Can Adults Rollerblade?

Can adults rollerblade? Rollerblading is fun and one of the best roller hobby sports. It has tons of physical, social, and health benefits.

Rollerblading is a social hobby, meaning you can interact with many skaters from different backgrounds when you visit your local skate park or rollerblading rink.

Rollerblading consistently, at least once a week, has plenty of physical strength. Research shows that rollerblading strengthens muscles and is safe on joints.

Rollerblading also burns calories and is an excellent way to manage diabetes and overall body weight.

Adults need to workout out regularly to keep fit and healthy. The good news is that rollerblading is an excellent way to exercise and have fun.

But can adults rollerblade? You’re probably asking. Don’t sweat it because I’ve put together this guide with you in mind! Let’s get to it!

First things first! Can adults rollerblade? No matter your age, you can always rollerblade so long as you can stand on your feet. Besides, you need to have the right mindset for success, find an instructor and have appropriate rollerblading gear.

How to Rollerblade as an Adult

Above is only the scratch on the surface. Below, we dive deep into the conditions you should satisfy to rollerblade as an adult. So, let’s get going!

1. Be able to Stand on Your Feet

The first requirement to become a rollerblade is the ability to stand on both feet. It goes without saying that you should have strong feet for success in skating.

It’ll be a hurdle to become a rollerblader if you use a wheelchair for whatever reasons, mainly a disability or a leg injury. You’re good to go if none of these is your bottleneck.

2. Have the Right Mindset

The right mindset is crucial for success in rollerblading. The hobby is fun and thrilling at the same time. Without the right attitude, you’ll likely give up before seeing success.

Sadly, you’ll fall several times and pick injuries in the worst scenarios. So, it’s pretty easy to quit without the right mindset.

3. Settle on a Rollerblading Goal

There are many types of rollerblading. The primary ones include;

Recreational rollerblading: is done primarily for fun.
Aggressive rollerblading: is done for fun but involves performing tricks and stunts.
Fitness rollerblading: is done for fitness.
Hockey rollerblading: involves playing hockey while on rollerblades.
Urban rollerblading: involves rollerblading on urban centers, towns, and cities’ roads.

The first task is to decide your goal. Do you want to pursue recreational, aggressive, fitness, hockey, or urban skating?

The rule of thumb is to pick one goal and pursue it to success. This way, you’ll avoid being a jack of all trades but a master of none. It’ll also flatten your learning curve fast.

4. Acquire Rollerblading Protective Gear

Protective gear is crucial for all types of skating since accidents are likely to occur when you least expect them. Falling and collisions are the primary risks of rollerblading.

The good news is that you can minimize injuries by wearing the right protective gear for rollerblading. You should have the following protective gear before starting to rollerblade.

Helmet: S1 Lifer Helmet for Biking, Skateboarding, and Roller Skating
Elbow pads: Triple 8 Saver Series Pack Skate Pads Mens.
Wrist guards: Triple Eight Wristsaver Wrist Guards
Knee pads: 187 Killer pads
Crashpads (optional): Hillbilly Impact Shorts

The best places to find rollerblading protective gear are at your local skate store or online stores like Amazon. Feel free to use the above links to find suitable protective gear!

5. Wear Properly Fitting Rollerblades

It’s recommended you wear properly fighting rollerblades for comfort while skating. But which rollerblade is the best? You could be asking.

The right rollerblades should be a snug fit–neither too tight nor too loose. Tightly fitting rollerblades cause ankle, shin, and foot pain. This is why you should avoid them.

On the other hand, loosely fitting rollerblades cause pronation and can be uncomfortable to skate in. you should also avoid them.

When sizing your rollerblades, you should go for one 1-1.5 size larger than your street shoes. While rollerblades are true to shoe size, you should go for one with some room.

Below is a quick rundown of some cool rollerblades you may consider. Feel free to check them out on Amazon!

6. Learn the Right Rollerblading Techniques

Learning the right rollerblading techniques is the best service you can ever do yourself. Mastering the proper techniques is the key to rollerblading success. But so many beginners get it wrong.

So, what techniques should you learn? Below is a quick run down!

The recommended posture.
Stopping.
Push and glide
Turns.
Safe falling.

There are many more advanced techniques, but these are all you need to know as a beginner. Let’s dive into each of them in detail.

What is the recommended rollerblading posture? The right posture for skating requires bending. Your knees should be above your toes and shoulders over the hips.

This way, your body weight is transferred to your toe balls. The posture is crucial for balance while on rollerblades.

Stopping is necessary however fast you skate. Some of the best beginner-friendly stopping techniques are the heel stop, t-stop, and snowplow stop.

For complete beginners, you should use the inbuilt heel stop pad on your right or left rollerblade. It’s the easiest way to stop when rollerblading.

Here’s a complete guide I did about stopping or slowing down on rollerblades. Feel free to check it out to learn how different rollerblading stopping techniques work.

Pushing and gliding are crucial for propulsion. You can’t move if you don’t know how to push and glide.

The best way to do it is by applying pressure (body weight) on one foot to push yourself as you glide on the other foot.

There are three ways to turn when rollerblading–complete 180 or 360-degree turns, parallel turns, and cross-over turns.

Out of the three, you should learn parallel turns first as a complete beginner since they’re simple.

Lastly, falling is inevitable. Even the most experienced skaters still fall. The trick is to learn how to fall safely without hurting yourself. Here’s the guide on how to fall safely when rollerblading.

7. Find a Coach Online or Offline

While you can learn rollerblading by yourself, having some contact time with a professional instructor is advisable. You should do this for your safety and easy time learning to rollerblade as an adult.

The best part is that you can find a coach online or offline at a local skate park. Alternatively, you can find one online on platforms like youtube.

While some will charge a nominal fee, some are generous and may train you for free. But you should consider sparing a few hundred dollars if you’re serious about learning to rollerblade as an adult.

8. Moderate Rollerblading Sessions

Rollerblading is fun. You’ll agree with me once you start rollerblading if you doubt it. It’s often a struggle to stop rollerblading since it triggers the generation of dopamine in the body.

While dopamine makes you feel good, you should consider rollerblading moderately for your good. Skating more than necessary causes overuse injuries like soreness and blisters.

How frequently should you rollerblade as an adult? I believe in quality than quantity. So, once to twice a week for an hour should be sufficient.

9. Team up with Rollerbladers in Your Hood

While you can rollerblade alone, it’s usually a lot of fun to rollerblade in the company of other skaters.

You should consider teaming up with both you and adult rollerbladers in your hood. You can easily find friendly skaters at your local skate park or rink.

Benefits of Rollerblading for Adults

Now that you know how to rollerblade as an adult, below we look at the benefits of roller skating. If you’re still on the fence, perhaps these will excite you.

Good exercise for weight loss
Muscle development around the core, glutes, hips, and legs
Improve body balance
Boosts cardiovascular system
Help keep diabetes at bay
Tones limbs (arms and legs)
Increases the production of the feel-good hormone
Keep joints strong and healthy
Helps with body coordination
Boosts self-esteem and confidence

This is a quick summary of rollerblading benefits. I cover more details in this complete guide; 10 Health Benefits of Rollerblading | New Research.