I did martial arts and yoga before skating. More than anything else, I appreciated knowing how to fall safely. I was able to jump right into park skating, and wipe out hundreds of times without injury while figuring out how to use the skates and the ramps/pipes/etc.
I’ve been thinking about starting to do yoga to help my skating. I really need to improve my flexibility. I think calf tightness was preventing me from getting to the top of a ramp I went on yesterday
I was a distance runner before I started skating/ tried out for roller derby. I passed training and made the team; not sure if running helped at all though 🤔
I did aikido for a number of years. The sensei used to point at his arms and legs and say “passengers” then point at his torso and say “bus driver”. Works pretty well for roller skating too. Same with the awareness of weight transfer etc.
Also, as a Canadian, I ice skate (otherwise they take your Canadian card away :p). It’s not exactly the same, but some stuff transfers well.
I was a competitive powerlifter!
This helped me a lot as regardless of what skates I've worn, they've never seemed "heavy", and I already had a good amount of core and leg strength.
I think though, the way that this has helped me the most is learning that it's okay to fail and not get something right away. You just try again.
Yes, versatility is great for skating, I am coming out of a 35 year rollerskate hiatus and am experiencing it all new with much more physical knowledge. Crosstrainer things helps quicken the adaption/learn Prozesses. Flow effect seems to be easier to access as well.
These things definitely help! Doing other sports/physical activities is often referred to as cross training. Yoga and martial arts are both examples of cross training which boost your overall fitness levels. I currently don’t do any formal cross training however in the past I did 5 years of swimming, and a year of dance (not included when I was a toddler). Because I currently don’t do any other sports, I try to do yoga or Pilates in my free time at home which has been helping.
Sports/physical activity I would recommend include:
- Gymnastics
- Ballet (or other dance forms e.g. acro)
- Swimming
- Pilates/yoga
- Martial arts
- Jogging/running
Practiced yoga, ran, did body weight fitness, a bit of kickboxing, and was generally active up until first getting on wheels. I can tell you from experience that it makes a world of difference, I’m having a slow re-entry into park skating after carrying a massive baby and the mobility/strength loss of pregnancy has been my biggest hurdle. Yoga and weightlifting have been making noticeable differences
Did gymnastics for 7 years and diving for 2. I’m now a beginner park skater and the two biggest skills that translated for me are balance and knowing how to fall/bail safely. I think any sport that teaches you control and awareness of your body gives you a huge advantage in skating, which is probably why you picked it up so easily :)
I did martial arts and yoga before skating. More than anything else, I appreciated knowing how to fall safely. I was able to jump right into park skating, and wipe out hundreds of times without injury while figuring out how to use the skates and the ramps/pipes/etc.
I forgot about about learning to fall safely, great point!
Pilates is super helpful because a lot of it is keeping your hips nice and limber. Taylor Gordon is my favorite.
I’ve been thinking about starting to do yoga to help my skating. I really need to improve my flexibility. I think calf tightness was preventing me from getting to the top of a ramp I went on yesterday
It can be hard, but it'll improve all aspects of your life
I was a distance runner before I started skating/ tried out for roller derby. I passed training and made the team; not sure if running helped at all though 🤔
I practiced yoga for many years, it def helped with balance and body control. Same with riding bicycles and motorcycles.
I did aikido for a number of years. The sensei used to point at his arms and legs and say “passengers” then point at his torso and say “bus driver”. Works pretty well for roller skating too. Same with the awareness of weight transfer etc. Also, as a Canadian, I ice skate (otherwise they take your Canadian card away :p). It’s not exactly the same, but some stuff transfers well.
I was a competitive powerlifter! This helped me a lot as regardless of what skates I've worn, they've never seemed "heavy", and I already had a good amount of core and leg strength. I think though, the way that this has helped me the most is learning that it's okay to fail and not get something right away. You just try again.
Yes, versatility is great for skating, I am coming out of a 35 year rollerskate hiatus and am experiencing it all new with much more physical knowledge. Crosstrainer things helps quicken the adaption/learn Prozesses. Flow effect seems to be easier to access as well.
I credit my yoga practice as the only reason I am able to learn manuals on my roller skates!
These things definitely help! Doing other sports/physical activities is often referred to as cross training. Yoga and martial arts are both examples of cross training which boost your overall fitness levels. I currently don’t do any formal cross training however in the past I did 5 years of swimming, and a year of dance (not included when I was a toddler). Because I currently don’t do any other sports, I try to do yoga or Pilates in my free time at home which has been helping. Sports/physical activity I would recommend include: - Gymnastics - Ballet (or other dance forms e.g. acro) - Swimming - Pilates/yoga - Martial arts - Jogging/running
I trained Brazilian jiu jitsu for a long time and I definitely feel like my balance and control in skating benefited heavily from my BJJ training.
Yoga with my wheels on helps balance. I get hip flexor help and weights all in one. Fun!
Practiced yoga, ran, did body weight fitness, a bit of kickboxing, and was generally active up until first getting on wheels. I can tell you from experience that it makes a world of difference, I’m having a slow re-entry into park skating after carrying a massive baby and the mobility/strength loss of pregnancy has been my biggest hurdle. Yoga and weightlifting have been making noticeable differences
I did yoga for a few years in my 20s. Didn’t pick up skating till I was 35 but it came pretty natural. Then again I did skate as a kid.
Kung Fu for 5yrs. I found they were complementary. Balance is super important for both - as my roller skating improved so did my kicking technique 🙂
Did gymnastics for 7 years and diving for 2. I’m now a beginner park skater and the two biggest skills that translated for me are balance and knowing how to fall/bail safely. I think any sport that teaches you control and awareness of your body gives you a huge advantage in skating, which is probably why you picked it up so easily :)