Rollerblading and inline skating are great activities that you and your children can get involved in together. They are easy to learn and appropriate for all children over the age of five. Make sure you start off with a good quality pair of roller skates, and educate yourself and your kids in the importance of staying safe. Once you’ve mastered the safety basics, you should be able to prevent the majority of the cuts and scrapes that occur from learning to rollerblade. Remember that beginners and children should always stop blading when a car passes, and refrain from listening to music while rollerblading in order to be fully aware of their surroundings.

The Correct Clothing and Equipment

Never go rollerblading without wearing a close-fitting helmet. Instil the importance of this into your children, and remind them that their helmets should fit snugly with a strap under the chin. If the helmet is loose it may not protect them in the event of a fall. The correct clothing includes knee and elbow pads, as these will mitigate the impact of accidents while you and your children are learning to skate. Make sure you wear clothes that are easy to move around in but won’t snag on bushes or trip you while you’re skating.

Mental Preparation

It may sound strange, but it’s important to prepare yourself mentally before you start skating. Think about the potential risks, including loose stones, cars, collisions with other skaters, and how you will avoid them. This will make you more attuned to the possibility of accidents and allow you to react more quickly to these situations, should they arise. Make sure that your child is aware of the potential risks, but don’t scare them. You could even practice falling a couple of times on a mat or soft grass, so that you both are prepared and able to land less awkwardly when a real fall occurs.

Improve Your Physical Fitness

Any form of sport requires a certain level of physical fitness before it can be performed properly. You should endeavour to build your muscles in order to get better at rollerblading and reduce the likelihood of sustaining an injury. Start thinking of your muscles as your body’s natural defence against injury and strengthen them by doing exercises like squats, jumps, lunches, curls and push ups. Muscle offers some buffering on impact and can prevent you from landing in an awkward position if you fall.

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