|
Inline skating is a popular sport and great exercise. You can find people of all ages skating wherever you go and outdoor rinks are popping up faster than mini malls these days. Inline skating takes a bit more balance than regular roller skating, which are practically obsolete with the exception of indoor skating rinks. Inline skating can be likened to ice skating, where you are balancing your weight on an edge rather than being supported by two wheels on each side of your foot. It is critical to learn proper safety for inline skating if you want to avoid serious injury and it is important to make sure you have all of the protective equipment you need as well. When you are skating, you can get moving pretty fast, and there is no airbag to stop you when you fall.
The most important piece of safety equipment for skating is by far, the helmet. Make sure you have a good quality helmet that fits your head properly. One that is too large will lop from side to side and just be an annoyance, one too small won’t fit on your head! Helmets come with cushioned padding inserts to allow you to adjust their fit, make yours comfortable for you and be sure the strap are adjusted to hold the helmet snugly on your head. Never skate without a helmet.
Other important safety equipment you should have includes wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads. The wrists, elbows and knees are the areas of the body that you will land on if you fall and if you are not protected in these areas, you may find yourself with a shattered knee cap or broken wrist. Wear your pads and you won’t have to worry about skinned knees when you are out skating. Besides, do you have room in those fancy Speedos for a first aid kit?
If you are skating after dark or at twilight, be sure to wear reflective clothing and you can use reflective tape on the back of your skates. Skating in the dark is probably not a good idea, however, unless you decide to tape flashlights to your skate’s boots.
Now that you’re all suited up, start rolling. If you are a beginner, don’t skate near other skaters. You’re going to fall, there are no two ways about it. Pick a secluded area like your driveway, a parking lot or deserted area in the park where you won’t be in danger of falling on top of anyone and people skating by can’t distract you and cause you to loose your balance.
When you are skating, you should use the same hand signals used by cyclists to let other skaters, cyclists and cars know when you are going to turn or stop. Don’t ever wear a walkman when skating near traffic as you will not be able to hear car horns or those people who drive by and swear at you!
Done safely, inline skating is a great way to get exercise and have fun. Wear the proper equipment and observe the same safety rules you would use on a bike. If you fall down, get up and if you fall down a lot, you may want to consider a small pillow inserted in your Speedos!
|
| |
