Taking on a new challenge can be….well…challenging!
That’s why we’ve answered some of the questions you might have on your mind before joining roller skating classes with Isle of Skating. We’ve split them between questions about our courses at Isle of Skating, general skating questions and what happens if you can’t make a class.

We hope they help!
Read through and if you have a question we haven’t thought of, drop us an email hello@isleofskating.com

Questions on:
Skating with Isle of Skating

  • Depending on what class you take it will vary slightly, however, the structure will stay the same.

    Firstly we’ll start off with a warm-up to minimise injury; next, we’ll move into the course syllabus with new skills each session. In this section of the class, your teacher will guide you and show you the elements of new skills, before helping people 1:1 and showing alternate moves. Expect lots of varietions when learning drills and even some fun games. At the end of the class, you’ll have a group warm-down and hopefully a smiley selfie!

  • You don’t have to start with our Ultimate Beginners classes at all! UB classes are for those who are nervous skaters, lack confidence, or are recovering from an injury. They will take a slow and steady approach to skating, so are great if you want extra support.

    However, if you can already skate a bit you are more than welcome to go straight to Level One classes!

  • All of our Isle of Skating roller skating classes take place in established indoor venues across London.

    The majority of our indoor venues have nice and smooth outdoor space available. If it’s sunny, we might move the class outdoors to soak up on that Vitamin D. Before we do so, we always make sure everyone is happy with this.

    Occasionally, we will have specific roller skating classes classes that take place outside, such as our Fundamentals of Outdoor Skating Class, however, this will be clearly stated when purchasing your course.

    We have a big range of indoor roller skating courses in London. You can find our locations here.

  • Unfortunately, roller skating, like many sports, does carry an element of risk, and bumps and bruises will be part of your journey.


    This is why you’ll learn how to fall safely in our beginner class, as it’s a great skill to have for all of your skating journey. We also advise that you wear protective gear in all of our classes.

  • Isle of Skating roller skating teachers are the best! They are a small group of London based dedicated skaters who are passionate about sharing their love of roller skating.


    Many of our Isle of Skating teachers have won awards, skated internationally, or played on country-wide teams. for more info, check out our page on coaches.

  • Yes! The skating community is renowned for its friendliness and openess, with many people spending as much time talking as they do skating at events!

    If you are keen to make friends then skating is the perfect hobby - not just in the UK, but around the world. Bring a pair of skates on your next holiday and discover a whole new world!

  • That goes without saying. Isle of Skating’s aim is to spread the love for roller skating with as many skaters as possible.

    Whether you’re self- taught or have taken part in roller skating classes elsewhere:
    everyone is welcome on our friendly island!

    🌴

  • Our courses always sell out, but the good news is that we keep adding new ones on an ongoing basis. If a course is sold out, make sure to put your details on the waiting list of the course you want to attend. You will receive an email as soon as we add a new course!

  • We offer a very limited amount of private roller skating classes in London. These take place in Hackney pending availability. Drop us an email with your availability: we would love to skate with you!

  • Our courses are put together in such way that each new level starts where the previous level finished. Yes, you are most likely ready to move up if you, even though slow, managed to do the drills of your finished course. If you doubt, have a little chat with your coach who will be able to give you feedback.

    We believe in you!

  • Isle of skating offers the biggest range of roller skating classes in London (+Oxford!). Check our locations page to see more than 10 different locations where you can learn to skate in London

Questions on:
General Skating Questions

  • Definitely not! You’re only as old as you feel!

    In all seriousness though, people start skating at different ages and it’s never too late to learn. Many people at Isle of Skating, and elsewhere, have begun skating in adulthood as a way to have a casual hobby, keep fit and make new friends, and then BAM! They’ve found themselves in the amazing world of skating and totally obsessed. Please don’t be embarrassed to come skating as we come in all shapes, ages and sizes.

    Our London based roller skating classes welcome all ages and abilities!

  • For all your lessons you’ll need you protective gear, skates - of course - and we recommend water or a sports drink to keep you going!

    We also recommend keeping a skate tool in your bag (like this one) to loosen or tighten your wheels if you need!

  • The possibilities are endless, from skating shops online, bricks and mortar shops, or second-hand marketplaces!

    Our favourite local supplier is Double Threat Skates, who have all the skating supplies you need!

  • Yes! We 100% recommend wearing all protective gear when skating, this includes a minimum of knee pads and wrist guards. Our kids’ classes also require a helmet and elbow pads.

    This is because injuries do happen and we hate to see people have to miss out on weeks of skating - and progress- due to an injury.

    Before starting at Isle of Skating, you will sign a waiver for all injuries as we cannot be held responsible. You can read our waiver here

  • Not at all!

    If you’re just starting out toe stops can be helpful for stopping backwards and lateral balancing drills.

    As you improve, or do more jam skating, you may find you want shorter and shorter toe stops (until you just have jam plugs) so that you can do moves such as spinning.

    However, we won’t ever make you take out your toe stops, or do anything with your skates, that you’re uncomfortable with.

  • This is a big topic!

    Generally we recommend a decent pair of quad skates.
    Many come with fine hybrid wheels - making them good for indoor and outdoor use.

    We are slowly putting together a list of our recommended gear, but until then, we recommend speaking to our pals over at Double Threat Skates.
    Don’t forget, Isle of Skating students get a super exclusive discount!

    If you’re worried about what you have, please get in touch prior to your class on isleofskating@gmail.com so we can double check.

  • We don’t rent out skates or protective gear.

  • Looking for roller skates can be overwhelming!

    Luckily our friends at Double Threat Skates are happy to help you find the perfect pair.

    You can visit their London based skateshop close to King’s Cross station or have a browse online

Questions on:
Terms and Conditions

  • Sometimes everyday life gets in the way of our skating plans. Sad times, for sure.

    Unfortunately, we can't offer additional classes to make up for any that you miss due to limits on our class size.

    But don't worry, all of our Isle of Skating coaches are really good at recapping what was covered; so even if you have to miss a session, we're confident that with a bit of practice you'll catch up super fast.

  • Oops! We've all been there. At some point we've all got excited and clicked on the wrong thing by mistake.

    Just email us to let us know as soon as you realise. If you can tell us within 24 hours of making the booking, and it's also more than 7 days before the start of your class or course, we'll give you a credit of the value of your booked course.

  • We won't be able to transfer you to another course once you've booked, so picking the right course for your experience level is really important.

    We'd encourage you to check our quick guide to skill levels, read the course descriptions carefully, and if you're still unsure which level you should be - pop us an email, we'll be happy to help.

    Also, if you've just had the first class in a course and found it wasn't challenging enough - trust us, stick with it. We might start slow in lesson 1, but once we get rolling in lesson 2 we pick up speed quite quickly.

  • We feel for you - it can be frustrating when COVID, an injury, a totally unreasonable boss, or even a surprise holiday stops us from living our skating dreams.

    At the same time, we are only a small business. After paying our venue, coaching, insurance, and admin costs, we're left with pretty tight margins, and we won't be able to offer a refund or credit for a booking you can no longer attend. For the same reasons, moving your booking over to a later course means you would take up 2 spots in total, you get the picture?

    We'd encourage students to check the course dates carefully before booking - as we really do want you to have the best possible experience and value for money when you skate with us.

  • Say no more. Please send us an email with the course you would like to attend and we’ll get you sorted.

    After receiving a reservation payment, we will ask you to make a second payment just before the start of the sessions.