Ice skating. Roller skating. What’s the difference? The answer is simple: it all depends on what your goal is. Some people enjoy participating in a sport with a lot of movement and risk, while others prefer to skate around more slowly and safely. Regardless, both sports are very different in how they’re played, so it’s easy to get confused when you’re starting out and learning how to skate!
This blog post will go into detail about the differences between ice skating and roller skating, as well as tips for beginner skaters so you can make informed decisions about what you want to do.
Is Ice Skating Harder Than Roller Skating?
When you’re first getting into either sport, it can be easy to think that ice skating is harder than roller skating. After all, roller skaters have to work on their balance and power, while ice skaters just have to work on their speed and precision. However, these are only the first two steps in learning how to skate!
What Are The Differences Between Ice Skating And Roller Skating?
Ice skating vs roller skating: The equipment
The first difference between ice skating and roller skating is the type of equipment you’ll need to learn and play the sport. Roller skaters require a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and wrist guards. Ice skaters, on the other hand, only require a pair of skates and a pair of hockey gloves. Roller skaters are also required to wear kneepads to help protect their knees from getting hurt when they fall down while they’re doing tricks!
Ice skating vs roller skating: The sports
Ice skating is a sport that involves gliding across a sheet of ice as fast as you can while trying to stay balanced at all times (thus, it’s also known as “bunny-hopping”). Skating on wheels is called “roller-skating,” which has its own rules for how to approach the sport in comparison with ice skating. Roller-skating requires you to skate around in a circle, usually with no set speed.
Learning how to ice skate not only tones your legs and improves balance but also brings out your graceful side on the ice. On the other hand, roller skating is all about speed and coordination, taking your agility to the next level. Both sports offer exciting and refreshing challenges, so why not give them a try and see which one sparks your passion!
III. Ice skating vs roller skating: The drills
While ice skating is a sport that requires you to glide across the ice as fast as you can to stay balanced, roller-skating is the exact opposite. Roller-skating requires you to skate around in a circle, usually with no set speed. In order to practice your skills and get better at roller-skating, try doing laps around the rink as fast as you possibly can!
Ice skating vs roller skating: The tricks
Skaters are able to do tricks on skates by performing various moves such as “laps” (where they skate around in a circle), “spins” (where they spin on their heels while still on their skates), and “flips” (where they turn themselves 180 degrees while still on their skates). Skaters are also able to jump off their skates and perform tricks in midair! For example, a skater might perform a “triple flip” by jumping off their skates, spinning in midair, and landing back on their skates with a jump.
Ice skating vs roller skating: The apparel
Ice skaters wear hockey gloves and hockey helmets to protect themselves from injury when they fall down (which is why they’re required to wear kneepads as well). Roller-skating requires you to wear knee pads and elbow pads (like hockey gloves) as well, but not helmets. Roller-skating also has rules that require you to wear the proper attire so that you don’t get distracted by your wardrobe while skating. For example, roller-skaters are only able to skate in black pants and white shirts (no other colors allowed).
Ice skating vs roller skating: The speeds
Roller-skating is usually done at a much slower speed than ice skating. In fact, roller-skaters are only able to skate at speeds up to about nine miles per hour (15 kilometers per hour). In comparison, ice skaters are able to skate at speeds up to about 12 miles per hour (19 kilometers per hour).
Ice skating vs roller skating: The injuries
Ice skating can be very dangerous as well and can lead to a lot of injuries. For example, skates can break or fall apart if you don’t wear them properly. You can also get injured by falling down on the ice or hitting other skaters while you’re trying to skate around in a circle! Roller-skating is much safer because it doesn’t require you to skate at high speeds, which means that if you fall down, you won’t get hurt as badly.
Ice skating vs roller skating: The equipment
While roller-skating requires you to buy protective gear such as knee pads and elbow pads (like hockey gloves), ice skaters must purchase special skates that have a hard plastic bottom with metal blades on the bottom. These skates will cost a lot of money and aren’t always easy to find.
What Is The Advice For Ice Skating Beginners?
- Ice skating is a great physical activity that anyone can do, but it’s also good for your mental health. It’s good exercise and you can have a lot of fun while doing it.
- Ice skating is also very safe. You won’t get hurt if you fall down, and you won’t break any bones if you fall down on the ice!
- If you’re new to ice skating, try to go with some friends who know how to skate. It will be much easier for you if they show you the ropes at first!
- If you don’t know how to skate, buy some roller skates first so that you can learn how to ice skate before buying a pair of ice skates!
- Try not to look down at your feet too much when skating! When people are learning how to ice skate, they often look down at their feet too much which causes them to fall down on the ice or go too slow when skating.
What Is The Advice For Roller Skating Beginners?
- Roller skates are much more comfortable than ice skates.
- Roller skates are much easier to learn how to skate on than ice skates.
- Roller skates cost about $100 for a pair of decent ones and $200 for a good pair of roller skates that won’t break easily.
- If you’re new to roller skating, try going with some friends who know how to roller skate! It will be much easier for you if they show you the ropes at first!
- If you don’t know how to roller skate, buy some ice skates first so that you can learn how to roller skate before buying a pair of roller skates!
Conclusion
If your goal is to learn how to ice skate, you need to know how to skate. Roller skate is usually easier than ice skating because of the lack of a blade on a roller skate, but both are difficult, so don’t let anyone tell you that one is easier than the other.