So you’re looking to get into street skating? And you want to know how to roller skate on uneven grounds? Well, don’t worry, because we’ve got you covered!
Whether it’s rocks you want to skate over or gravel, I’ll discuss everything. In this article, I’m going to go over everything you want to know about street skating on uneven grounds. I’ll also be giving useful tricks so that you can skate like a pro.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
Pro Tips on How To Roller Skate On Uneven Grounds
To skate on uneven ground, you’ll have to have at least a basic level of roller skating skills. So make sure you’ve got all these requirements fulfilled before stepping on your neighborhood roads.
1. Make Sure You Know How to Stop
Make sure you know how to stop. When you’re hitting the streets or skating on uneven grounds, you can’t afford to bump into a car or a passerby. You need to know how to stop, not only for your safety but also for others’ safety.
Here are some ways you can stop on your roller skates.
- Toe Stop – Roller skates have already got a brake installed on the toes of your roller skates. You just have to drag the toe stop and the friction will do its magic.
- T Stop – To do the T Stop, you have to pick one foot, put it behind the other in a horizontal position and drag it until you stop. This brake is really useful on uneven grounds, as the toe stop can easily get damaged.
- Stopping by Turning – If you have to get out of the way quickly at critical times, you can just turn and then stop. This can save you from a major accident if you’re skating at a high speed.
2. Wear Your Protective Gear
Make sure you’re wearing some protective equipment at all times. skating. I recommend at least wearing your knee pads so that your leg knees don’t get scratched. And uneven grounds are all the more reason to wear your knee pads. A helmet is also super important as uneven grounds can cause some really nasty falls.
3. Look At The Ground
Okay, don’t only look at the uneven ground below you while roller skating, look at the incoming cars too, if you don’t want to get into an accident. That’s what street skating is all about; multi-tasking.
Whenever you see a crack or a rock on the ground, make sure to avoid it. If you can’t avoid it, skate over it while keeping your balance in check. Don’t skate too fast. Sometimes, fast wheels get caught in a crack or a rock, and you trip to the ground. That’s what makes 90 percent of all the street-skating falls.
So look at the ground at all times, and know what’s coming your way.
How to Roller Skate Over Cracks
Cracks are one of the most annoying and possibly dangerous when it comes to street roller skating. Why you ask? It’s because they’re kind of hard to spot unless they’re really big and they make you lose your balance. But don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to avoid these mischievous beings.
- Stagger your Feet – To skate over cracks the first thing you will need to do is stagger your feet. Now, I hear you asking “What does that mean?”. Well, it simply means to put one foot in front of the other to distribute your weight equally in all directions. This will widen your base and increase your stability.
- Put weight on your heels – If you put your weight on the heels, your front wheels won’t get stuck in cracks while you’re rolling forwards. Instead, they’ll glide over the cracks as if they weren’t even there.
- Bend your knees – Bending your knees is the key when it comes to skating on uneven surfaces like cracks. It improves your balance by lowering your center of gravity. As a result, you don’t fall.
How to Roller Skate Over Sidewalks
Well, whenever you go outside to skate, you probably think that the sidewalks are the safest place to be and that’s because they are! Skating on sidewalks means there are no cars and bikes coming up behind you and you’re out of harm’s way.
But all things have their downsides. Sidewalks have quite a few bumps in them and it’s also a little hard to get on and off of a sidewalk. But no worries, here are some tips to roller skate on sidewalks like a champ.
- Stagger your feet
- Put weight on the heels
- Bend your knees
These are the good old rules when it comes to roller skating on pits and bumps. But when it comes to sidewalks, you can’t just keep rolling forever, you have to stride as well.
A good diagonal stride can make your sidewalk skating much easier. You have to go over all those bumps with some force and momentum. While going slow you will feel stronger vibrations from the tiles. So the key here is speed. If you can maintain a good amount of speed; not too fast and not too slow; while keeping your weight in the heels, you will be skate over sidewalks pretty easily
How to Get On and Off of a Sidewalk
Also when it comes to a sidewalk you’ll want to know how to get off the sidewalk because we all know that sidewalks don’t end with the prettiest exit.
1. Ramp/Vert/Slope End
How to get off?
There’s a ramp exit at the end of most sidewalks. It’s not easy to get off of it for a newbie. You may not like it but the best way to overcome this is with speed. Speed helps in absorbing all those vibrations and prevents you from falling. Make sure to be staggered while doing this though.
How to get on?
To get on, use your toe stops to step over the slope, and walk on top of the sidewalk. Simple, right?
2. Sidewalk Stair
Instead of using the sidewalk end, you could also get off from the side stair.
How to get off?
To get off, all you need to do is slow down, put your weight on one foot, step down with the other foot while transitioning your weight on it, and then push with the foot on the sidewalk. It’s easy but will take a bit of getting used to.
How to get on?
To get on the sidewalk, you do the same. The only difference is that you go up a stair instead of down a stair.
How to Roller Skate Over Debris And Rocks
This includes every tiny piece of trash you see on the ground while roller skating. These include glass, wood, plastic, rocks, sand, bark, sticks, garbage, plastic bags, bottle caps, and all sorts of waste and garbage
To skate over these and not get stuck in one of them, you should do the following.
- Look at the ground – You have to be looking at the ground at all times and keep an eye out for something that may be dangerous. It can be anything.
- Don’t Stagger Your Feet – This is the first time I’m asking you to not stagger your feet. Now you might think that staggering your feet will keep you in balance, but in this case, it won’t. Staggering your feet helps when the surfaces are consistently uneven, not when there’s a sudden shock.
- Avoid it – The best thing you can do is avoid it. Just avoid the rocks and don’t trip over them.
- Step over it – If there’s an excessive quantity of debris on the ground, you can slow down and step over it. Then get to your normal skating when it’s over.
There you go. Now you know how to get around all that nasty debris. So now your street skating won’t be as hectic. It will still be very hectic.
How to Roller Skate on Gravel and Sand
So, sand is the absolute WORST. It creates friction so your wheels don’t spin, it gets stuck on your wheels and drags your skates with it. Gravel also makes for an equally uneven ground. So roller skating on sand or gravel is an absolute nightmare. But these few steps will help you a lot while skating in a sandy area:
- Stop striding – The first thing you wanna do is stop striding. Striding on sand will make you slip and fall so don’t even think of pushing your feet as you do on a normal surface.
- Bend your knees – Bending your knees while roller skating on sand can be quite helpful. If you don’t want to fall after every few steps, bend your knees.
- Step over it – Whenever you have to cross over a big patch of sand then don’t roll over it because rolling over it will take all your speed away and make you slam on the ground really hard. Step over it instead of rolling over it.
My advice is to not roller skate over a sandy area. It’s not like you’re going to the beach to skate. If you are, then it’s better to take off your roller skates and walk using your feet. Street skating is about having fun, not exhausting yourself.
How to Pick a Good Spot to Skate
So there isn’t a skating ring near where you live? Or you can’t get to one? Well, we’ve got you covered, all you’ve got to do is pick a good spot to skate.
1. Skate On Public Property or Get Permission
Pick a spot you can actually skate on. You can’t just skate anywhere. If you’re skating on someone else’s property, the security guards will probably kick you out. You could always ask the owner for their permission. A lot of people are pretty chill about it nowadays.
You could skate in the parking lot when it’s not that busy. You could ask for permission. You can also skate on a basketball court which is a public spot.
2. Pick a Less Crowded Spot
You also want to pick a location that’s less crowded. If you’re just going cruising, then roller skating on a busy road is fine. But if you want to actually practice some tricks and use the spot as a skate rink, do not pick a busy spot. You could always skate in an empty basketball court. The ground is also not that uneven.
3. Clean The Area Out
Pretty much everywhere except a skate rink has uneven ground and debris lying around. So it might be a good idea to clean the area out. You can go around and clear the area by picking up bigger rocks and debris. You could always use a broom to even out the area before starting your roller skating.
4. Pick a Flat Ground
Try to pick a spot that’s fairly even. Watch out for any cracks hidden in the ground. Watch out for the rocks. Check out the bumps. Put your roller skates on and feel the spot before deciding to skate. Some spots that you can skate on can be:
- Your garage
- Clean and level road
- Basketball court
- Parking Lot
- Garage of a big building
- Floor in front of the mall
These are some of the spots I could think of. I’m sure you can find one in your city.
Conclusion
So are you ready to skate outdoors with your friends? Street skating can be pretty fun. It gives you a more realistic feel of the world around you. Something even better is that you get to show off in front of loads of people. The feeling of fresh air hitting your body is really satisfying. Skating with other vehicles also makes you feel pretty badass.
I hope this article helps you in your street skating journey.
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Good luck and have fun skating!
