Did you know that beyond being fun, rollerskating has a ton of added benefits to your mental and physical health?

As the world’s first Rollerskating Gym, we want to show you how rolling on eight wheels can add to your typical exercise routine.

Check out these graphics we’ve created demonstrating all the reasons why you should add rollerskating as part of your day-to-day feel-good routine!

Community

Mental Health

Can Prevent Injuries

Builds Strength & Endurance

Better For Cardiovascular Health

Fun, Variety, A Challenge

Helps Improve Balance & Coordination

The post Benefits of Rollerskating appeared first on Rolla Skate Club.

Plan Ahead

• You can book a class 8 days in advance, so if you know there’s a popular class you definitely want to take, set yourself a reminder on the day registration opens.
• Our most popular classes are mid-week evenings after 6pm and weekend afternoons. So if your schedule allows, why not check out a Saturday or Sunday morning, Tuesday to Thursday lunch break, Monday evening, or other weekdays before 6pm?
• When you arrive at a class that you definitely want to take the following week, check on GloFox before you leave to see if there is a spot, or ask our friendly Welcome Team to check for you.
• If you are dying to skate that day and there is an Open Skate session at or around the same time as the class you’re hoping for, come to Rollerland anyway! People very often cancel at the last minute, and if you’re in the building, you can get the spot. Just tell the Welcome Team what class you’re hoping for, and they will let you know if a spot opens up. If you don’t get a spot, you can still practice your moves, say hi to friends, and get some skate time in.
• Put yourself on the waitlist for every class you want if you know you can make it. People always cancel, and there is a good chance you’ll get a spot. If you don’t know how to use our waitlist system, keep reading…

Turn on your notifications!

SUPER IMPORTANT: if you add yourself to class waitlists, you need to turn on your GloFox app notifications. Otherwise, you won’t know if a spot has come up in the class you were hoping to get into, and waitlist spots are first come, first served! Here’s how you do it:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Scroll down to GloFox and open it. 
2. Turn on the toggle switch to Allow Notifications, and choose whatever way you want to get them. 

(We promise we will never, ever, ever send you any marketing or spam through your GloFox notifications. These are only for class and scheduling alerts.)

Waitlists – How-To

1. Find the class you want. If it says “Waitlist Open”, click on the class, then tap “Join Waitlist” at the bottom. You’ll go to a confirmation screen and the class will be added to your Bookings.
2. Make sure your GloFox notifications are on (see above)
3. If you do get a spot in the class, you will be notified through GloFox. You’ll get a pop-up notification on your home screen, a notification will show up the next time you open your app, and you can see it in your Notifications list, which you can access through your Profile (tap the little round photo of you in the top left corner).
4. If you have never downloaded the app before, you’ll receive an email notification.
   
5. If you want the spot, go to Bookings, then Waitlist, then open the class. Tap “Join booking list,” and you’re in! 
6. If you no longer want the spot, please cancel ASAP so someone else can get on the list. To cancel, go to your Bookings, choose Waitlist, tap on the class you no longer want, and click the Cancel button at the bottom. Then you’ve opened a new spot on the waitlist for someone else who can take it! 

Hope these tips help you get in as much skating as you desire. Can’t wait to roll with you!

The post How to Get Into the Classes You Want! appeared first on Rolla Skate Club.

Everyone has a different preference for their own comfort, but here are some other quick things you might want to keep in mind for outdoor skating:

• bigger toe stops will help you stop faster on asphalt
• toe plugs are important if you’re taking out your stops outside for dancing (without toe plugs, dirt and debris can get inside and damage your skate)
• toe guards / protectors, generally these are made of leather and will protect the toe of your leather boot from being scuffed on asphalt. Some folx on Etsy make some really cute designs too!
• thick skate laces are more durable and don’t shred as easily on the pavement
• rougher surfaces can vibrate through the skate and be felt in your feet and joints, thicker insoles or gel insoles can help make your ride smoother

Here’s a quick how to video from Rolla Skate Club co-founder and Coach Luludemon, with a few more tips and tricks for prepping your skates for outside. Why are gummy wheels better for outside? Answer to this question and more in the video below!


Everything you Need to Know about Outdoor Wheels:
We got the lowdown from the legend herself Lisa Suggitt of Rollergirl.ca on choosing the right outdoor wheels! Here’s what she told us: “Wheels are super confusing and there are so many products out there. Basically you just need to consider size and hardness… 

Size: 
Big Wheels 65mm or bigger: These wheels are fast and roll over small debris and rough concrete better. The downside is that they are heavy, bulky and not very maneuverable.

Medium Wheels 62mm: These are the most versatile wheels. They are medium fast, roll reasonably well over debris and yet are light and maneuverable enough to practice outdoor dance.

Little Wheels 59mm or smaller: These wheels are super light and agile. Great for outdoor dance or skills training. But they are slow and don’t roll over debris as well as larger wheels.

Hardness: 
78A – Soft and gummy! These wheels give a very smooth ride. You won’t feel the surface of concrete as much. But they can be slower and less durable than harder outdoor wheels.

85A to 88A – Hybrid wheels and can usually be used both indoors and outdoors. They don’t offer as smooth of a ride but are usually a bit faster and last longer.”


Coach Cupid’s Outdoor rollerskates:

“I like a nice smooth ride when I’m skating outside so I’ve added extra soft insoles, and love the Radar Engergy 62mm gummy wheels. I mostly do street, trail and derby skating outside so I need to be able to stop quickly – and the Gumball toe stops are great for that. My outdoor skates are 14 years old and I think they’re still going strong because I’ve always used an extra leather toe guard that protects the front seams of my leather boots.” -Coach Cupid

Rollergirl’s favorite outdoor wheels are:

1. Road Hogs:
“These are the fastest wheels on the market. They are best for trail and road skating.  But big, bulky and heavy.”

2. Radar Energy 62mm
“These are one of my favourite all around outdoor wheels. They are medium fast, narrow and light weight. So they are good for trails but also good for outdoor dance and beginner skatepark.”

 3. Radar Ze “These are the affordable good value wheels. They are not as fast or smooth on rough concrete as other outdoor wheels but for people on a budget they are a great option.”

If you’re looking for an EVEN deeper dive into wheels, check out this 20 min video on Outdoor Wheels from Luludemon. Learn the difference between wheel types (park vs street vs dance), and watch her change out a set of wheels in real-time!

The post Prepping your Roller Skates for Outdoor Skating appeared first on Rolla Skate Club.

The simple answer to getting better at rollerskating is to get stronger! (Well, that and plenty of time on skates to practice!)

When you strengthen your stabilizing muscles, including your core, feet, legs, and upper body, you will quickly see how you can learn to roller skate faster, or improve your existing roller skating skills and make the new tricks come easier.

Just like with practicing your skills on roller skates, the key to success here is consistency.  So join Coach & Co-Founder BiznessTime (formerly known as Booty Quake) for her top five moves you can practice on the regular to get better at rollerskating!

Watch BiznessTime’s Top 5 Moves To Make You Stronger In Your Roller Skates

As a recap, your moves to get out there and practice (either on- or off-skates) are:

1) Squats

2) One-foot balance

3) Slow knee taps (lunges off skates)

4) Side lunge with leg raise

5) Push-ups

Bizzy suggests you pick two of these exercises each day and do 3 sets of each. You can rotate through them to mix things up and keep your strength sessions short and sweet.

We can’t wait to see how STRONG you’re gonna get on your rollerskates this summer with these simple strength exercises!

Want to be YOUR strongest skater? We’ve got Yoga, and lots of on- and off-skate workouts in our Online Membership! Try it out FREE for 7 days!

The post BiznessTime’s Top 5 Moves To Make You Stronger In Your Roller Skates appeared first on Rolla Skate Club.

“How do I look that good on rollerskates?” you ask yourself.

Well we’ve spent the last 10 years teaching people to rollerskate and here are our top tips for looking good on your rollerskates

1)  Get comfortable. 90% of looking good on rollerskates is not freaking out because you have wheels under your feet. It’s feeling as comfortable on your rollerskates as you do in your shoes. Pro Tip: Wear your rollerskates EVERYWHERE so they start feeling like an extension of your body. Start in your home – making lunch, doing the dishes, brushing your teeth.  We even know of some people that sleep in their rollerskates!

2) Put on some music. Cue up your favourite track and just let the music move you. Don’t think about executing moves on rollerskates. Just get your groove on and let the music determine how your skates move. You’ll be amazed what you can unlock by not thinking so hard. Pro Tip: Pick tracks with a low BPM, they are easier to dance to when you are just getting started. 90’s R&B is actually great for dancing on rollerskates

3) Close your eyes. While not advisable if you are outside skating or actually getting from A to B, this works great if you are working on your dance moves in a safe area. You know the phrase “Dance like no one is watching”? Well sometimes that’s hard to do if people are ACTUALLY watching. So crank up your headphones and tune them out. Pro Tip: Dancing in your house/garage/parkade is also a great way to make sure you don’t get self conscious on your skates.

4) Be kind to yourself    Remember that a lot of those videos you see of people looking good on rollerskates are of people that have spent YEARS on rollerskates. Skating is literally second nature to them. Becoming comfortable and proficient on eight wheels takes time, so be kind to yourself and enjoy the journey. Pro Tip: “Comparison Kills Joy” – everyone’s rollerskating journey is unique. What takes one person a week to master, might take another person a year. And that’s OK. Just keep on rolling, find the things that bring your joy and you’ll be looking good in no time.

5) Find your joy. What truly makes people look good on rollerskates is the JOY that emanates from them because they are doing something they love. For all of us that skate there are different things we love – that might be cruising beside a tropical beach, or jamming it out to some great tunes, landing a great hit on the derby track or dropping into a ramp at the skate park. Pro Tip: Keep experimenting with different types of rollerskating until you find what you LOVE, then do that some more… and some more.

So remember get comfortable, turn up the tunes, tune out the world, be kind to yourself and keep rolling with love 

Now that you know how to look good on your rollerskates we want to SEE YOU rolling. Tag us in your social media posts @rollaskateclub and join our Facebook Group to connect with more skaters like yourself.

We’ll see you later, skaters!

The post How to Look Good on Rollerskates appeared first on Rolla Skate Club.