There are a few major types of inline skates and inline skating disciplines that one can take part in.
The most popular types of inline skating disciplines are fitness, recreation, aggressive, race or roller hockey.Recreation and fitness inline skating are done for fun or for exercise and will use the standard style recreational inline skates. Aggressive skating is done mostly at skate parks but can also be done on street obstacles. Aggressive skaters use special aggressive inline skates that offer more protection and support than standard inline skates. Race inline skaters or marathon inline skaters use stiff booted race inspired skates that often have larger wheels with high performance bearings so the skaters get the most out of each stride. Roller hockey inline skaters use special hockey inline skates that offer a supportive boot similar to an ice hockey skate but will offer a shorter frame that will allow for easy handling and control.
Sizing inline skates is very similar to sizing athletic shoes as you will want a nice and tight fit.
This will give the user a great mixture of comfort and performance. We offer a full range of size charts and guides to help you find your exact fit in an inline skate. You should note that inline skates take a few skates in them to fully break in and in some inline skate models you can expect a ½ size of break in once the skate fully loosens up and molds to your exact foot shape.
Inline skating is a great exercise and has recently been named as one of the 7 best fat blasters.
Inline skating burns a whopping 425 calories for every 30 minutes of skating and the most enjoyable thing is actually having fun while burning those calories. Many with knee and joint problems find inline skating to be a much easier and safer exercise than jogging or running as inline skating puts less pressure and pain on the knees and joints.
YES! There is no reason to not wear a complete set of pads and a helmet while inline skating.
A full set of inline skate pads includes wrist, elbow and knee pads. These pads are important and are not overly expensive. Over the years skate pads have become much more comfortable and now offer sweat wicking properties to keep you dry while skating. Inline skate helmets are required at a lot of parks and places to skate and should be worn at all times when inline skating. Inline skate helmets have also become more comfortable, lighter weight and will offer sweat wicking properties as well so pick one up today!