Archive for the 'Skates' Category
So you’re thinking of taking up roller skating? Thinking that maybe it might be fun and even help you lose a few pounds, get into shape and meet some new friends? You couldn’t be any righter! To intoduce you to the basics of this very enjoyable sport we have prepared a concise summary of some of the terms you will run across.
Quad Roller Skates: A type of roller skate with four wheels arranged just like car wheels. A traditional choice with good stability.
Inline Skates or Blades: Skates with three, four or even five wheels arranged in single line. This type of roller skate is a good transition for ice skaters and is popular with the speed skater or the hockey skater. Also known to some as roller blading.
Roller skating has evolved from a pastime to a sport activity due to its popularity. Roller skating is also recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) as an aerobic fitness sport. Taking long strides can help increase the heart rate and strengthen the back muscles. Studies have shown that roller skating is equivalent (or in some cases superior) to jogging or cycling since it utilizes all of the body’s muscles. You can burn up to 600 calories while skating 10 miles per hour. According to the statistics released by the National Sporting Goods Association, inline skating topped the list of sports that witnessed the greatest growth between 1993 and 1998, in terms of participants. Roller skating is a fun and effective way of participating in fitness activities.
Tomorrow we’ll discuss the different roller skating sports. You will find that there is something for everyone in this activity.
Even on the nicest summer day replete with sunny skies and a slight refreshing breeze, it can be difficult to muster much enthusiasm for a workout routine. Running is tough on the joints, and its long-term effects arenât all beneficial. Low-impact cardiovascular workouts are often the best way to get in shape fast.
The health benefits of outdoor inline skates are noticeable in a very short time, and the fun starts instantly. A durable pair of fitness skates can coax even the most reluctant person into enjoying some healthy exercise. Skating is an intrinsically social activity, so groups of friends can get in the act.
The history of skateboarding has its roots in surfing. Did you ever wonder why skateboarding and surfing looked so similar? Well, they are quite similar because skateboarding was actually developed by surfers to see if they could do the things they could do on the waves on the streets.
You can’t talk about the history of skateboarding without mentioning the first skateboards. They were much more primitive than what is available today. Today, you can find boards of different sizes with different features and pictures. The early skateboards were simply boards on wheels. The users experimented with the design until they came up with something that would allow them to “surf” in the streets. As a result, no one person invented the first skateboard; it was a more collective effort.
The sport started to catch on, though. After the early days, it achieved significant popularity, sometime in the 1960s. Companies started to manufacture skateboards, making the sport available to more than just those who made their own boards. There were even skateboarding competitions early on.
The popularity of skateboarding faded briefly as the initial fad wore off. The revival happened after new skateboarding tricks were invented. But today, skateboarding is more popular than ever. There are skateboarding competitions, specialized boards, clothing, and shoes. Skateboarding parks exist all over the world, even in the smallest of European villages.
Now, skateboarding is a more serious sport. Though it was once considered a fad, the sport is so popular that there are skate shops everywhere selling gear. There is even a skateboarding culture where skateboarding is more than a sport, it’s a way of life. If you would like to join in on this culture, you don’t necessarily need to look like a skater. You will need to embrace the lifestyle and dedicate time each day to practice.
Information provided by ezine articles
Aggressive inline skating, or commonly referred to as Rollerblading, is an extreme sport that has emerged into the mainstream over the last ten to fifteen years. These skaters usually perform many different kinds of tricks on a variety of courses. The skates used by aggressive inline skaters are usually smaller and softer than other inline skates. This allows the skaters to accelerate or decelerate faster, and also have more control over the skates when performing tricks. However these skates have a slower top speed, and are also usually less durable than normal inline skates, so these skaters have to replace their wheels more often than other skaters.
The courses used by aggressive inline skaters are commonly referred to as Vert, Street, and Park. Vert is when the skaters âdrop-inâ to a half pipe so that they can gain speed and do tricks when they shoot up and out of the half pipe. Vert skaters usually perform the most amazing and dangerous tricks because they routinely fly more than ten feet or more above the half pipe. Street skating is when skaters use the natural terrain on the streets to perform their tricks. Some of the obstacles used to perform tricks on are handrails, curbs, ditches, and ledges. Street skating is illegal in some areas, but many skaters do not always conform to the laws and skate there anyway. Park skating is basically a combination of Vert and Street. A Park course is usually constructed to have some of the attributes of what skaters can find on the street, but also have small half pipes and boxes that allow skaters to perform some of the higher flying tricks that are harder to perform on the street.
With the increased success of the X games and extreme sports in general, aggressive inline skating has really thrust itself into the mainstream. More and more kids are starting to play extreme sports which means that this sport will just continue to grow. The professionals of the sport continue to strive to out-do one another so the sky is the limit to where tricks will go in the near future.
Information provided by ezine articles
In many regions of the country, ice hockey is a passion that draws as much attention as any other sport. Hockey is especially popular in the Midwest and on the East Coast, but its influence has spread with the expansive popularity of the National Hockey League. Children naturally want to emulate their heroes on the rink, but ice hockey can be impractical during the warm summer months when parents lack the cash for rink fees.
Inline skates are the perfect summer substitute. They provide a similar form of exercise and help kids maintain balance and control. Many models of youth skates are suitable for outdoor use, and older kids can use them for cheap, easy transportation. Young hockey players can stay in mid-season form all year long by staying active on inline skates.
We recently posted a blog discussing outdoor roller skate wheels. We pointed out that outdoor wheels are softer than the standard rink wheels. Lets take another look at the subject of roller skate wheels and how they are measured.
You will see the term “durometer” used frequently in skate ads. This is the technical term the describes the hardness of a roller skate wheel. The higher the durometer the harder the wheel and the lower the number the softer the wheel. You can use the general rule that a soft wheel is grippy but slow and a hard wheel is fast but slick.
As we discussed before you should aim for a durometer of 88A or less in an outdoor skate. When buying an recreational indoor skate you will probably want a durometer of 95A. This is considered a “firm” wheel with a good roll but less grip on tight corners. Those seeking more control on the corners may want to select a wheel of 94A or less.
You may want to discuss the subject with the sales representative. Often your level of experience will determine the skate you buy.
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My friend Bob, who considers himself something of an expert when it comes to all things rollerskating, says that my rink skates have wheels that are too hard for outdoor skating. What’s the deal?
Wheel hardness is determined by an “A” scale rating. The higher the number the harder the wheel. The softer wheels that are ideal in the outdoors are rated 78A or 84A. This gives the skate more “rebound” for skating on the uneven surfaces found in sidewalk skating. Rebound makes it possible for a wheel to roll over uneven surfaces rather than bouncing over them like a harder wheel would.
The softer outdoor wheel lends itself to a softer and less tiring ride in addition to making control easier on rougher surfaces.
Guess Bob knows what he’s talking about afer all.
Should I buy a cool looking low top boot or a more conservative high top style? Sure! How’s that for an answer?
The correct response to that question depends on your answer to two other questions. First, how strong are my ankles? Weak ankles really need the high top boot for support and to help prevent sprains. You get the added bonus of better edge control for well defined turns.
A good rule of thumb is high boot for figure skating or dance skating, low boot for speed skating and roller derby.
The average outdoor skater and the recreational skater can choose the style that feels most comfortable to them. The most important decision for the outdoor skater is the wheel. We’ll take that subject up another day.
When people think of high risk activities, they donât normally think of roller skating. But that doesnât mean that you can completely disregard any safety products while performing this activity. Even doing something as seemingly innocuous as rolling skating can result in injuries. And this is why you should always ensure that your kid is outfitted with the proper safety gear before they take to the concrete in their roller skates.
With that in mind, there is only one product thatâs absolutely necessary, and thatâs a helmet. Skate helmets can protect your kidâs head from incurring serious damage if they should fall and hit something like concrete, a rock, or anything else dangerous. Secondary safety equipment includes products such as knee pads and elbow pads. These will protect your kid from minor bumps and scrapes they might get from roller skating.
Now that we know what size to order for our new skates ( refer to yesterday’s blog ), what kind of skate should we buy?
For today let’s just look at quad skates versus inline skates. Just so we all start on the same page let’s define some terms. A quad skate is the “traditional” four wheel roller skate with two wheels side by side in front and two wheels side by side on the heel of the skate. An inline skate is similar to an ice skate with 3 to 5 wheels arranged in a line.
Which is best for you? Converted ice skaters will probably be most comfortable in an inline skate while many of the rest of us may want to go with the stability provided by quad skates. Quad skates are having a resurgence in popularity for rink and artistic skating and inline skates tend towards outdoor skating, fitness skating and the more aggressive skating activities.
Quad skates are offered in both high top and low top boots. We’ll talk about that tomorrow.