Beginner roller skating
Your First Three Roller Skating Moves
Before you glide: marching, the duck walk, then the glide. V stance, bent knees - and you skip the backwards fall everyone takes on day one.
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Marching teaches your ankles to hold you up. The duck walk teaches the V stance that every push comes from. The glide is just those two, held longer.
Bend your knees more than feels natural. Standing upright puts your weight behind the wheels, which is precisely how the day-one backwards fall happens.
Give each move a whole session before moving to the next. Skipping ahead is why people decide skating is not for them in week one.
Choosing gear for this? Best Roller Skates for Adult Beginners — What top skaters and coaches recommend for a first pair of adult skates: boot, wheels, plate, brake, size and pads, with named sources and dated prices.
Keep going: this is one section of the full Roller Skating for Beginners guide — sizing, gear, stopping, and where to skate, in one page. Free, no sign-up.