How to Buy Skates

Skating used to be restricted to just a few people in the frozen North. Now people play ice hockey in Florida, in-line skates are everywhere, and every little girl is training to be the next Olympic skating champion. Before you commit to a purchase, know what you need in a pair of skates.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Get a snug fit. It doesn't matter what kind of skating you're doing, your skates should be tight, feeling almost too small. In fact, some experienced skaters opt for skate that are a size or more smaller than their regular shoes. Children might opt for a more normal fit, though.

2. Make sure your heel, ankle and instep are securely held in place, but you don't feel any pressure points. You toes should be able to move for balance.

3. Invest in ankle support with ice skates. Ice hockey skates offered increased ankle support from stiffer materials as you go up in price. Figure skates almost rely on the necessity of the tight ankle support. The more skilled the figure skater, the stiffer the boot.

4. For inline skating, choose wheels that fit your skating style and the surface you skate on. More expensive skates feature high-quality wheel bearings, which roll faster and last longer. Hard wheels are more durable, but perform poorly on slick indoor surfaces. Softer wheels grip those surfaces well, but wear easily on concrete. Small-diameter wheels allow you to change direction more quickly, while a larger diameter rolls faster and is better for straight-away speed.

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on 11/22/2005 Since the foot changes its size when weight is applied, it's important to have a stable and supportive platform under the foot to reduce this "elongation." Buying skates that are sized when you have no weight on your foot (with a footbed such as Superfeet, ShockDoctor, or Instaprint) works to keep the foot from changing size and shape. Custom insoles will reduce the elongation effect with even greater success.