In the summer, you can often notice a group of young people writing incredible figures around multi-colored glasses. This is a slalom roller skate.
Bit of history
It originated in France, and came to Russia only at the end of the 20th century. And then there were not many who wanted to engage in this sport. Mostly people just skated for fun. But now slalom is becoming very popular. In 2003, a roller skate slalom entered the official program of the European Championship. In the same year, according to the results of the competition, the Russian team was recognized as the best.
When to start training?
More often, training for roller skating begins in childhood. But at some point, the child is tired of useless skating in the streets. He begins to look for where to go rollerblading and get the maximum charge of energy and adrenaline. These children need to be told about slalom. At the initial stages of training, the most ordinary videos will do, but in them you can hone only basic movements. For further training you will need special videos for slalom.
Rollers for slalom
If you decide to ride ordinary rollers first, then you need to perform several manipulations with them. Firstly, it is necessary to remove the standard brake. You won’t have to use it, but it will definitely interfere. Secondly, you need to put rockering. This is a replacement of the wheels according to a certain pattern. Usually the wheels, which are in the middle, are slightly larger in diameter than the front and rear. For beginners, it is better to take rollers with a minimum difference in wheel diameter. Professional slalomists can use rollers with a larger difference in diameter and select them individually.
In 2002, an important event took place in slalom. Special slalom rollers were released - hard, light and maneuverable. They could be easily recognized from afar by the orange color. Starting from this year, taking into account all the shortcomings, commercials of various models began to be produced. Currently, products of the KSJ, Carbon, iGor brands are popular.
Do you need slalom protection?
Roller protection helps prevent injury from falls. And they will certainly be. After long and hard training, the need for protection will be less, with time you will be able to completely abandon it.
Slalom Chips
Now let's talk about cones. Where to get them, what are they and how much are they? You may be surprised, but for slalom you can use the most ordinary household glasses. Choosing them, you need to pay attention to the material. You need to take glasses not from cracking material, because when they hit them with rollers they will break. Another important detail is the transportation of these products. It is advisable to purchase those that will be inserted into each other and take up little space.
If you have a specific place where to roller skate, the cones can be bolted. If not, then mark the places where to put them with spray paint. The distance between the chips can be different: 60 cm, 1 m, 1.2 m. For placing chips it is better to use a 5-meter tape measure or rope with marks.
The number of chips on average is limited to 15 pieces. However, if you want, you can use more.
Directions of Slalom
Slalom on roller skates has 2 directions: speed and artistic slalom.
High-speed - this is when the participant must drive between the chips for a while. You can use any style for this. There are 3 attempts to ride the front and the same number to ride the back. For downed cones, a penalty is charged. If 3 or more chips are shot down, the attempt does not count.
An artistic slalom is similar to figure skating, but only on skates. It is characterized by the presence of multi-colored cones around which the athlete whirls and performs various complex shapes. Even at the initial stages of training, when performing simple elements of movement, they will look very beautiful.
Over time, each roller acquires its own way of moving. Often experienced slalomists can be recognized from afar by a specific skiing style. Viewers of such performances might think that moving between the cones is very easy. But this is not so. An athlete spends many hours on each element. He practices every day and learns the necessary trick in millimeters. And we see only beautiful and smooth movements.
In order to learn one beautiful dance on roller skates, it will take several months, hours of grueling training. There will be pain from falls and disappointment from failures. Only one thing will help - the presence of like-minded people. Skating can be not only a regular hobby, but also an exciting sport with the ability to speak at various competitions.
Commandments for Slalom
So, if you are interested in roller skating, you should know some important rules.
The first rule: you need to ride on bent knees. Many try to ignore this and do not bend their knees. This leads to frequent falls, incorrect formulation of the skiing technique. How to bend your knees - depends on the rollers and the element that you are performing. Owners of complex rollers should bend them harder, those with simple rollers and bend their knees less.
Sometimes you can see a vanville (from the English. One-wheel - "riding on one wheel"), which rides on straight legs. But it is very hard.
When choosing videos, you need to remember: the stiffer the boot, the more you will need to bend your knees.
The second rule says: you need to start learning slalom with simple elements. Often people who see a beautiful performance, try to immediately learn it. As a result, it turns out that they cannot progress further.
Where to begin?
Before starting training, you need to decide which leg will be the lead. Each has its own leading leg. It is more convenient for some to start movements with the left foot, for others - with the right. This is absolutely unimportant. But it is advisable to be able to use both legs. If you start an exercise with an uncomfortable leg, it will be called a switch (from the English switch - "switching").
You need to start studying slalom with the basic elements. They will help to identify the leading leg, learn how to correctly put your feet when riding along the track. In addition, they will allow you to learn how to manage your videos. Well-learned basic movements are the key to a successful study of slalom. But remember: before starting classes you need to prepare your videos.
Slalom. Items
1. The wave. Two skates should be parallel to each other while driving around the cones.
Proper exercise:
- Starting position: the legs are bent at the knees, the body is slightly tilted forward, all the emphasis on the heels.
- Start of exercise: it is necessary to push off with both legs to the left and right. In this case, the push with the outer leg should be stronger, and the inner one directs the movement.
2. Monoline. One skate should follow another, forming a line.
Proper exercise:
- Starting position: the legs are bent at the knees, the body is tilted slightly forward, the leading leg is in front. The legs are located on one line, the distance between the rollers is 6-8 cm. The body weight must be evenly distributed on both legs.
- Start of exercise: It is necessary to push off with both legs, but the back foot is stronger. Next, the rear roller must exactly repeat the trajectory of the front.
3. The eight. Legs should converge on one chip and diverge on another and so on.
Proper exercise:
- Starting position: the legs are bent at the knees, the body is slightly inclined forward. Body weight should be evenly distributed on both legs.
- Start of the exercise: push with both legs with equal strength, legs must cross in front of one cone and diverge in front of the other.
Wave, monoline and figure eight need to be able to do with both legs, as well as with your back forward.
While moving backwards, you need to maximize the shoulders for a better view. Look at the cones over your shoulder, and not from under the armpit. The emphasis must be placed on two front wheels.
At the beginning of training, you need to monitor your speed. Do not accelerate too much, because of inexperience you can lose balance and fall. Speed will increase over time.
If basic exercises began to turn out a little, then you can begin to study more complex elements.
Complex elements in slalom
1. Vanfoot - riding on one leg.
Proper exercise:
- Starting position: one leg is slightly bent, the other is removed behind the back.
- The beginning of the exercise: it is necessary to accelerate on one leg, and then, pushing the heel off, perform the exercise. When moving backwards, you need to push off with your toe.
2. Riding on one wheel (front and rear).
This exercise trains the vestibular apparatus well. Before you start to perform it on chips, you need to learn how to ride on one wheel in a straight line.
Proper exercise:
- The leading leg should be put on the heel, the other on the toe. Body weight should be distributed evenly on both legs. Knees should be in line. The wheels are also on the same line, the distance between them is 50 cm.
Another area of roller skating is aggressive. Curbs, ski jumps, somersaults - this is only a small part of what the aggressors can do. For this style, you must have special rollers for aggressive riding. With their help, you can easily ride on the railing, rails, steps, etc. This style is suitable for people who are not afraid of frequent falls and various injuries. Indeed, in order to become a professional aggressor, it will take a lot of time, and you will have to rip off your knees more than once.
If the question arose in your head about where to go rollerblading, it means that you are tired of everyday riding in a circle. And this means that you can try something new. For example, slalom on roller skates or aggressive. If you are interested in these areas, find out about the places of roller skating in your city and start practicing right now.