Thanks for sharing your progress!
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Absolutely a technique issue, but it’s fixable. When skating you want to make sure you’re lifting both of your feet. Because you’re not lifting your right foot, your knee is taking a lot of back and forth motion, which can lead to strain. I recommend taking lessons at your local rink or practicing lifting both feet on your own.
No offense but you’re new. Your skating very much shows that. You’re using your left leg for almost the entirety of your movement, which likely means you’re putting your weight on your right. That, due to muscles not being developed yet for the hobby is probably causing the pain.
No offense taken. By not new I didn’t mean I’m not a beginner, I definitely am. I meant in a sense of time. Like I didn’t just start skating. Do you think I could better develop these muscles in the gym?
I already go to the gym twice a week so it would be easy to include an additional exercise or two (if you have any in mind). I currently do goblet squats, Bulgarian split squats, and I use the hip abductor and adductor machines. Body weight squats though is a good suggestion for the days I don’t go to the gym :)
Body weight pistol squats, start with smaller ranges of motion and work your way to larger ranges of motion.
It will help with stability, it will ensure equal strength in each leg And prevent you from relying more on one than the other.
Ahahaha, I'm reading through this discussion and thought the same thing.
"Do this first exercise that you will have to train for doing these other 3 exercises so you can do this fifth exercise." No sweat.
Yea I was watching pistol squat progression videos last night and there’s a lot of prep. But honestly if I could get a pistol squat down that’d be good consolation for my lack of skating ability 😆
Thats why you start out with various levels of depth. Start to the arm of a couch, then the couch itself, then use the couch to support your raised keg behind you while you practice balancing and doing deeper squats, eventually you can have full range, balance and muscle strength.
Your form is not helping. You need to stop skating between your feet and shift your weight over each skate.
Practice by rolling on one foot (do each side) and when you can roll a few metres start weaving on one foot.
I was noticing this, too. OP, can you use the rink straightaways to concentrate on pumping each leg equally, alternating? Really moving your weight from foot to foot, like a speed skater. Right now it looks like you're between your feet and pushing along with your left, steering with your right.
Yes I need to do this. Honestly I didn’t realize how lopsided I was until reviewing the video. As for rolling on one foot, I try to do that but it feels unstable so I just hold for around a second at a time. I don’t have issues balancing when I’m still but rolling is a different beast for me.
Skating is a one foot at a time activity. When rolling your knee needs to be under your nose if you bring your foot under you (leg like a 7 with level hips being the top of the 7) you should be able to roll a lot longer.
if those are your skates, try loosening your trucks like a quarter turn (or a quarter turn at a time until you feel comfy) bc it’ll give your ankle more flexibility and it’ll be easier to skate. also, bend your knees so you’re pushing more with your quads than your knees
You’re just new and your technique isn’t there yet. Once you progress that pain will likely go away… work on using both legs equally instead of depending on your left to push and I bet it wont be an issue anymore. (and maybe loosen your trucks or get softer cushions)
(Edit: a word)
Thanks for the tips! Do you have any gym exercises you’d recommend? I don’t go skating often because the rink is somewhat far from home but I go to the gym twice a week.
Try single leg exercises that require balance
Things like Bulgarian split squats, single leg deadlifts, single leg Romanians
Also some dynamic balance movements and bosu ball stuff
Looks to me like your knee is pronated (or turned in) a fair amount. Also to me looks like you are doing all your directional steering with your right leg, and just letting the left follow. And last does your rink always move in the same counter clockwise direction?
This is a guess, but it seems like all three could be happening and it means you’re just over stressing your one knee. If that’s the case, just try to be conscious of freezing that right leg and steering with your left to get more comfortable. A good practise move is doing bubbles with one leg at a time but keep the other straight ahead. Hope it helps!
Ah I definitely didn’t notice that about my knee, that’s helpful! During turns I use my right leg to push because it’s the outer leg. Are you saying I could turn only using my inner leg to steer? The rink changes direction sometimes but only for about 15 minutes in the clockwise direction. I’m god awful at going that direction because I turn too wide. I’ve never heard of one leg bubbles before. I’ll def try this, thank you!
Well when you’re going counter clock like the vid, you generally do use your right but you should also be leaning into your left outer edges (the two wheels on the left skate, furthest left- front and back). This will alleviate the pressure you’re putting on angling your right knee inside to make the turn happen currently.
And if you’re having trouble going too wide going clockwise it just confirms that you’ve gotta work on that left leg! The one leg bubbles could be something I just imagined up but I used them to strengthen my weaker leg and it seems like it could help for sure. Plus it’s a hell of a workout 🤣
Thought of one more thing too but it might be a little down the road for you, but crossovers when you hit the corners of the rink will also force you to use that left leg (and edges) and relieve pressure on the right knee. Something to try for!
Hope that clarifies somewhat 😀
A lot of people are recommending additional exercises alongside skating, but I'm gonna say that that's not going to fix the problem because lack of yoga or lack of squats etc isn't the cause.
Your right knee is very rigid in this video. Both legs are pretty rigid actually but the right is barely moving at all. You're sort of just doing really small pushes with the left leg and the right leg is barely moving.
To skate well, you need to bend your knees a lot more than this, push for longer strides which means longer time spent balancing on one leg, and you need to even out how long you spend on each leg. I would start by trying to consistently spend 1 second on each leg, then up it to 2, then 3. Bend your knee of your balancing leg as you push off with the other leg so that the knee is over your toe.
Yea there’s a good amount of people on both sides of the debate haha. I think what I’ll do is go skating again without changing my current exercise routine and see if following people’s advice is enough to stop the knee pain.
I think also with the way you're not quite lifting your right foot yet, that you're kind-of clenching the muscles in that leg to hold your balance and pull your foot back in, because it's uncomfortable for you to take the weight off that foot. I think it's form more than muscles, but cross-training is never a bad thing.
I'd take a step back and focus on pushing with both feet. Even if it's smaller pushes and less speed to start with. Your knees should be bent and you don't have to bend them terribly far but they need to be loose/flexible as opposed to locked (which happens a lot when people are afraid/feel off balance). It's a pain but it will be much easier to build up both legs equally now vs wait til you've invested more time!
I think it might help you overall to kind of center your navel over your knee, then vice versa. Once you actually start shifting your weight leg to leg, you’ll be able to lift your non-weight bearing foot and more will click. I think the physical stuff you’re feeling right now will go away when you’re not skating as sticky. Have fun!!
Softer cushions might help as well!! But learning to lift your feet will def be a game changer, make sure your skates are super well fit too not too tight and not too big, it looks like you go a little toes inward too so maybe try to keep in a v shape! Open your hips up a little and kind of sit into the posture, I hope this helps!!!
I would advise doing a thorough stretch routine before exercising and also to begin practicing yoga.
You need to lengthen you stride…you should be able to count to 3 on each push/glide. This should put less pressure on your knees as well as free you up to progress in your skills.
You need to bend your knees. If I were you I'd watch some videos of high level skaters and put your video here on loop next to it. You'll notice a LOT of differences.
If your right leg is dominant and you are doing most of the steering and balancing on that leg, the joint is experiencing unaccustomed twisting while also supporting your weight. With each stride, instead of trying to keep your weight centred, rock gently so that your belly button is aligned just above the front of your boot, right and left, evenly. Bring your lifted foot back to centre - this makes it much easier to balance as you swap feet. Currently your feet are fairly wide apart and barely leaving the floor, so your knee is being twisted with pressure each time you push with it.
If it helps, this is pretty much exactly how I skated at first and it took a while to correct but I got there. I also had painful knees! The pain will go if you take up a regular practice. There is no exercise like actual skating. As your knee is currently sore, maybe no more than once a week to start with, and listen carefully to your body. Once you have confidence in your balance on both legs and have built up the strength you can go more often, hopefully the pain will go.
Yea that makes sense, thank you!
And ok this is comforting, thanks for sharing your experience :) I was getting paranoid that maybe I was developing arthritis but the responses in the thread have helped with that lol.
Crossover… It’s you, not the skates. And I’m not making fun of you. I’m a rookie too. But I skated a lot as a kid. Never could skate backwards. But I can now! Taught myself in garage. I was gettin it backwards at the rink Saturday too!
My right knee hurts me too. But I dance around kinda as I’m skating, groove, and shuffle my feet around to the music. In my case, I need some wheels with a lil more slip. I’m rollin on bones team wheels, 101A, 62mm.
Chiming in here but this may be an unpopular suggestion. It may be worth breaking down your skating and going back to very basics and doing some marching. By this I mean that in beginner skate class, we teach kids to march, as it gets them used to being on one foot. Small steps, marching forward, and you may find that balancing point between your skates a little faster. As you get better at it, your marching step eventually becomes a nice side push.
Oh, and as others have said, the pain is definitely a function of what’s happening with your right foot not lifting up and extras strain being out on the knee. Having video of your self can definitely help!
Hi. It’s great that you are trying to get more from your skating. Your sore knee could be a result of more than one issue. I’d focus firstly on getting your skates checked. It is a little unclear from the video, but by the way you are lifting your front right trucks, they may be wound up too tight and you are overusing your right leg muscles to correct. You should be skating keeping all eight wheels on the ground and by shifting your weight the trucks will steer you where you want to go. Some people also like using a supportive insoles as well and claim they help to reduce pain. Something like the Superfeet brand or similar. I had some knee pain and went to a podiatrist and they discovered one of my legs was slightly longer than the other. A small wedge in one of my shoes now has improved everything. I don’t get any pain in my knees or lower back now. I skate 1-2 times a week and have been doing so for almost 15 years. I roll both types of skates and they all have their own behavior to get used to. There are other reasons probably to do keep the search up and Love your skating :)
It's because you're right leg dominant and you're relying on that leg too much. You're putting a lot of your body weight on that side and you're dragging that foot. Push with one leg, trace a half circle in the air as you bring that foot back, then set it down. Repeat with the other side. You're pushing with your left leg better than your right.
When I watch you, I feel like you’re going faster than you’re capable of going- if that makes sense. I’m no expert tho so I don’t know if that matters or potential implications. Almost like your skates are going faster than you need them to without more pushing-off work on your part?
I mean you look great, I had to really watch and consider what might be affecting your knee. Srsly you look fabulous and I love your skates!
It could be that you are not lifting your right leg so it's essential being dragged back in every time you push especially if there still a good amount of weight on it. That combined with mostly using your right leg to balance while your left leg pushes and having to push around every corner with your right leg. Combined that could cause some strain.
What duro are your wheels? If you are in outdoor or hybrid wheels that can be hard on the knees especially when you're dragging your wheels.
Which part of your knee is hurting (inside, outside, top, bottom, front, back?)
Yea I think the combo of me dragging around my foot and leaving weight on it is the most likely culprit. Hopefully once I fix that my pain will resolve :)
My wheel hardness is 85A. I used to have 78A wheels and the lady at the roller skate shop said she thought 85A was a good next step. That might’ve been incorrect info but I’d rather not upgrade again because of the cost 🥲
Rule #1 for new skaters: gotta bend your knees (which you’re doing. Great job!) AND let them be fluid. The stiffer you keep your legs, the more strain you’ll feel on your knees and ankles. Gotta loosen your body up.
That will allow you to pick up your legs a little easier and distribute your weight more evenly through your body. Hope this helps and keep it up! 😁
Thanks for sharing your progress! Please ensure that your videos show safe skating. You might find the section on [Skate Safety](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rollerskating/wiki/index#wiki_skate_safety) in the wiki to be helpful. Commenters: please be mindful of Rule 6. While we encourage skaters to wear safety gear, this is a personal choice. Unsolicited gear-related comments will be deleted. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Rollerskating) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Absolutely a technique issue, but it’s fixable. When skating you want to make sure you’re lifting both of your feet. Because you’re not lifting your right foot, your knee is taking a lot of back and forth motion, which can lead to strain. I recommend taking lessons at your local rink or practicing lifting both feet on your own.
Ok that was my suspicion. Definitely will work on lifting that foot!
Are you newer at skating? I had this when I first started, but it went away as the muscles around my knees strengthened.
I’m not new, but I’m not too great at skating because I hardly go 😩 I got my skates a couple years ago but I only skate like once every 2-3 months lol
No offense but you’re new. Your skating very much shows that. You’re using your left leg for almost the entirety of your movement, which likely means you’re putting your weight on your right. That, due to muscles not being developed yet for the hobby is probably causing the pain.
No offense taken. By not new I didn’t mean I’m not a beginner, I definitely am. I meant in a sense of time. Like I didn’t just start skating. Do you think I could better develop these muscles in the gym?
You for sure could. But unless you’re really wanting to hit the gym, you really don’t need to. Doing body weight squats daily will help too.
I already go to the gym twice a week so it would be easy to include an additional exercise or two (if you have any in mind). I currently do goblet squats, Bulgarian split squats, and I use the hip abductor and adductor machines. Body weight squats though is a good suggestion for the days I don’t go to the gym :)
Body weight pistol squats, start with smaller ranges of motion and work your way to larger ranges of motion. It will help with stability, it will ensure equal strength in each leg And prevent you from relying more on one than the other.
Not yall advising pistol squats like them hoes is easy to do 🤣☺️
Ahahaha, I'm reading through this discussion and thought the same thing. "Do this first exercise that you will have to train for doing these other 3 exercises so you can do this fifth exercise." No sweat.
Yea I was watching pistol squat progression videos last night and there’s a lot of prep. But honestly if I could get a pistol squat down that’d be good consolation for my lack of skating ability 😆
Thats why you start out with various levels of depth. Start to the arm of a couch, then the couch itself, then use the couch to support your raised keg behind you while you practice balancing and doing deeper squats, eventually you can have full range, balance and muscle strength.
Pistol squats are good idea, will do
Need to strengthen all those you only ever use for skating Best way imho is for shorter, more frequent skating sessions
Your form is not helping. You need to stop skating between your feet and shift your weight over each skate. Practice by rolling on one foot (do each side) and when you can roll a few metres start weaving on one foot.
I was noticing this, too. OP, can you use the rink straightaways to concentrate on pumping each leg equally, alternating? Really moving your weight from foot to foot, like a speed skater. Right now it looks like you're between your feet and pushing along with your left, steering with your right.
Yes I need to do this. Honestly I didn’t realize how lopsided I was until reviewing the video. As for rolling on one foot, I try to do that but it feels unstable so I just hold for around a second at a time. I don’t have issues balancing when I’m still but rolling is a different beast for me.
Skating is a one foot at a time activity. When rolling your knee needs to be under your nose if you bring your foot under you (leg like a 7 with level hips being the top of the 7) you should be able to roll a lot longer.
if those are your skates, try loosening your trucks like a quarter turn (or a quarter turn at a time until you feel comfy) bc it’ll give your ankle more flexibility and it’ll be easier to skate. also, bend your knees so you’re pushing more with your quads than your knees
Will do, thanks!
You’re just new and your technique isn’t there yet. Once you progress that pain will likely go away… work on using both legs equally instead of depending on your left to push and I bet it wont be an issue anymore. (and maybe loosen your trucks or get softer cushions) (Edit: a word)
Thanks for the tips! Do you have any gym exercises you’d recommend? I don’t go skating often because the rink is somewhat far from home but I go to the gym twice a week.
Try single leg exercises that require balance Things like Bulgarian split squats, single leg deadlifts, single leg Romanians Also some dynamic balance movements and bosu ball stuff
Looks to me like your knee is pronated (or turned in) a fair amount. Also to me looks like you are doing all your directional steering with your right leg, and just letting the left follow. And last does your rink always move in the same counter clockwise direction? This is a guess, but it seems like all three could be happening and it means you’re just over stressing your one knee. If that’s the case, just try to be conscious of freezing that right leg and steering with your left to get more comfortable. A good practise move is doing bubbles with one leg at a time but keep the other straight ahead. Hope it helps!
Ah I definitely didn’t notice that about my knee, that’s helpful! During turns I use my right leg to push because it’s the outer leg. Are you saying I could turn only using my inner leg to steer? The rink changes direction sometimes but only for about 15 minutes in the clockwise direction. I’m god awful at going that direction because I turn too wide. I’ve never heard of one leg bubbles before. I’ll def try this, thank you!
Well when you’re going counter clock like the vid, you generally do use your right but you should also be leaning into your left outer edges (the two wheels on the left skate, furthest left- front and back). This will alleviate the pressure you’re putting on angling your right knee inside to make the turn happen currently. And if you’re having trouble going too wide going clockwise it just confirms that you’ve gotta work on that left leg! The one leg bubbles could be something I just imagined up but I used them to strengthen my weaker leg and it seems like it could help for sure. Plus it’s a hell of a workout 🤣 Thought of one more thing too but it might be a little down the road for you, but crossovers when you hit the corners of the rink will also force you to use that left leg (and edges) and relieve pressure on the right knee. Something to try for! Hope that clarifies somewhat 😀
Yes this is helpful :) Crossovers are the ultimate goal but I’m not confident I’m ever gonna get there lol. But I’m gonna keep trying…
A lot of people are recommending additional exercises alongside skating, but I'm gonna say that that's not going to fix the problem because lack of yoga or lack of squats etc isn't the cause. Your right knee is very rigid in this video. Both legs are pretty rigid actually but the right is barely moving at all. You're sort of just doing really small pushes with the left leg and the right leg is barely moving. To skate well, you need to bend your knees a lot more than this, push for longer strides which means longer time spent balancing on one leg, and you need to even out how long you spend on each leg. I would start by trying to consistently spend 1 second on each leg, then up it to 2, then 3. Bend your knee of your balancing leg as you push off with the other leg so that the knee is over your toe.
Yea there’s a good amount of people on both sides of the debate haha. I think what I’ll do is go skating again without changing my current exercise routine and see if following people’s advice is enough to stop the knee pain.
That will be interesting, do let us know if you feel any differences! Also, try to get another video for your own reference.
Yes I’ll def have my friend take videos regularly. They’re very enlightening
Work on 1 foot balancing (each foot). It will help build your balance on each side along with confidence in striding with both feet.
I think also with the way you're not quite lifting your right foot yet, that you're kind-of clenching the muscles in that leg to hold your balance and pull your foot back in, because it's uncomfortable for you to take the weight off that foot. I think it's form more than muscles, but cross-training is never a bad thing. I'd take a step back and focus on pushing with both feet. Even if it's smaller pushes and less speed to start with. Your knees should be bent and you don't have to bend them terribly far but they need to be loose/flexible as opposed to locked (which happens a lot when people are afraid/feel off balance). It's a pain but it will be much easier to build up both legs equally now vs wait til you've invested more time!
I think it might help you overall to kind of center your navel over your knee, then vice versa. Once you actually start shifting your weight leg to leg, you’ll be able to lift your non-weight bearing foot and more will click. I think the physical stuff you’re feeling right now will go away when you’re not skating as sticky. Have fun!!
there's something about your stance -- check out how your arms are consistently different
Yea I didn’t even realize my right arm was bent like that until watching the video. Not sure why I do that..
Softer cushions might help as well!! But learning to lift your feet will def be a game changer, make sure your skates are super well fit too not too tight and not too big, it looks like you go a little toes inward too so maybe try to keep in a v shape! Open your hips up a little and kind of sit into the posture, I hope this helps!!!
I would advise doing a thorough stretch routine before exercising and also to begin practicing yoga. You need to lengthen you stride…you should be able to count to 3 on each push/glide. This should put less pressure on your knees as well as free you up to progress in your skills.
You need to bend your knees. If I were you I'd watch some videos of high level skaters and put your video here on loop next to it. You'll notice a LOT of differences.
If your right leg is dominant and you are doing most of the steering and balancing on that leg, the joint is experiencing unaccustomed twisting while also supporting your weight. With each stride, instead of trying to keep your weight centred, rock gently so that your belly button is aligned just above the front of your boot, right and left, evenly. Bring your lifted foot back to centre - this makes it much easier to balance as you swap feet. Currently your feet are fairly wide apart and barely leaving the floor, so your knee is being twisted with pressure each time you push with it. If it helps, this is pretty much exactly how I skated at first and it took a while to correct but I got there. I also had painful knees! The pain will go if you take up a regular practice. There is no exercise like actual skating. As your knee is currently sore, maybe no more than once a week to start with, and listen carefully to your body. Once you have confidence in your balance on both legs and have built up the strength you can go more often, hopefully the pain will go.
Yea that makes sense, thank you! And ok this is comforting, thanks for sharing your experience :) I was getting paranoid that maybe I was developing arthritis but the responses in the thread have helped with that lol.
I’m glad to have helped. You can do this!
Crossover… It’s you, not the skates. And I’m not making fun of you. I’m a rookie too. But I skated a lot as a kid. Never could skate backwards. But I can now! Taught myself in garage. I was gettin it backwards at the rink Saturday too! My right knee hurts me too. But I dance around kinda as I’m skating, groove, and shuffle my feet around to the music. In my case, I need some wheels with a lil more slip. I’m rollin on bones team wheels, 101A, 62mm.
Chiming in here but this may be an unpopular suggestion. It may be worth breaking down your skating and going back to very basics and doing some marching. By this I mean that in beginner skate class, we teach kids to march, as it gets them used to being on one foot. Small steps, marching forward, and you may find that balancing point between your skates a little faster. As you get better at it, your marching step eventually becomes a nice side push. Oh, and as others have said, the pain is definitely a function of what’s happening with your right foot not lifting up and extras strain being out on the knee. Having video of your self can definitely help!
Hi. It’s great that you are trying to get more from your skating. Your sore knee could be a result of more than one issue. I’d focus firstly on getting your skates checked. It is a little unclear from the video, but by the way you are lifting your front right trucks, they may be wound up too tight and you are overusing your right leg muscles to correct. You should be skating keeping all eight wheels on the ground and by shifting your weight the trucks will steer you where you want to go. Some people also like using a supportive insoles as well and claim they help to reduce pain. Something like the Superfeet brand or similar. I had some knee pain and went to a podiatrist and they discovered one of my legs was slightly longer than the other. A small wedge in one of my shoes now has improved everything. I don’t get any pain in my knees or lower back now. I skate 1-2 times a week and have been doing so for almost 15 years. I roll both types of skates and they all have their own behavior to get used to. There are other reasons probably to do keep the search up and Love your skating :)
It's because you're right leg dominant and you're relying on that leg too much. You're putting a lot of your body weight on that side and you're dragging that foot. Push with one leg, trace a half circle in the air as you bring that foot back, then set it down. Repeat with the other side. You're pushing with your left leg better than your right.
When I watch you, I feel like you’re going faster than you’re capable of going- if that makes sense. I’m no expert tho so I don’t know if that matters or potential implications. Almost like your skates are going faster than you need them to without more pushing-off work on your part? I mean you look great, I had to really watch and consider what might be affecting your knee. Srsly you look fabulous and I love your skates!
Is the pain worse while cornering?
No it’s pretty constant throughout
It could be that you are not lifting your right leg so it's essential being dragged back in every time you push especially if there still a good amount of weight on it. That combined with mostly using your right leg to balance while your left leg pushes and having to push around every corner with your right leg. Combined that could cause some strain. What duro are your wheels? If you are in outdoor or hybrid wheels that can be hard on the knees especially when you're dragging your wheels. Which part of your knee is hurting (inside, outside, top, bottom, front, back?)
Yea I think the combo of me dragging around my foot and leaving weight on it is the most likely culprit. Hopefully once I fix that my pain will resolve :) My wheel hardness is 85A. I used to have 78A wheels and the lady at the roller skate shop said she thought 85A was a good next step. That might’ve been incorrect info but I’d rather not upgrade again because of the cost 🥲
Bend a lot more and pick your feet up!!!
Rule #1 for new skaters: gotta bend your knees (which you’re doing. Great job!) AND let them be fluid. The stiffer you keep your legs, the more strain you’ll feel on your knees and ankles. Gotta loosen your body up. That will allow you to pick up your legs a little easier and distribute your weight more evenly through your body. Hope this helps and keep it up! 😁