Aggressive inline skating is often referred to as rolling, freestyle rolling, rollerblading, and skating. It is well known in the action sports field and consists of doing tricks while skating. The skates themselves are created to be able to do jumps and grinds. Typically, someone who is practicing inline skating will be doing it at skate parks or on-street obstacles.
The History of Aggressive Inline Skating
A group of ice hockey players decided that they wanted to find a way to practice during the off-season. They thought up the practice of aggressive inline skating. In fact, the first inline skate was introduced in 1988. The sport only grew in popularity, and in 1994, the first competition was launched out in California. While ESPN X-Games removed aggressive inline skating from their sports lineup, it is still featured in many large competitions like LG Action Sports Competitions and Asian X Games.
There are several aggressive inline skate manufacturers out on the market today, including Razors, Remz, K2, Seba, Trigger, and more. These companies offer skates that will stand up to the performance of aggressive inline skaters.
Types of Aggressive In-Line Skating
There are several types of aggressive inline skating, and they include:
• Street. Street skating is also known as freestyle skating. The skater will perform tricks that use the environment around them. For example, grinding against handrails, jumping off of a ramp, an obstacle in the street, or using a grind rail. Creativity is a must with street skating.
• Park. This form of skating will happen in community or private skate parks. There will be several different ways to do tricks and will make skaters focus on a variety of different tricks. This type of setting can make it easier to become an aggressive inline skater as learning tricks is simple.
• Vert. Vert skating is held on what is known as a vert ramp, and it focuses on the skater doing air tricks like grinding and rotations. There are many very popular skaters that do this type of aggressive inline skating.
How to Become An Aggressive Inline Skater
To become an aggressive inline skater, you are first going to want to make sure that you are willing to commit to this sport. You are not going to be able to go out, throw on a pair of skates and do all the tricks in just one day. You can learn the tricks quickly enough, but when it comes to mastering them, you are going to need some time. You will want to make sure that you focus and have patience. There are several steps that you will have to take in order to become an aggressive inline skater.
Purchasing Your First Pair Of Skates
You cannot go to the store and just purchase any kind of skates. You need skates that have been professionally made for this sport. To find the best pair of skates, do the following:
• Usage. You will want to determine exactly where you will be using your skates. If you are going to be using them at skateparks and on the streets, you will want to make sure that they are high quality.
• Comfort. Some people go out and purchase a brand of skates just because they have heard of that brand. Then they go and wear them only to find out that they are extremely uncomfortable. You will want to make sure that you find skates that are comfortable. You do not want to be dealing with uncomfortable shoes when trying to learn this sport.
• Size. You will want to make sure that you find the right fit when it comes to purchasing your skates. Do not go by the size on the skate without trying them on. It is imperative to find the perfect fitting skates.
• Type. There are several types of skates out there. Typically, they have a solid or semi-rigid shell. The rigid shell helps to give support, but if you are planning to do tricks, you may want to get a flexible skate.
• Quality. You will want to make sure that your skates are of good quality. Getting less than good quality skates can make you at risk for injury and your skates breaking down.
Getting Skating Lessons
If you have never skated at all before, or if you only have minimal experience at skating, you will want to take up some skating lessons. You can do these yourself, or you can find someone that is willing to train you in this sport.
If you do training yourself, you will want to make sure that you start practicing somewhere that is both flat and dry. You do not want to try any tricks at first, so make sure that there are no obstacles. Start with the basics at first. You should learn to be proficient at standing on your skates and balancing. Until you get the hang of it, you may want to be near a wall for support. Never jump into advanced tricks until you master balancing and moving on your skates. Do not think that you are going to get it right off. You may take several weeks of practice just to get the art of balancing.
You will also want to ensure that you learn how to use the brakes. If you stop incorrectly, you may topple over. Practicing working with the breaks will help you to learn how to use your skates effectively.
You must always wear your safety gear. You should be wearing a helmet, wrist pads, knee pads, and elbow pads. This will help to ensure that you are not hurt when learning how to aggressive inline skate.
Learning Tricks
Once you have learned how to glide, stop, and balance, you are ready to start working on some tricks. Take your time and do simple things. For example, find something that you can jump over and practice that for a while. Once you have mastered this, start going to your local rinks and skateparks and practice your skills. The more you practice, the more proficient a skater you will be.
Learning how to be an aggressive inline skater will take some time, but with some practice, you should have no trouble learning the sport. For further information, consider watching videos on the sport on sites like YouTube so that you can see tricks that can be done.
