Everybody starts in the same place: holding the wall, knees locked, wondering how anyone makes this look easy. Good news — the first hour is the hardest, and a few simple habits will get you off the wall faster than you think.
Before you roll: gear up
Put on a helmet, wrist guards, knee pads and elbow pads. Beginners fall, and that’s normal. Wrist guards matter most, because the first thing people do when they fall is put their hands out. (See our full safety gear guide for what to look for.)
Lace your skates snug from toe to ankle. Your heel shouldn’t lift when you bend forward. Loose skates are the number-one cause of wobbly ankles for beginners.
Step 1: Find your “ready” position
This is the single most important thing you’ll learn:
- Feet about hip-width apart
- Knees bent, like you’re about to sit in a high chair
- Weight over the balls of your feet, not your heels
- Chest slightly forward, arms out in front of you
- Eyes looking ahead, not down at your skates
Straight legs are the enemy. When you feel unsteady, bend your knees more, not less. It lowers your center of gravity and makes you much harder to knock off balance.
Step 2: March in place
On carpet or grass first, or holding the rink wall, lift one foot a couple inches and set it down, then the other. Get used to the weight of the skates and the feeling of balancing on one foot for a second at a time.
Step 3: Duck walk forward
Point your toes out slightly in a “V” with your heels close together. Step forward with small marching steps. Because your toes are angled out, the wheels can’t roll backward on you. You’ll start gliding a little between steps — that’s the goal.
Step 4: Turn steps into strides
Once marching feels comfortable, start pushing out to the side and slightly back with one foot while the other glides forward. Bring the pushing foot back under you, then push with the other one. Think “push and glide,” not “run.” Short, relaxed strides beat big, frantic ones.
Step 5: Learn to slow down and stop
Don’t wait until you’re moving fast to figure out stopping. Practice at slow speeds:
- Quads: Start with the plow (snowplow) stop — feet wide, toes turned slightly in, push your heels out. Then try dragging a toe stop behind you.
- Inlines: Scissor your braking skate forward, lift its toe and press the heel brake into the floor.
Step 6: Make your first turn
To turn, look where you want to go, rotate your shoulders that direction and lean gently into the turn. Your skates follow your body. At the rink, everyone skates counter-clockwise, so you’ll be turning left most of the time.
Step 7: Practice falling (yes, really)
When you feel yourself going, bend your knees, get low and fall forward onto your pads. Falling backward onto your tailbone or reaching back with your hands is how people get hurt. Practicing a controlled fall takes away a lot of the fear.
How long until I’m “good”?
Most people go from wall-hugging to comfortable laps in two to five sessions. Thirty minutes a few times a week will teach you more than one long, exhausting day. Rink adult nights and beginner lessons speed things up a lot — and watching better skaters is a free lesson every time.
The beginner’s cheat sheet
- Knees bent, always
- Weight forward
- Look up, not down
- Push to the side, not straight back
- Fall forward, low and on your pads
- Short sessions, often
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