Beginner roller skating

Inline Skates Are More Stable Than They Look

Standing on one line of wheels looks terrifying and feels shockingly solid - often steadier than quads. The wobble is fear, not the skate. Keep your knees bent and lean slightly forward, and you're planted.

Inline skates look precarious and quads look safe. Rolling, it is often the other way round: a long inline wheelbase is very hard to tip forwards or backwards.

Quads win on side-to-side stability, standing still, and tight turns — which is why rinks and dance skating are quad territory.

Inlines win on rough ground, long distances and straight lines. Pick by what you actually want to do, not by which one looks friendlier in a photo.

Keep going: this is one section of the full Roller Skating for Beginners guide — sizing, gear, stopping, and where to skate, in one page.