How to teach children to roller skate. How to teach children to roller skate? Useful tips and tricks. Where is the best place to learn and ride?

Since you have taken up the challenge of teaching your child to roller skate, you cannot do it without patience!

  1. We all remember ourselves in this matter and understand that not everyone can get up and go the first time, although some of you can and were able to do it.
  2. To prevent your child from quickly giving up and losing interest, you need to create the illusion of play!
  3. Be gradual, don’t scare your child by starting with difficult exercises, let him do the easy ones and realize that he can do it!
  4. The main thing is to teach your child to stand correctly. This is where basic training begins. Without the correct stance, all further actions will be useless and will not lead to success in this matter. So: heels together, toes apart, tilt the entire body (not just the shoulders, but the entire body) forward, bend the knees slightly.
  5. Next you need to practice this stance, preferably first on the lawn, then move on to asphalt. Your child must understand and remember the position in which he should be while roller skating.
  6. If you feel unsure when your child is standing on roller skates, give him a ride while holding his hands. Don't forget to explain that your legs should be parallel to each other.

After all this, do the following exercises to help you learn.

Exercises on how to teach a child to roller skate

  1. Take chalk, draw imaginary lanterns in the shape of a circle on the asphalt, and explain to him how he should drive around them, let him imagine that the circles are car tires. The movement begins with the heels together and the toes apart, then the skates diverge to the sides, evenly go around the circle and do not converge completely, since they immediately need to go around the next circle.
  2. You need to push off with your heels, keeping your legs side by side, parallel to each other, and wobble from side to side like a snake. After successful completion, do the same thing, only backwards.
  3. The exercise is called "Figure Eight". Very similar to the first exercise, only here we will cross our legs. It is very important to practice doing light exercises well in order to avoid fear and injury.
  4. To protect yourself from injury, let's learn how to fall without risking your health. To do this, you need to clearly explain that falling on your back and the back of your head should be avoided as much as possible; to do this, move your entire body forward to fall in front. If it so happens that the child has lost his balance, first you need to land on the knee pads, then the elbow pads, and lastly on the protection of the hands to soften the blow. We conduct this training exclusively on the lawn!!!
  5. You cannot do without the ability to brake correctly. This is an important stage of learning; if you do not teach your child to brake correctly, the entire effect of joy from the acquired riding skill may disappear. And even worse, lead to dire consequences.

How to brake correctly

Let's look at the types of braking:

  • One way. During movement, your knees should be bent and your toes should be turned inward. We present the same tire on the road that we must go around, and finish the detour with force.
  • Second way. We brake using the T-stop.
  • Third way. It is performed with a standard brake made of plastic and rubber lining. The main thing in this method is to choose the right position; when moving, you need to push the skate forward, the toe towards you, therefore, when the brake comes into contact with the asphalt, braking occurs. You won’t be able to stop quickly, so you need to start early.

By following all these rules, your child will be able to quickly master roller skating. And you will give your child a lot of positive emotions.

Instructions

First, learn how to fall correctly. “Correct” is a fall forward when the child can protect his head and. Make sure he wears full protective gear every time he rides, including hand gloves and knee pads. Most roller skate injuries occur on the hands and knees.

Teach your child to stand on roller skates correctly. To do this, conduct your first training sessions on the lawn. Let him stand straight, bring his heels together, and point his toes out to the sides. You need to bend your knees and elbows slightly and make pushing movements with your legs.

Learn to avoid obstacles. To do this, you can grab several items from home. Toys, balls, colored cubes, etc. are suitable, in general, anything that will be noticeable on the path. Place them on the same line at a distance of at least a meter from each other. First, demonstrate to your child how to do this correctly by driving between the obstacles yourself.

Invite a roller instructor to teach your child. You can find it on specialized websites and forums or at a roller skating rink. Please make sure that the instructor is not too strict with your child and discourages you from riding. He should become a kind mentor, not a strict taskmaster. Attend the first lessons yourself to get an idea of ​​the instructor's professionalism.

Choose a reliable surface for riding. Smooth asphalt in a city park, embankment, specialized skiing paths, stadium, etc. would be ideal. Avoid sand and puddles on your way. This is especially true when riding with a child. Explain to him that uneven surfaces are not suitable for skating. Without your help, he will only be able to understand this through trial and error, i.e. possible fall on an incorrectly selected surface.

Make sure your child keeps his body slightly tilted forward while riding. The knees should be bent, one leg in front of the other a few centimeters. Start learning to skate in a deserted place so that the young skater does not accidentally knock over someone on his way or another skater bumps into him.

Don't scold your child if he doesn't succeed the first time. You shouldn’t demand results from him after two or three workouts. Try to organize the learning process like a game - arrange catch-ups, mini-competitions (from one bench to another). Fantasize. Get your child excited about the ride itself.

Video on the topic

note

Be sure to teach your child how to brake on roller skates. For a beginner, the ability to brake using a standard brake is suitable. It is usually located on the right skate. Good for low speeds. In order to use it, you need to slightly lift the toe of your right skate towards you.

Helpful advice

Do not go out for a ride with your child if the asphalt is wet or it is about to rain. Keep an eye on the weather forecast.

Be sure to purchase the necessary protection kit - armrests, knee pads and a helmet. These items are a mandatory minimum set for children's roller skating.

Teaching children to roller skate is quite simple. In confirmation of this, a chapter was written from M. Fedorov’s book “Olympic Champion in the First Three Years of Life,” which is called “Rollers.” To make learning easy and quick, you just need to interest the child, for example, in the fact that he can ride with mom or dad every evening.

Instructions

Protecting a child is his health. Choice plays a huge role, and it is worth approaching it with all responsibility. It is important to remember that a child will be able to skate with a set of skates for a year or two, but he will need a set of legs throughout his life. It is for this reason that you need to choose rollers with particular pickiness and not forget that there must be good lateral support.

You also can’t do without protection and a helmet. This should be a given for parents, since the child’s health depends precisely on the quality of the rollers and the presence of proper protection, which should not just be with Velcro, but made with a stocking. Choose a good protective kit.

A person who already knows how to do this can’t help you learn to skate well and feel confident. It would seem that only this option can be the only correct one. But why then are there such a huge number of mothers and fathers on the streets, in squares and parks running after children taking their first steps in this field? Parents suggest something, shout and ask you to repeat the movements after them, but it’s a paradox - they are wearing shoes, and the child

Many children are interested in roller skates; they ask their parents to buy them one and teach them how to skate. Most mothers and fathers, often far from such an activity, begin to fear possible injuries and do not know where to start learning. Both the safety of roller skating and the achieved level of skill largely depend on the correct start of training.

If you organize your training regimen correctly and follow safety precautions, you can avoid injuries.

When to start?

The question of at what age should you put your child on roller skates and start teaching him how to skate depends on many factors. In 2-3 year old children, the formation of the arch of the foot is still ongoing, so starting classes at this age can harm the child’s health.

From the age of 4 you can start teaching your child to roller skate. This can be done at this age, but only if the child’s physical development is normal and he has no problems with coordination. If at least one of these conditions is not met, then it is worth delaying the start of training for a year - until you are 5 years old.

It’s not too late to start teaching your child to roller skate at 6-7 years old; rather, on the contrary, it will take even less time until the first confident steps are taken. It is worth keeping in mind that children under 7 years of age need individual training, but starting from the age of eight, group classes are also suitable.


A school-age child already has better control of his body, so he can quickly get on roller skates

Security measures

When planning to teach your child to roller skate, take care of his safety. To ensure this you need:

  • choose the right roller skates;
  • purchase a helmet and protection (knee pads, elbow pads, etc.);
  • conduct physical training;
  • set the child up for the learning process.

It is important to explain to your child that it is impossible to learn to roller skate without falling, so you need to be able to group yourself and fall correctly. This must be done forward, putting your hands in front of you, so that the main blow falls on them and your knees (that is, those places where there is protection). Unlike landing on your hands, falling backwards is fraught with injury, including damage to the spine.

Who will teach a child to ride?

First you need to decide how the classes will be held. You can teach your child to roller skate either independently or by contacting specialists or by enrolling him in the appropriate section.

The most effective way would be to seek help from a trainer - in this case, it will take the least amount of time before taking your first confident steps. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to regularly take their child to training, so it is worth considering other options.

Parents themselves can teach their child, especially if they share a passion for rollerblading and know how to skate on them. Those who have never skated can also try to teach their child to stand on roller skates themselves, but it will be much more difficult for them to do so. A variety of training videos can help in this case.


If adults are roller skaters with extensive experience, training can be carried out independently. In other cases, it is advisable to seek help from a trainer.

Where to start?

A large, flat area is best for your first steps. It would be a good idea to practice at home first, if the size of your home allows, and only then go outside. For home training, you should choose rooms with wooden floors or linoleum, but it’s better not to try it on carpet. On the street, you should start your classes on the grass, then move to the asphalt.

  • The first lessons should be devoted to the ability to stand on roller skates correctly. Your legs should be parallel, approximately shoulder-width apart and bent at the knees, your arms should be slightly bent at the elbows and extended in front of you.
  • It is necessary to ensure that the boots are parallel and do not allow the toes to turn outward or inward. You cannot straighten your legs.
  • The next step is to be able to roller skate and lift your legs without losing your balance. Only after this can you begin to learn how to roller skate forward, paying special attention to the correct stance.
  • Another important stage in mastering roller skating skills will be braking. This should be done as follows: the right foot (since the standard brake is located on the right shoe) is pushed forward and placed on the heel.

You won’t be able to stop instantly on roller skates, so you need to prepare for this in advance. There is another way of braking - with it, the toes of the boots gradually turn inward, and the stop itself is smoother.

Of the special exercises, Flashlights are the first to be studied. During its implementation, the distance between the legs must first be gradually increased and then decreased. You can make training easier by drawing markings on the asphalt for your boots to follow. After mastering this exercise, you can begin to learn how to perform a snake.

Common errors

When learning to roller skate for a long time, pay attention to whether your child makes the most common mistakes. These include:

  • Wrong stance. Trying to ride without bending your knees or constantly tilting the toes of your shoes to the sides will lead to the fact that even the slightest unevenness will cause a loss of balance, since the chosen position is extremely unstable. If this is your case, you need to start working on the correct stance, and only then continue training.
  • The ridge falls onto the inner edge. The cause of this error may be boots that are the wrong size and in which the foot is not securely secured. Also, such an error may appear due to constant attempts to catch balance, since by tilting the skates, the child feels more stable. This error must be addressed as it can lead to injury due to the unnatural position of the ankle. It is very important to control whether your legs are in an upright position to avoid unpleasant consequences. Special exercises to strengthen the ankle will help you cope with the second reason for rollers falling inward when skating.
  • Leaning back. Often, when riding, a child begins to fall backwards, but this position is uncomfortable and requires constant tension in the back muscles. The consequences of such an error can be falling on your back and, as a result, injuries to the spine and head. You can only fight by constantly working on the correct stance.

How to teach a child to roller skate? The answer to this question is actually not that complicated. Contacting a trainer is the best option, but you can cope with this task on your own. When learning, the main attention should be paid to the correct stance; after mastering it, progress will not be long in coming.

Be sure to teach your child safety rules. He must remember well that he is not allowed to roller skate on the roadway.

Very often in the yard, as soon as one child has skates, this innovation immediately begins to interest all the children around. And soon a whole company of active, cheerful teenagers is confidently traveling on roller skates around the area. For parents, their son’s (daughter’s) new hobby causes a constant feeling of anxiety for the safety of their beloved child. But this can be completely avoided by taking the process of training a novice roller skater into your own hands. So let's figure out how to teach a child to roller skate with pleasure and in compliance with all safety rules. After all, the opportunity to engage in this sport (yes, it’s a sport, didn’t you know?) helps children integrate into a new social environment and make new friends. It allows you not only to have fun, but also contributes to the physical and personal development of the younger generation.

When can I start training?

The younger the child, the easier it is for him to learn to roller skate.

Roller skating is extremely beneficial no matter how you look at it. It gives the child the opportunity to throw out excess energy, strengthen muscles, improve coordination, and acquire qualities such as patience and perseverance.

Such physical and psychological development helps the little athlete to feel confident in himself and his abilities, so he will easily master new knowledge.

There is no consensus on what age is best to start roller skating. Now children from 5-6 years old are accepted into training groups, but you can try putting your child on roller skates at an earlier age.

It is very important to take into account the child’s wishes and the characteristics of his development. If your little one cannot concentrate on the exercise and is tired, then you should take a break. With the right approach, the younger the child, the faster he will learn a new method of transportation.

Protection for small skaters

Security measures

If you want the learning process to be safe and enjoyable for your young skater, you need to be with him at all times. And for the first rental you need to prepare in advance.

To ride safely, you will need some special attributes.

  1. Properly selected roller skates. They must fit the child in size, so trying them on in a store is mandatory. If the rollers are small, this can lead to foot deformation. If you buy skates “for growth”, then it will be difficult for a small athlete to control them, and falls will become inevitable. When choosing, give preference to branded rollers: Roces, Rollerblades, Powerslide, K2.
  2. Protective elements. This is a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads. A helmet protects the baby from the most serious injuries, so it must be worn when riding. Elbow and knee pads help avoid abrasions and bruises during falls; it is advisable to use them. There are many options for protective elements, different in style and color. The child will be happy to wear them if he chooses the color and pattern he likes. You should immediately set aside 2-3 pairs of socks specifically for rollers (thick, made of natural fibers).
  3. Briefing. It is important to tell your child about the rules of driving: ask him to be careful when he rides, avoid cars, do not go on large roads, go around people, bumps in the road, do not go far, especially at dusk. It is worth explaining to him the reasons for the prohibitions, because if the rules are violated, he may get injured.

It is better to carry out the first training on the carpet, or, for example, on the grass

First training

If you don’t know how to roller skate, it will be difficult for you to teach your child. In this case, it is better to contact an already experienced instructor.

Well, if, nevertheless, you decide to study on your own, then be patient, because not everything will work out right away. It happens that a toddler quickly gets on roller skates. But this is the exception rather than the rule.

It’s very good if you know how to roller skate. If not, seek help from an experienced instructor.

To make learning interesting and for your baby to quickly start riding on his own, you need to follow certain rules.


You may need additional equipment for training

Exercises

After mastering the preparatory steps, you can move on to the exercises. Remember to learn easier movements first. When the child performs them confidently, move on to more complex tasks.

If you do not follow the rule of moving from simple to complex, i.e. start with steep turns, there will be a lot of falls and failures, the desire to ride will disappear, and some children may suffer from self-esteem. Therefore, be careful and take your time.

Here are some exercises to start with.

  1. "Lanterns." Draw circles on the asphalt with chalk or place large, non-traumatic objects (for example, car tires). Ask your child to drive around them. To do this, you need to remember the stance and the herringbone step. Remind the student that he should not close his legs too much, because he will be going straight to the next circle.
  2. "Snake". You need to stand in a stance, place your legs parallel to each other and, pushing off with your heels, move from side to side. The snake can be performed both forward and backward.
  3. "Eight". An exercise similar to the first one, “flashlights”, but when moving, the legs cross each other.
  4. Teach your child to fall correctly. Explain to him that he should not fall on his back; in the air he should try to turn forward to avoid spinal injuries. First you need to land on your knees, then hold the fall with your elbows (places protected by knee pads and elbow pads), and only then rest with your hands. Of course, you need to practice falling on a soft surface (carpet, mat, grass).

Move from simple to complex. Then everything will work out for your baby, and he will be satisfied with himself

Learning to slow down

There are several braking options. But first, it will be enough to master the most common and simple ones.

  • Standard brake. It is on casters. In order to use it, you need to push the skate with the brake forward and lift the toe towards you. When it touches the asphalt, the wheel stops and the speed decreases. It is important to remember that at high speeds you cannot brake sharply in this way, so you need to start stopping in advance.
  • Roller movement. We imagine that we are starting to move in a circle, and when turning, we increase the pressure on the asphalt. In this case, the knees should be bent and the toes turned inward. The stronger the turn and pressure, the faster the roller will stop.

Passion for rollerblading is an opportunity to find new like-minded friends

Now you know how to choose the right skates and protective elements, take the first steps and teach your child to skate independently. Thanks to your support and participation, he will be able to discover a new world of adventure and speed, become stronger and find new friends, and you will calmly let him go for walks without worrying about his health. You can start training! You will succeed!..

Video “How to teach a child to roller skate?”

Roller skates are rightfully loved by both adults and children. Children can roller skate not only on their own, but also with their parents.

Rollers help keep your child in excellent physical shape and train the vestibular apparatus.

Let's find out what it takes to teach a child to roller skate.

While roller skating, a child may not be able to stay on his feet or brake in time. Therefore, before you start teaching your child to roller skate, you need to make sure that all possible safety measures are followed. First, you need to make sure that your child is wearing protective equipment. It consists of:

  • helmet
  • Knee pads
  • Nalokotnikov
  • Wrist guards
  • Spinal protection and special shorts are optional.

It is also completely unacceptable to use roller skates that do not fit the child in size. Even if your child’s feet are still so small that there are simply no rollers of the right size in the store, in no case should you try to compensate for the small size of the feet with thick woolen socks, buying rollers “for growth.” After all, one of the most important conditions for comfortable and safe skating is good ventilation of the feet. If it is violated, it will lead to unpleasant sensations when roller skating and even calluses. And all this can create difficulties with traffic control, which can end very badly.

In this video, experienced trainers talk about protective equipment for children's roller skates:

On your own or with an instructor?

Teaching a child to roller skate is a long and painstaking process that does not tolerate mistakes, which are inevitably made by amateurs. Therefore, trying to teach a child to roller skate on your own only makes sense if you yourself are at least good at skating, otherwise such “training” will ruin the nerves of both you and the child. It should also be taken into account that regular skating and roller skating, although they have similar elements, are still different techniques. Therefore, even those who know how to skate normally cannot always cope with teaching a child to roller skate.

The main advantage of classes with a professional instructor is the quick development of the correct skating technique. A true professional will immediately recognize the typical mistakes of a beginner roller skater and give special exercises to correct them, while self-study often “cements” incorrect skating technique. It is often difficult for a lay person to determine what exactly a child is doing wrong. When working with a trainer, these problems will not arise.

If you decide to teach your child with an instructor, you should decide on the type of classes - individual or group. Each type has its pros and cons:

Advantages of individual lessons:

  • The coach's full attention is focused on the child.
  • More effective teaching of the basics
  • Possibility to choose a convenient time and place for classes
  • The child will not be afraid to “screw up” in front of the group; learning will be more comfortable.

Of course, individual lessons are good, but the trainer’s time is quite expensive, so not all parents can pay for individual lessons.

Advantages of group classes:

  • Communication with other children
  • Competitive spirit of classes
  • Low cost

Most teachers agree that the optimal is the so-called combined approach: Before starting group lessons, you need to take several individual lessons. This way, the child will quickly learn the basics and begin effective learning in a group, saving parents nerves and money.

Taking the first steps

If you still decide to work with your child on your own, then you will need to be patient. After all, not all children have a vestibular apparatus developed well enough to ride vigorously as soon as they get on roller skates. Usually it's just the opposite.

When teaching a child to roller skate, you should use the general principle of teaching children: you should not force the performance of certain exercises or scold the child. The process should take place in a playful way: in this case, for example, you can present learning as a game of tag - the child will certainly like it. But at the same time, you should remember that you cannot immediately switch to active running - first you need to master the very basics.

Correct stance

In the case of roller skates, you need to start with the correct stance and balance. The image of the correct stance is invariably present on the first pages of any tutorial, but many beginners consider training the correct stance a boring waste of time and believe that it will come with time. The results of this approach are disappointing: failure to meet the basic requirements for a stance leads to a decrease in the stability and efficiency of repulsion, and, importantly, to awkward movements when skating. Many instructors believe that you should start training the correct stance without rollers at all.

Correct stance trains as follows:

  • Wear rollerblades - optional.
  • Go out onto the lawn.
  • Place your heels together and toes apart.
  • Bend your knees slightly.
  • Lean forward a little - with your whole body (!)

You can familiarize yourself with the correct stance using these videos. The principles of correct stance are the same for adults and children.

In order to consolidate the skill of the correct stance, you should walk in this position both on the lawn and on the asphalt. The wheels should not roll, and the tilt of the body should correspond to the bend of the knees - the more the knees bend, the more the body should be tilted. Parents should follow the child during this exercise in order to protect him in case of a fall.

Teaching a child to fall

You should also learn to fall correctly - forward, first on your knees, then on your elbows and protection on your hands, absorbing the force of the impact on the asphalt. It is necessary to explain to the child that falling back is not only wrong, but dangerous. To reduce the risk of injury, falls are trained there, on the lawn.

First steps

In order to master the first steps, take your child by the hand and support him. The child needs to place one leg slightly forward, turning 60 degrees to the right side if it is the right leg, and to the left if it is the left leg, respectively. Have your child slowly shift their center of gravity to the forward leg and push off from it, bringing the other leg 30 degrees in the opposite direction forward. And he will roll!

Then have your baby do the same with the other leg. Let him carefully move forward, try to increase the pace. However, remember that by increasing the pace, the child will most likely fall. Be prepared for this! Explain to your child that when he feels like he is starting to fall, have him squat down and gently fall on his side. Falling like this, he is almost completely protected from bruises and abrasions.

Exercises for learning to roller skate

Exercise "Herringbone"- a basic exercise when teaching a child to roller skate. The essence of this exercise is to learn how to move the skates towards each other and apart. Let the child imagine that each roller wheel is a brush, and with the help of it, he needs to draw a Christmas tree.

Exercises "Flashlights". For an effective process of teaching a child to roller skate, parents should prepare special “flashlights” - plastic glasses that need to be placed in one line. For many parents, this will remind them of the exercises they give in driving schools.

The child needs to imagine that he needs to go around not a glass, but a whole car tire. Accordingly, you need to start moving from the “heels together, legs apart” position; the skates will evenly move apart during the movement, but then they need to be brought together again - toes. It is impossible to reduce it to the end, since immediately after the first tire there is the next one.

"Snake": you need to start moving from the “parallel rollers” position, bend your knees and start wobbling from side to side, going around the “flashlight”. At the same time, you need to keep your feet close. Aerobatics - perform the exercise backwards.

Braking exercises:

Normal braking: As a rule, a brake is placed on the right roller - a plastic device with a rubber lining. They use it in the following way: while moving, the arms are extended forward, then the skate with the brake is also pushed forward and its toe is slightly lifted towards you.

"Plow": with this type of braking, you need to make a big “flashlight” and complete it by bringing your legs together forcefully in front of you. In this case, you need to bend your knees and turn the toes of the rollers slightly inward.

"T-stop": The most advanced braking method. With your knees bent, lean forward and shift your weight to your more comfortable leg. The second leg should be turned perpendicular to the direction of movement, put pressure on it and slow down the movement. The key to success is not to step on your outstretched foot too hard, as this can cause you to lose your balance and fall. This is not an easy exercise and to practice it you must first learn to roll using only one leg.

How to roller skate correctly

Proper protective equipment is not all the safety measures that parents and children should follow. In the roller skating world, there are many unwritten rules that must be followed. Some of them repeat what you already know:

  1. You cannot roller skate in puddles or sand. Roller skates are a complex mechanism and sand adhering to the wheels will lead to their breakdown. If you need to cross a puddle, you need to walk, so that the wheels do not spin.
  2. Do not ride on wet or overheated asphalt. The grip on such a surface is worse, which can lead to injury.
  3. You can't speed up too much. This is traumatic and unpredictable even for high-level roller skaters.
  4. Under no circumstances should protective equipment be dispensed with.
  5. You always need to fall correctly! The correct fall is to fall forward.
  6. The legs should always be slightly bent and the body tilted forward. One leg is half a roll ahead of the other.

Where can you roller skate?

All rules in the roller skating world are based on safety considerations. And when choosing a place to skate, the safety of not only the skater himself, but also everyone around him is of paramount importance.

Of course, it is not forbidden to roller skate on asphalt paths and park alleys, of which there are so many around. But you shouldn’t develop too much speed, since along the way a novice roller skater may meet other road users: adults and children. You need to be especially careful when driving on those streets where cars may enter. There should be no unpredictable maneuvers there. And it’s better not to go onto the roadway itself, even for adults.

Also, children and beginning adults should not ride where there are a lot of cyclists. Why? Collisions with cyclists can cause roller skate wheels to become stuck in the spokes, which can cause serious injury.

Despite some of the challenges of roller skating, the positive aspects of this pastime outweigh them. But, undoubtedly, the issue of teaching a child to roller skates should be approached responsibly and with a lot of practice. Then roller skating will be a joy and will help the child find new friends and enjoy life!