What is extreme inline skating?

Extreme inline skating or aggressive inline skating as it is also known is a form of inline skating which involves performing a large variety of tricks and stunts such as grinds, jumps, spins, flips and slides, on different obstacles. The sport has three specific disciplines; vert, park, and street skating depending on the choice of obstacles skated. Skaters often refer to the activity as rollerblading, blading, aggressive skating or freestyle rolling.

How can I get involved?

As this is an extreme sport (hence it can be quite dangerous!) it is recommended that skaters become competent at skating across a flat surface before attempting to try any ramps or advanced skills such as grinds, jumps, spins or flips. These skills require an advanced level of skating skills that can only be developed through practice to perform them properly, and with some degree of safety.

Once you are able to skate competently across a flat surface then why not visit your local skate park and take your skating a step further. Meeting up with other rollerbladers and trying out new skills can be a lot of fun, and if you put the effort in then you will soon find yourself improving and trying bigger and harder tricks!
If you have never skated before or have limited experience then signing up for a coaching clinic can be an effective way of improving your skills. Skate parks such as Rampworx in Liverpool offer tailored coaching programmes to suit your needs. A separate inline coaching programme also operates for girls who would like to give the sport a go.

It is important to note that anyone (without an obvious physical impairment) can participate in and enjoy extreme inline skating so get down to your local skate park and give it a go!

Here is a list of the main indoor skate parks located across the country:

England (north)

England (midlands)

England (south)

Scotland

Wales

  • Skate Extreme – Newport, Wales

What skates do I need?

In order to take part in this activity it is vital that you have the recommended ‘aggressive’ skates. These skates are designed with more control and strength to enable skaters to perform skills and movements whilst also ensuring the safety of the participant. Therefore if you are wanting to take up this sport on a regular basis getting a quality pair of aggressive skates will definitely be worth your while. If you want more advice on what pair of skates to buy then contact Loco Skates . They are a specialist inline skate shop and sell everything affiliated to the world of extreme inline skating.

How do I get involved in competitions?

  • The World Rolling Series (WRS) hosts sanctioned events across the globe for both amateurs and professionals: www.worldrollingseries.com
  • For global amateur events the largest amateur circuit is the Amateur Inline League (AIL): www.inlineleague.com
  • The ASA Action sports World Tour also features inline in some of its events: www.actionsportstour.com

Annual UK events include:

How can I find out more?

Visit news blogs such as rollernews.com, surf web forums such as ukskate.co.uk and check out online magazines such as Kingdom magazine, Be-Mag, and One for all the latest information on competitions, events, new products and more.