We all know that feeling. You’re watching a video of someone on rollerskates – they’re cruising along beside the beach with the wind in their hair. It looks effortless. It looks good.
“How do I look that good on rollerskates?” you ask yourself.
Well we’ve spent the last 10 years teaching people to rollerskate and here are our top tips for looking good on your rollerskates 🌈
1) Get comfortable. 90% of looking good on rollerskates is not freaking out because you have wheels under your feet. It’s feeling as comfortable on your rollerskates as you do in your shoes. Pro Tip: Wear your rollerskates EVERYWHERE so they start feeling like an extension of your body. Start in your home – making lunch, doing the dishes, brushing your teeth. We even know of some people that sleep in their rollerskates!
2) Put on some music. Cue up your favourite track and just let the music move you. Don’t think about executing moves on rollerskates. Just get your groove on and let the music determine how your skates move. You’ll be amazed what you can unlock by not thinking so hard. Pro Tip: Pick tracks with a low BPM, they are easier to dance to when you are just getting started. 90’s R&B is actually great for dancing on rollerskates 🕺 🎶
3) Close your eyes. While not advisable if you are outside skating or actually getting from A to B, this works great if you are working on your dance moves in a safe area. You know the phrase “Dance like no one is watching”? Well sometimes that’s hard to do if people are ACTUALLY watching. So crank up your headphones and tune them out. Pro Tip: Dancing in your house/garage/parkade is also a great way to make sure you don’t get self conscious on your skates.
4) Be kind to yourself 💙 Remember that a lot of those videos you see of people looking good on rollerskates are of people that have spent YEARS on rollerskates. Skating is literally second nature to them. Becoming comfortable and proficient on eight wheels takes time, so be kind to yourself and enjoy the journey. Pro Tip: “Comparison Kills Joy” – everyone’s rollerskating journey is unique. What takes one person a week to master, might take another person a year. And that’s OK. Just keep on rolling, find the things that bring your joy and you’ll be looking good in no time.
5) Find your joy. What truly makes people look good on rollerskates is the JOY that emanates from them because they are doing something they love. For all of us that skate there are different things we love – that might be cruising beside a tropical beach, or jamming it out to some great tunes, landing a great hit on the derby track or dropping into a ramp at the skate park. Pro Tip: Keep experimenting with different types of rollerskating until you find what you LOVE, then do that some more… and some more.
So remember get comfortable, turn up the tunes, tune out the world, be kind to yourself and keep rolling with love 💜
Now that you know how to look good on your rollerskates we want to SEE YOU rolling. Tag us in your social media posts @rollaskateclub and join our Facebook Group to connect with more skaters like yourself.
We’ll see you later, skaters!