How to Prevent Injury While In-Line Skating

You might look cooler without the safety gear, but remember: Nobody looks cool in a full body cast. Gear up and skate with safety in mind.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Elbow Pads
• In-line Skate Axles
• In-line Skate Spacers
• In-line Skate Wheels
• In-line Skates
• In-line Skating Gear
• In-line Skating Helmets
• In-line Skating Protective Gear Sets
• Wrist Guards
• Elbow pads

1. Wear a shirt, ideally long-sleeved, to protect your skin in the event you fall.

2. 
    

   Buy a helmet that's ANSI, Snell or ASTM approved. Make sure it covers your forehead and the lower part of your neck, and has vents so your scalp can breathe.

3. 
    

   Wear wrist guards in the event you use your hands to break a fall. For maximum protection, look for a plastic shell on the guard that will cover the top and bottom of your wrists.

4. 
    

   Use elbow guards to help protect the elbow joints and surrounding skin.

5. 
    

   Don knee guards to prevent your skin from getting cut on roadways and to protect the joints in the knee if you fall forward. Look for fabric fastener straps that will prevent them from sliding down your leg.

6. Learn how to stop when you're geared up and ready to give your in-line skates a try. Practice using the brake in an area isolated from traffic and pedestrians.

7. Make yourself familiar with the road. Learn to recognize distances, inclines, declines, steps and other hazards so you know what you're capable of skating on.

8. Try to skate on paths instead of roads. Drivers aren't always conscious of skaters on the roadway.

9. Obey traffic laws, such as skating with the flow of traffic.

10. Learn how to fall safely. Slide (rather than roll) into a fall. Extend your arms to land on wrists or lean forward to land on your knees, which are padded.

Tips & Warnings

• Hip protectors aren't necessary, but they can help prevent a painful hip injury. Consider shorts that have hip and rear pads built in.
• Beware of potholes, rocks and gravel when you skate - these are accidents waiting to happen.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!

on 11/22/2005 If you find yourself going too fast and out of control, get yourself low to the ground by squatting. This lowers your center of gravity for more control and gets you closer to the ground so that you can just sit down and slide to a stop on your butt.

on 11/22/2005 A safe and easy way to stop on your skates is to bring either your left or right foot behind the other and let it drag to slow you down. It's called the "T-stop."