How to fall when rollerblading can be a little intimidating for many skaters, especially newbies and intermediates. Falling like any other accident is inevitable. So, no matter how good you are, you’re still going to fall from time to time.
Most importantly, it would help if you learned safe ways to fall when rollerblading. If this goes wrong, you may hurt your head, face, knees, elbows, butt, tail bone, and other body parts. So, by all means, you want to avoid hurting yourself by learning how to fall when rollerblading.
Below is a quick rundown of the safest ways to fall when inline skating.
- Sliding on pads—best for complete beginners
- Rolling on your shoulders—best for intermediates and experienced skaters
- Falling on your hips/back—best for intermediate and experienced skaters
- Rolling your body—best for experienced speed skaters
This is only the tip of the iceberg. In the rest of this write up, you’ll discover how to work out these techniques safely without hurting yourself. In addition, you’ll learn about how you can protect yourself from injuries in an untimely fall.
I believe you’ll find this post helpful. So, without much ado, let’s get started!
4 Incredibly Safe Techniques for Falling When Rollerblading
Below is the detailed and step-by-step guide for how to fall when rollerblading. The falling recommendations work for beginners, intermediates, and experienced skaters. So, let’s get going!
1. Sliding on Pads—Best for Complete Beginners
Sliding on pads is one fantastic way for beginners to fall safely when rollerblading. When starting rollerblading, this is one technique you want to learn. As a beginner, you’re still learning the ropes and most likely struggling to find your balance on the wheel.
That’s why you must learn how to fall forward to protect your head in case of a backward fall is triggered. That being said, this technique works best if you’re putting on your wrist guards, elbow pads, and knee pads. That’s where it got its name ‘sliding on pads.’
How the Sliding on Pads fall Technique Works
First, you need to learn and master the correct inline skating posture. How do I mean? You could be wondering. The simple rollerblading posture includes knees bent and above the toes and shoulders over the hips.
You should also be in the ready position with one foot slightly ahead while scissoring the other foot. This position helps you maintain balance and distributes weight evenly throughout the body.
Second, when falling, you’ll use the knee of the leading foot to first land the ground. The second knee will quickly follow. Next, you’ll land your elbows on the ground, and lastly, your palms should land last.
This position takes the form of a praying mantis. If you know what one looks like, you should be able to picture it now. If you’re rollerblading fast and you fall using the sliding pads technique, you want to make sure you slide forward until you come to a stop.
The good news is, you won’t get hurt thanks to the high-level protection gear you’re putting on. That’s why it’s always good practice to have the gear on. But what if you don’t have any protection? Can you still use this technique?
If you’re looking for a quick response, the answer is a big YES! However, you may end up with bruises all over. The sliding-on-pads technique is reliable and easy to learn. Therefore, it’s the best one for beginners. However, it’s still applicable to intermediate and experienced skaters.
Most importantly, when you’re doing this falling technique, you’ll want to make sure you’re not stiffening your body. So loosen up and follow through one step at a time until you land safely on the ground. To learn this technique, find a soft surface like grass and practice the steps.
2. Rolling on Your Shoulders—Best for Intermediates and Experienced Skaters
The rolling on your shoulders technique when falling is more advanced and should be performed by intermediate and experienced skaters. This is because if it goes wrong, you may end up hitting your head pretty hard on the ground.
Most intermediates and experienced skaters skate fast, making this technique appropriate for those skating fast. For example, if you trip while rollerblading at high speed, this would be one of the ways to fall safely forward without hurting yourself.
So, how should you do it? Let’s take a look!
How Rolling on Your Shoulder fall Technique Works
One, you have to be in the correct skating position, as we’ve already discussed above. Second, while you’re in the ready position, bend further forward like you’re about to summersault but instead of using your hands, use either of your shoulders as the point of contact.
Secondly, roll over on your shoulders and safely land on the other side. You got to be a little careful with this technique, especially when you do not have a helmet.
Related Post: 10 Health Benefits of Rollerblading | New Research
3. Falling Backwards on roller skates—Best for Intermediate and Experienced Skaters
Falling on your back can be pretty risky, especially for beginner skaters. If you land on the ground on your head, you might get head injuries. For beginners, this technique should be a no-go zone unless when you have to. Hopefully, it never comes to that!
That being said, the technique is simple to learn and apply. First, you’ll have to resist the urge to land the ground on your hands like you’re trying to avoid the fall.
How Falling on Your Back/Hips Technique Works
First, lower yourself like you’re about to sit. Second, you want to aim for landing the ground on hips (either one of them). Like I’ve already mentioned, try to avoid resisting the fall using your hands because you can end up with a twisted or broken wrist.
Third, once you land on your hip/butt, lower your back to the ground to lie on your back, or support the landing with your hands once you hit the ground.
To learn this technique, you can practice it on grass and away from too much obstruction. Keep practicing until you master the falling technique.
4. Rolling Your Body—Best for Experienced Speed Skaters
Rolling your body as a falling technique is reserved for more experienced skaters. In addition, most of the time, this technique works well when one is skating fast. So, by rolling your body on the ground several times, you’re able to slow down and quickly come to a stop.
If there are rocks or other objects on the way, rolling your body over may not be a good idea as it can get you several injuries. That’s why even as an experienced skater, this should be your last resolve.
Most importantly, before opting to roll your body, check that there are no objects on the way. Also, when you do this, you should be in full-body protection gear. This should include shin guards, hip pads, and butt pads. Having them on helps a long way.
How Rolling Your Body Technique Works
This should be pretty simple as you can fall on either side of your body. Then roll over on the ground until you stop. Of course, this is assuming you’re rollerblading fast.
Related Post: How to Stop Rollerblading | 9 Effective Techniques
How Do You Not Fall Backwards, Sideways, or Forward on Rollerblades?
Now that we’ve comprehensively covered how to fall when rollerblading, what if there’s a way we can avoid falling altogether? Don’t get me wrong here. I know falling is inevitable when rollerblading. However, there are things we can do to minimize our fall rate.
Below we’ll delve into a few ways you can avoid 90% falling when rollerblading. Let’s get to it! Shall we?
1. Master the Recommended Inline Skating Posture
This has everything to do with the proper skating techniques. The correct inline skating posture helps with weight transfer and distribution and, most importantly, helps you achieve balance. Therefore, by all means, your knees should be bent and above the toes. The shoulders should be above the hips, and you should be in the ready position while scissoring your legs.
2. Choose the Right Venue for Rollerblading
There are several places you can go rollerblading. However, the most important consideration should be the type of surface. For beginner skaters, smooth surfaces are the best when you’re still getting the hang of things.
This means you want to avoid rough surfaces with fall triggers like rocks, stones, potholes, etc. So if you’re looking for ideas of where to go rollerblading, I invite you to check this article that I did with you in mind a few weeks ago.
Related Post: Where to go Rollerblading | 9 Amazing Places for Inline Skating
3. Concentrate and Avoid Obstructions
Arguably, concentrating is one important tip for avoiding unnecessary falls. Therefore, you want to make sure you’re concentrating while maintaining focus on what’s happening around you. By avoiding such obstruction, it’s easy to avoid obstacles when they present themselves.
What Can you Do to Prevent Inline Skating Injuries?
Inline skating can be dangerous if you decide not to take precautions. As much as you’re having fun (like we all do), you got to be a little responsible. To set the record straight, you’ll be doing this for yourself. Therefore, it’s essential to wear protective gear whenever you go rollerblading.
As we’ve already mentioned, the essential protection gear comprises a helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, and knee pads. In addition to these, you can do hip pads and shin guards if you’re into aggressive or hockey skating. You should be safe from injuries in the unlikely event you get into an accident.
How do you pick the proper protection gear? You could be asking. The truth is, there are tons of things to consider if you want ultimate protection and value for your money. Below is a quick rundown.
- Single gear/combo pack: Single gear comprises a particular protection gear, e.g., helmet or wrist guard. On the other hand, a combo pack comprises a collection of different sets of protective gear like helmets, elbow pads, wrist guards, knee pads, etc.
- Price/Budget: This is the amount you’re willing to pay for a decent piece of protective gear. Most importantly, don’t allow yourself to be deceived that high price means high quality or a low price means low quality.
- Ease of use: The protection gear you opt for should be easy to use without the hassle.
- Ultimate Protection: The protective gear should be able to offer optimum protection. For example, the knee pads should cover your front, back, and side knees.
- Quality: The gear you go for should be of high quality for longevity and ultimate protection.
- Reviews: Look out for what previous users and experts are saying about the gear. You can find this information online or offline from friends.
- Best fit and compatibility: The gear you pick should fit you properly without being too tight or too loose. This is the sure-fire way to attain compatibility and comfort.
To discover more about these protective gear for rollerblading, I created this comprehensive article for you. Feel free to look it up!
Related Post: Inline Skating Gear: The Must-Have Complete Gear for Skaters
How to Fall when Rollerblading: Frequently Asked Questions
1. How dangerous is Rollerblading?
Rollerblading is only dangerous if you don’t take caution when skating. If you don’t put on the right protective gear, you may fall and injure your head, face, knees, palm, ankles, etc. To minimize the risk, skate in safe neighborhoods, regulate your speed and wear protective gear.
2. How do you not fall on your butt when roller skating?
You should master the proper skating posture if you want not to fall on your butt when roller skating. Your knees should be bent and above your toes, and your shoulders should be over the hips. This posture brings your body weight forward and prevents falling backward.
3. Why do I fall backward when I roller skate?
Falling backward when roller skating is a result of losing balance and stamina. It happens when your body weight isn’t distributed correctly. To prevent this from happening, you need to bend and stay low as much as you can. This brings your weight to the front and prevents you from falling back.
How to Fall when Rollerblading | Final Thoughts
How to fall when rollerblading shouldn’t freak you out as a beginner. Falling is inevitable, and even experienced skaters experience it occasionally. Therefore, it’s essential to protect yourself by wearing protective gear, and secondly, by learning safe ways to fall.
Below is a quick summary of how to safely fall when rollerblading.
- Sliding on pads—best for complete beginners
- Rolling on your shoulders—best for intermediates and experienced skaters
- Falling on your hips/back—best for intermediate and experienced skaters
- Rolling your body—best for experienced speed skaters
There you have it mate! I believe you found this resource helpful. Happy skating, and stay safe!
