Getting started in inline skating is, sometimes, a daunting task: Where do you go to buy skates? What skates should you be buying? Can you rent skates? Do you need safety gear?

Often people recommend buying one manufacturer over another, but this simply doesn't work for everyone looking to try inline skating. Here's my advice:

  • Go to a reputable skate shop and take the advice of the sales staff.
  • Try on lots of pairs of skates, of different styles, and from different manufacturers.
  • Spend a reasonable length of time in each pair and try to do it in the afternoon: your feet swell during the day.
  • If you've never skated before get a pair of skates with a heel brake: it's the one way to stop that you can be guaranteed to get right, and you can remove it later.
  • Look for skates with ankle support.
  • Spin the wheels: they should spin for at least 10 seconds.
  • Expect to spend at least £100 on your first pair of skates.

The last two are pretty important: people try to learn in skates that simply don't roll, which are typically very cheap skates, and you definitely need that to make learning slightly easier.

It's not uncommon for skaters to call the heel brake "uncool" but it is actually the easiest method of stopping to learn. If you buy inline skates with a heel brake you can remove it later, once you've become proficient in another form of stopping. The reason it is recommended for beginners is quite simple: new skaters tend to pronate their ankles (the skates lean in) and, if this is happening, learning a stop like the T-stop is much more difficult, if not impossible to get proficient. Over time you're ankles will strengthen and your skates will get more upright but, until that happens, heel braking is the best stopping method to learn. You might be "uncool" but at least you're safe.

Buy pads! It's that simple. Get knee, wrist and elbow pads and, preferably, a helmet. You should try to protect yourself as much as possible when you first start learning to skate and, as you improve, you can decide whether or not to wear the protection. You'll see a lot of skaters who don't wear any safety equipment but I can guarantee you that the one phrase they never use is "I don't fall over": you do, a lot! To attend any of my lessons, and most other instructors, you are going to need at least knee, wrist and elbow pads.

I highly recommend the following London skate shops, their staff are good and they have a wide selection of skates:

Club Blue Room
Marble Arch Tower
12-14 Edgware Road
London W2 2EN
Slick Willies
12 Gloucester Road
London SW7 4RB

Both of these also rent skates, which is a good way to try inline skating if you're unsure.

It's not uncommon for a skater to say to an instructor that they are an intermediate skater but then, when asked, they cannot stop. It's a perception that once you can skate forwards you're no longer a beginner, which is partly true, but being able to stop is an important beginner skill. So, here's a rough idea of how to rate your abilities:

Beginner Never skated before or simply can't get moving
Novice You can skate forwards, do simple turns, and can stop with a heel brake
Intermediate You skate reasonably quickly, can do the more efficient parallel turn, and are probably doing a Sunday Stroll
Advanced Intermediate Your confident enough to skate in the street on your own, can T-stop, and are probably on a LondonSkate
Advanced Backwards or forwards you're comfortable skating, you tend to find learning things "quite easy", and are trying different forms of skating
Superskater At this point you are able to teach yourself how to do things from videos or watching friends

Remember that these are just a guide as it's very difficult to actually place people in nice boxes like this. Although you might skate forwards like a rocket, you may not be able to skate backwards: does that mean you aren't at least "Advanced Intermediate"? I tend to view classifying your skating as a confidence and safety thing: "Intermediate" and below are typically people who feel safer in the park or skating on the pavement; above it they are in the road and don't usually turn up to the park with anything more than their skates.

The point is: if you cannot stop safely then you are not above "Novice".

You can buy or rent your skates and then simply try to work out how to do things; sometimes you might have a friend who is already skating and they'll try to show you how to do something. Personally I think neither of these is ideal: I doubt you'll get very far learning on your own, and better skaters typically either can't explain how they do something, because it's become second nature for them, or they explain poorly.

If you've rented your skates, in particular, look to having the free lesson with Skate Patrol: they'll teach you the basics of going forward, turning and stopping. You don't get much time with them but you can return a reasonable number of times. In London they are based half way along Serpentine Road, in Hyde Park, but only operate on Sunday afternoons. You'll find them in red T-shirts with a white cross on the back.

From then on my advice is to take lessons with an ICP qualified instructor, such as myself. We're trained to break skills down into manageable pieces and have the experience of teaching many people, all with their own little nuances, so you'll learn better than on your own.

I, like most other skate instructors, run group courses and private lessons. Group courses are a great way to learn new skills in a friendly environment with similar skilled skaters, whereas private lessons are good if you want to get the full attention of an instructor or have a particular issue that you want to solve. Personally I find group lessons good fun and usually attend them more than once: the first time can be a little overwhelming, the second time I tend to take more in because I kind of know what to do. Just because you've attended a group course once doesn't mean you can't keep coming back!

My advice is to set yourself an achievable goal: maybe you want to get fitter, or skate on one of the organised street skates. Whatever it is look for courses that will get you there, like my Sunday Stroll or Street Skater courses, or speak to an instructor and ask their advice.

Above all: find an instructor who makes learning fun and fits with your style. Try lots and pick the best.

If you want advice then feel free to contact me; I'm more than happy to help point you in the right direction.