Skating has gained popularity over the ages, among young people. Especially in the early ’90s when inline skates were popularized, it became a fascinating desire for every teenager and even adult.

Now inline skates are quite different from the classic quad roller skates. It has more agility, takes less space, can provide better acceleration, can take sharp turns and so on.

But do all these advancements provide proper safety to the skater? Isn’t it a bit dangerous as well? If such queries are storming your head, then you are in the right place. Because here we will try to find out Is inline skating dangerous?

Drawbacks of Inline Skates

As you know, build-wise, inline skates have a streamline of similar-sized wheels attached to the boot. That means, the lesser surface to grasp on by the boots. That makes the inline skates a bit shaky and hard to control in the initial stage.

Also, inline skates are very popular for greater acceleration. We know that speed without is a demon. So, in a broader sense, this speeding point can be considered as a drawback of inline skates.

How to Overcome These Drawbacks?

First of all, you have to keep a few things in mind before start skating. Skating is a physical activity, so when you are involving yourself physically into something, there always will be a few risks to be injured. Because no start is easy.

The most common accident occurring from inline skates is falling, as the skates stand on a very little surface it becomes difficult to master in the beginning phase. But once you get control over it through regular practice, we can assure you that maintaining balance on the skates won’t be a big deal for you. And the more balance you can get, the fewer chances of occurring calamities remains.

Secondly, speaking of speed, inline skates do come with a braking system, situated behind the heels of the boots. So, you can basically drop your skating speed by leaning a bit backward. The acceleration and braking, both are under your control. So again, not much of a deal once you get used to it.

Safety Measure

Well, while skating with inline skates, you must keep a couple of things in your mind. Such as:

• To begin with it, take training from professional trainers or approved skating academies.
• Do some warm-ups before diving right onto skating to avoid any type of unwanted muscle pulls or cramps.
• Learn how to stop and how to fall with the least amount of damage.
• While learning, choose a free space for practicing. Like, parking lots, unused tennis courts and other plain surfaces. Don’t take wrinkled roads or streets for practicing.
• Put on safety guards, such as helmet, knee and elbow pads. Wear them both for practicing and regular skating.
• Choose sunny daylight for practicing. It’s better not to skate on a wet surface or rainy days. And if possible, get a companion and skate together.
• Start with indoor practicing and move to outdoor skating gradually, no point of hurrying.
• Avoid crowded sidewalks or streets.
• Maintain such a speed, that you can easily control. Don’t try to be a hero always.

Final Words…

Injuries and bruises are common in sports. Even games with high protective measures, like cricket, can’t even save you from injuries. Our focus should be on learning proper ways to avoid obvious types of injuries. Also, we should get accustomed to the tiny little ones and learn to deal with them.

No game is safe if proper methods and ways are not followed. So, is inline skating dangerous? Well, it definitely is if you do not follow the instructions properly and if you do not put on safety gear. So, learn and master the basics properly and you will be good to go.

Since the evolution of skating has begun, human civilization has witnessed various new forms of skates. Among those, no skates have gained as much popularity as Inline skates. It had become so popular that the producers had to produce other genres of inline skates to match the customer requirement and grasp the market. And when we talk about inline skates, the other name that automatically pops out in our head is Rollerblades.

Now, the very frequently asked question is, are inline skates the same as rollerblades?

Let’s find out.

Inline Skates

These are the modern type of skates, where there is a streamline of three to five similar-sized wheels (mostly 4) are attached to the boot with the help of an aluminum or a strong plastic frame. Inline skates are mainly popular for its easier maneuvering capabilities, better acceleration, easy cornering, sharp turning, etc qualities.

The beginning phase with these skates might be a bit rough for you, but once you get the control over it, it will turn into your best buddy very shortly.

Rollerblades

In the early ’90s when inline skating was gaining popularity so rapidly, Brennan and Scott Olson, two brothers, first established a company, which manufactured inline skates on a commercial basis. The company was named “Ole’s Innovative Sports”. This very company was renamed “Rollerblade Inc.” after a couple of years.

They started to produce the inline design of skates with no brakes especially for ice skating and hockey players. But very soon, their products got huge popularity even among the general public. Basically, they introduced the concept of inline skating to a vast population and thus gained its profound fame. And from that viewpoint, they are unarguably one of the pioneers of inline skates.

Are Rollerblades The Same As Inline Skates?

Well, the answer to this question is a big NO.

Because, inline skating is the activity which is done with inline skates, and Rollerblade is the producer and pioneer of inline skates. But since the basic product of rollerblade has gained so vast popularity that it has become the other name of inline skates among the mass population.

Rollerblading and inline skating might confuse you with two different names, but in actuality, they refer to the same sporting activity.

Because, if we dig deep, we’ll find out that Rollerblading refers to inline skating with the skates produced by a particular company, Rollerblade. The skates or rollerblade became so popular that it became almost the similar terminology of inline skating. Even, there are a huge number of people who don’t get the concept with the term “Ice skating”, rather they prefer to call it rollerblading, which creates confusion.

But, whose fault is it or who is to be blamed for this misconception?

Well, you can’t just simply point your fingers at anyone.

Because, the company did their job perfectly, which is producing quality products and grasp a massive customer base. And the mass people cordially received the product and adored and promoted it so much that it became a similar term of the activity of inline skating.

Final Thoughts…

On the whole, Rollerblade is the company and producer, inline skate is their product and inline skating is the activity that we do. Rollerblading does not grammatically represent any particular term of action, rather it has become a very common phrase through popularity.

But does it matter?

Does that affect your experience of skating to any extent?

Well, no and if there’s no hindrance to the activity, you shouldn’t be bothering much with the names rather enjoy the sports to its most.

So?

Are rollerblades the same as inline skates?

The answer is a No.

Skating, an age-old fun activity. Starting for kids to adults, skating is very much popular among people, regardless the age. Now, you must be known of the fact that skates are of different types. And the two basic types are inline skates and roller skates.

Now, there are a few common questions that appear before us. Which is better, inline or roller skate? With which one we should start with? Well, to figure this out, we are bringing the very popular debate of inline skates or roller skates here.

We will point out the key features and factors of each type of skates so that you can get a clearer concept of these two types of skates.

Inline Skates Or Roller Skates?

Build Structure

Roller skates or widely known as quad roller skates have a very classic built design. A boot, resembling a regular shoe is there on top of 4 equal-sized wheels. The wheels are situated in a two by two formation. They also come with a variety of boot styles, starting from old school high leather boots to low cut sneaker looking boots. The boots are tied around with a piece of lace.

On the other hand, inline skates have a more modern-day and aggressive look. The boot here looks like a regular sporty sneaker. The wheels are attached to the boot in a streamline with the help of an aluminum or high-performance plastic frame. The number of wheels can be of three to five and even of different sizes, design-wise. Apart from the lace, a Velcro strap is used for maximum fit and security of the boot.

Balancing

Balancing is the key factor in skating. In the initial stage, it can be very much troublesome for both the skaters. But, gradually, with regular practices, balancing does not seem to be a worrying issue for the skaters. But then again, as the quad rollers have a parallel and side by side placement of wheels, it tends to provide more balance.

The center point grabs the gravity more and supports the skater to maintain his/her balance. But that doesn’t mean that inline skates do not provide any balance advantage at all. Actually, they do, just you have to give more effort to that, that’s the main catch here.

Read: Top 20 rollerblading tricks for beginners

Freedom of Movement

Well, in this case, inline skates will win. Because the streamline pattern of wheels takes the very least amount of space to stand on. That is why, these skates are very much efficient in cornering, spinning and taking sharp turns. Also, it can avoid minor obstacles quite easily.

Whereas, roller skates grab wider space. And the wider the surface is, the tougher it gets to take a sharp corner. Also, roller skates can give you a hard-time in bumpy or jerky roads or surfaces.

Acceleration and Braking

Well, the more freely you can move, the better speed you will get. Again the streamline wheels of inline skates come to aid these skates to gain more speed in a shorter time. Also, the less occupied spacing grabs less gravity, and that also helps to get better speed.

Whereas, roller skates remain a bit behind in the game of getting acceleration. The side by side situated wheels restricts the movement of these skates to some extent which hampers the gaining of speed.

Also, quad rollers have a toe plug up in front which is used as a brake, which means you have to brake a roller skate using your toe. On the contrary, Inline skates are to be braked by using the heels, as the brake is located behind the heel of the boots. 

Activities with These Skates

Roller skates are more popular for indoor activities. Like indoor rink skating, jam skating and also for recreational or rhythm performances with skates. As these skates offer more balance, such sophisticated indoor acts are preferably done with roller skates. Inline skates are designed to aggressive and adventurous. That is why it is best to use outdoors.

Also, many professional sports like roller hockey, speed skating, freestyle skating and even casual outdoor movement are mostly done with inline skates. Moreover, the amusing skating trickeries that you enjoy on various tournaments and events, are performed with the help of inline skates.

Read: Roller Skates vs Rollerblades for exercise

The bottom Line…

So both these skates have their pros and cons. At some point, if inline skates get ahead, in the next point quad roller skates easily overtakes with any other type of advantage. This friendly competition of these two skates is taking the producers to their stake in some cases. Each of them has its uniqueness and outraging features.

So who wins?

Well, it depends completely on the skaters’ needs. When you are going to buy a pair of skates, make a picture of your future activities with the skate, then cross-match with the given list and then pick the most suitable one.

The popular debate of Inline skates or Roller skates will never actually come to a rock-solid conclusion for their very own unique features.