating Outside
The laws regarding roller skating outside can vary depending on where you live, but more often than not, you’ll have to follow the same rules as you would if you were riding a bicycle outdoors. This usually means going in the same direction as the traffic, but it’s best to check with the authorities in your area to make sure that you’re understanding the law correctly.
Also, keep in mind that in many locations, you won’t be able to skate on the road itself but will be forced to stay on the sidewalk. Still, many areas allow you to roller skate on the side of the road just the same as a bicycle rider does.
Things to Remember When Roller Skating on the Road
Just the same as driving or riding a bicycle, the following are some things to keep in mind when roller skating on the road:
- Don’t wear headphones. Headphones are acceptable when skating indoors, but when you wear them while skating outdoors, you can miss hearing cars and people that could be warning you of danger. You need to hear what’s going on around you in order to be safe.
- Always put safety first. This means wearing a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads every time you skate so that you’ll be as protected as possible should you accidentally fall or get knocked down on the ground.
- Don’t walk while wearing your skates. If you “walk” instead of skate while wearing your roller skates, it can be dangerous. Going too slow in roller skates can cause cracks in the road to catch your wheels, which usually results in getting stuck and not being able to go any further.
- Always bend your knees while you’re skating. When you do this, you’ll naturally go a little faster when skating over cracks and rocks on the road, which makes skating over these things without being unsafe a whole lot easier.
- Lower your body weight. This causes fewer accidents, and if you do fall, it will be less painful because you’re falling from a lower angle, in a sense. Relax your arms, bend down in a V shape, keep your chin up the entire time, and transfer your body weight to the left and the right in order to skate well.
Conclusion
Roller skating on roads and streets isn’t highly recommended, but you can be much safer doing it if you follow certain rules. One of the main rules to follow is to use roller skates that have wheels made specifically for outdoor use. But the most important thing to remember is to follow safety laws and regulations, don’t skate too fast or too slow, never wear headphones, and constantly pay attention to everything going on around you so you don’t fall or otherwise land on the ground.
