Need help - Two crashes
Hi,
I need help and advice. I've had two significant crashes in the past year that I don't really understand. Both resulted in major bruising of the outer thigh.
In the one two days ago I (somehow!) put my right skate down as the pavement was angled up and the skate just stuck and sent me flying/falling head first. Flying through the air and hoping to limit the damage. The one a year ago was similar except it was a metal bridge seam that caused my skate to bounce up and send me through the air.
I have helmet cam footage from a couple days ago but it doesn't show anything other than my hands coming up before I tumble.
Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? I'm a pretty observant skater, scanning for rocks and sticks. Same place I've been skating for years. I was on day 2 of newer (harder) race wheels. (Somewhat overweight at 200 lbs, 55 year old male experienced skater).
Thank you,
Derrick
Comments
The thing you are doing wrong is simply skating outside
Cant say for certain what's going on but Ive found that being hyper aware of potential road problems and ready to scissor and lean back gets you through any rough stuff. When you say your wheels are digging in I imagine that you have too much pressure on the front wheels for the terrain. In normal skating pressure should be applied evenly across all wheels.
Where I skate there are a lot of unpredictable runners, walker, and bikers so always being aware of a bailout plan to ride off trail and onto the grass helps. Of course scissoring and back wheel pressure are required.
I agree with Ballen about scissoring — learning that technique over the last month has made a huge difference for me.
Also, I don't know what size wheels you have, but I find that my 100mms roll over a lot of stuff that would jam the 80mms.
Even so, I still had near spill just today with a rock or something that jammed a wheel for a second. The protective gear may not look cool, but I wear it for moments like that.
Make sure you make a full recovery before getting back out there. Skating while slightly injured increases the risk of further injury a lot.
I'm a quad skater but I skate the street every time I go out to the skatepark and usually have about two moments like you describe thanks to people's litter and the roadwork by the skatepark. It becomes easier with "practice;" onece you feel that the foot you put down is stuck I switch balance legs (as if I were running) and step off of the stuck foot.
e.g. I go to stride with the right foot -> right foot down -> !! Right foot stuck !! -> hop to left foot in a 1-foot glide -> recover right foot and use the back wheel(s) to roll.
Find a nice place to practice tech that can get you out of sticky situations. Hope this helps some.
Thanks all. The best I can figure is that I set my skate down poorly right when the uneven pavement was slanting upwards. Not paying close enough attention I suppose.
I will watch some videos on scissoring; that sounds promising.
My wheels are 100mm, but they catch on rocks much more than my old wheels because they're harder.
For now I'm wearing padded shorts. I might make that a permanent change. Even if I only fall every year or so (~2500 miles), the injuries were bad enough that it's probably worth the inconvenience and discomfort of wearing them.
I am not new to rollerblading but in my neighborhood there are treacherous areas. I've fallen a few times and these JBM pads have saved my bacon. They come with a carry bag which is nice for keeping them all together. I love having the wrist guards, knee pads, and elbow pads. Gives you some more confidence if you need that extra protection.
Scissoring is also called "straddling". BboyHeathen gave a good description. Key is never to skate with your skates at the same length forward. As long as one skate is fully in front, hitting obstacles is as easy as switching to the other foot. Another technique is "fast-walking". This is when you do a clumsy set of quick steps where there is a lot of obstruction like gravel. There are several good videos like this one by Indy Jamma Jones on Youtube which illustrate both techniques.
Skating outside is fun and rewarding but not always easy. I agree that loading up on protection is one way to take a lot of risk out of it and going with friends is also a great enhancement. I recommend to also use lights (glowsticks, running lights) in the dusk or evening. I also recommend quad skaters use 78A wheels to dampen vibrations that will make your knees sore. Kryptonics makes great outdoor wheels and so does Sure Grip.
Some folks do not like changing wheels, skates, or surfaces because they want to perfect what they can do with a specific setup. They are usually elitist figure skaters who punch down on anything they don't do themselves. That is what it is, but there are absolutely amazing skaters like David Lolliet who can probably out skate them 10 different ways they've never even tried AND beat them at figures. Folks like that show the lie. A skater can switch styles, skates, surfaces, and just about anything else. It just takes work and willpower. I'd advise to look for people already doing it and ignore the folks who say it's impossible, ill-advised, or a waste of time.
If your helmet incurs a few scratches, then it may not be the best time to get a new one. But if the shell cracked, you better consider buying a new one. Otherwise, you might only compromise your safety.