Can I learn to roller skate by myself?

Do I need lessons?

A young girl roller skating under a limbo stick — Photo by Joanne Manariti

Anyone can learn to skate on their own.

If you put in the hours on skates, you WILL eventually figure out how to skate forward. Yes you will fall. Falling is part of skating. Yes you most likely will hurt yourself a little, or a lot, as you try and experiment how to do something new. And when you persist enough, you WILL figure it out.

How long does it take to learn to skate?

This is different for everybody. Someone who is fit and plays a lot of sports is likely to ‘figure it out’ sooner than someone who enjoys a sedentary lifestyle. In adults there are a huge range how quickly someone learns.

Skate lessons with an experienced coach help you shorten this 'exploratory' stage, and also make it safer. You will still fall, possibly less times, and fall more safely.

Online skate videos

There are tons of learn to skate videos on the internet, and yes they do help. Make sure it is created by someone who has credibility. What’s missing however, is the immediate feedback on how you’re doing. You’re likely to form habits (without knowing it) that may make it difficult to progress.

Children

Two young girls roller skating at a rink

How many lessons does my child need to get them skating independently?

As with adults, each child is different, some children are comfortable with new physical challenges, some children are more cautious.

In my experience younger kids (<6) take on average 3 sessions. Older kids (>7) learn faster, often by the end of the first session.

My child can skate already.

When I hear this from parents, usually this means the child can skate forward unassisted, but lacking control for stopping. Stopping on roller skates the right way needs a good control of balance, something new skaters don’t have yet.

There is a lot of misconception on how to use the toe stop: by dragging them. This is incorrect.

Even though your child can skate already, a couple of lessons is very beneficial for them. They can go over all the basics, spot and correct bad habits, and most importantly learn how to stop safely (knee drop, plow stop, t-stop)

Two young skaters giving each other high-five

Using both sides of your body.

When you skate at a skating rink, you are most likely only skate in a counter-clockwise direction. This creates Imbalances in your body, sometimes aches and pains in your hips, glutes and back, and you are unable to skate confidently in the other direction.

A good skate coach will train both sides of the body. You want to be able to do crossovers both sides, transition left and right, skate on one leg balance on both sides. This makes you more fluid in your skating.

Three young girls roller skating together in a class

Group or Private lessons?

Group lessons are fun and social, but you will learn at a slower pace compared to a private lesson. Private lessons are tailored specifically to YOU, what YOU need, what YOU want.

Have a think of what is more important for you, making connections/fun/friendship or advancing your skating skills?

There is SO much more than just skating forward

Skating in an art form, the ground is the canvas, the skater is the artist. You can skate backwards, do turns, jump, move to music. There are endless ways to express yourself on skates. I have been skating for 30+ years and I still find new ways to skate everyday. It is my passion to share my skating experience with you.