What is Inline Skating?


Inline Skating is a variety of skating as a competitive sport practiced widely internationally. Inline skates have two to five polyurethane wheels, and they are arranged in a single line. The design allow for faster speed than roller skates. The idea of the very first prototype of an inline skate comes from ice skating. This was already constructed in 1760 by a Belgian man called Jean-Joseph Merlin. He is generally considered the inventor of the very first roller skate. Basically, the prototype was an ice skate, on which Jean-Joseph Merlin has attached two metal wheels. Modern inline skates were originally designed for fitness training for ice hockey players. Today, fitness skates are designed specifically for those individuals who seek to utilize their skates for getting in shape, or skating very frequently. Inline skates typically have 2 to 5 polyurethane wheels, arranged in a single line, although 5 wheel designs are no longer manufactured. The in-line design allows for greater speed than roller skates and better maneuverability. The in-line wheels are coupled with boots designed for skating over and around various obstacles. Inline-skating is practiced and performed using inline skates designed for race tracks, skate parks, Urban areas, and off-road. Inline skating is performed at race tracks, skate parks, urban areas, and off-roads. Inline skating is popularly known as roller blading due to the popular brand rollerblades. Of course there are many more terms. But we introduce these gradually to the appropriate places in our tutorials There we will also explain them. Further basic terms of the different disciplines can be found in the category basic knowledge and facts of the respective discipline.

Types of Inline Skating


  • Vert Skating — roller skating on a vertical ramp, performing various tricks while airborne.


  • Aggressive Inline Skating — involves grins, airs, cess slides, to/heel rolls and other advance skating techniques.


  • Freestyle Slalom Skating — involves performing tricks around a straight line of equally spaced cones while wearing inline skates. Other forms of Freestyle Skating are speed slalom, free jump, high jump, and jam.


  • Inline Speed Skating — athletes use inline skates to race around tracks


  • Inline Hockey — similar to ice hockey, players move around on a wooden or concrete surface wearing inline skates.


  • Road Skating — athletes use either inline or roller skates and ride on road courses.


  • Roller Soccer — indoor sport, playing soccer while wearing inline skates.