REVIEW: SFR Raptor '76

First things first, the box that these things come in is huge, like 'Happy Christmas' huge. It's a good indication of the size of the skates - these are pretty big compared to derby style skates, and one hell of a weight. More on that later. I skated indoors in a sports centre, and outdoors with these skates to get a feel for them over a period of about 1 month.

The first thing you notice is that they look like the skates you saw a lot in the 90s. If you had some Bauer Turbos and loved them, these might offer some sort of nostalgic comfort, though there are other skates out there more similar to the Turbo. The point is, looks wise they're pretty dated, which is no bad thing if that's what you're after. I sold mine on to a guy who's first words when he came to pick them up were "i used to love my old Bauer skates and want to get back into skating".

The outer boot is pretty solid, made of a rigid black plastic shoe and ankle cuff. If you're expecting to get hit in the ankles for some reason, these skates have you covered. Its got a matt finish and looks pretty good, and the branding isn't too in-your-face, which i like. The cuff isn't bulky, and can be laced up or left open.  I left it open, that's just how I roll. I think laced up it would impair movement, but open gave me plenty of room to bend my ankles.

I got a size 10, same as my shoe size. I did have some bother getting my foot into it at first, like there was a bottle neck, but once you negotiated it there was plenty of room and the inner sock is well padded. Underneath it's the usual plastic plate/ aluminium trucks setup, only with the addition of a metal bar. Apparently it's something to do with jumping, not like "grind down that handrail" jumping, more like reinforcing the axels or something. Anyway I didn't exactly do a lot of jumps so I couldn't say if this was any good.

The wheels were excellent for outdoor skating and learning on. The SFR slicks were 78a which means they are super rubbery with loads of grip. I could skate comfortably outside on them, the wheels just absorbed a lot of the vibration from the Tarmac.  Speaking of outdoor skating, I was never worried that the skates were taking damage, or receiving undue wear-and-tear, which i feel sometimes with derby skates. Like the Raptors were so tough they were designed for it, and I think this is what I liked the most about them.

There's one bad point though, they are HEAVY.  I can't remember exactly how much they weighed but it was a lot. Great if you're trying to build up mega calf muscles, but eventually I just felt that the weight was holding me back. It's like skating around with concrete blocks tied to your feet.

In summary: pros -great for outdoor skating, hard wearing. Cons - style is dated, weigh a tonne.
I wish I'd kept them, if only to skate outdoors.

Setting Goals For Yourself, or How To Feel Better About Sucking

I approach skating the same way I approach learning any new skill. I break it down into a series of goals that I can measure my progress against. Sometimes I have to amend the goals as I learn more, but flexibility is ok. I remember being told once that all goals should be SMART. That is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. You can apply this to skating really easily, and it'll help you by giving you that little boost of confidence that you really need at the beginning.

Specific - instead of going into a skating session with no aim, find something each week to concentrate on. Want to skate backwards? Make that your goal. If you don't have specific goals you won't have any focus.

Measurable - Instead of saying "today I want to practice skating backwards" try skating backwards for a whole lap. Or maybe gliding on one foot for 5 seconds.  Pick things that you can define and measure, if your goal is "get better at skating" you'll never really achieve it, which is self defeating.

Achievable/ Realistic - know your limits, and set yourself a goal that is just outside of your current reach. When I started my goal was to to stand still without rolling away. Once I had that under control I could mentally hi five myself and move on to something trickier, like gaining forward momentum. What I didn't do was try to run before I could walk.

Timed - try to say "I'm going to learn to do this today", or this week, or over two weeks. Set yourself a challenge each week so it never gets too boring.

Setting goals really helps to break down the learning process, which for me makes it a lot less daunting. Look at what other skaters are doing to get ideas of what you can aim for!

REVIEW: 187 KILLER FLY KNEE PADS

I had some cheap bullet knee pads when I started, but they were crap. They felt uncomfortable and didn't feel like they offered much protection. I certainly wouldn't get them if I was doing fresh meat training or if I worried about falling. I ended up getting something right in the middle of the market -  187 Killer Fly knee pads - £35 from my local skate shop. Stupid name but they've got a hefty amount of padding on them, and if I drop to my knees I can't feel the floor. That should be the litmus test for all knee pads. They're pretty comfortable, and they don't stick out too much, so I don't worry about my legs catching them when I cross.  Also they have a bend at the top where they go over your knee, and because it's quite a rigid pad it forces you to bend your knees more, which is always a good thing.

The bad points? They're not open back, they have that elasticated 'sock' that you pull your leg through. You have to take your skates off to remove them, and you will want to remove them because they make your legs SO HOT. Seriously. The heat makes you sweat, which can get itchy. Because of the bend in the pads you can't really stand upright without the bottom digging into your shin, which is uncomfortable. The other bad point is that every time I look at them I wish I'd been rich enough, or serious enough about skating to justify the Smith Scabs Elite knee pads. It just wasn't meant to be.

In summary, well worth the money. Recommended!

PADS, or how I learned to stop worrying about my knees

Protective gear has come a long way since the late 80s / early 90s when I was younger. They don't look as dorky for one thing, so most skaters wear it. You don't have to wear everything, how much you choose to wear depends on your skill level and how far you're planning on pushing yourself. For example, until I started learning cross-overs, I was taking it easy, skating in my comfort zone so I only wore wrist guards. When I felt more confident and started pushing myself further I added knee and elbow pads.  They can be as cheap or as costly as you want to make it so lets break it down.

Wrist Guards. These are pretty much your basic protection. If you fall either forwards or backwards, chances are you'll reach out to break your fall with your hand if you can, shattering your puny wrist bones in the process. Or maybe just spraining it. There are some pretty cheap looking things on the market, but since this is the cheapest part of the package you'll want to spend £15-£20. For that price they're all pretty much the same. You want one with rigid plastic strips on front and back sewn into the fabric that totally immobilises your movement. Basically a splint wrapped in Velcro fasteners. I've tried Bullet and Pro-Tec and I prefer the Bullet ones, the Pro-Tec ones are more stretchy for comfort but I like the rigidity of the Bullet ones. Wear these all the time and you can't go wrong.

Knee Pads. These are important, as the last thing that you want is a knee injury. Because they're expected to take the weight of a fully grown adult Human dropping onto them, they need serious amounts of padding. Most brands do a couple of entry points, usually around £20 for the recreational skater, £35 for the 'serious amateur', and £70 for the derby crowd (not forgetting the rich kids).  Skating round a roller rink? £20 ones are probably enough for you. If you're learning transitions (turning from front to backwards while skating), and cross-overs the threat of falling will be hanging over you, so could probably benefit by spending a bit more, especially if you're heavy. Leave the £70 pads for the derby teams. Why do they cost so much? In America, where there is no NHS, spending $70 on pads is way more preferable than spending $70,000 on surgery (may not be actual cost), so I guess it's a no brainer over there.

Elbow pads.  I guess you need them, in case you fall backwards and put your elbow out. I fell backwards once and landed on my bum. I had a bruise the size of a Cantaloupe melon on my backside, but I never put my elbows out. I wouldn't spend big money on them. I don't bother wearing mine often but I should start, and if you're going to do fresh meat training with a derby team you'll need to get used to wearing them.

Learning to Roller Skate: Step 1

Buy Your Own Skates

This is the first major decision that you're going going to make, and the first of 3 financial commitments. Sure, you could get hire skates if you've got a roller rink nearby, but they'll probably not fit well and be poorly maintained (I've seen them held together with duct tape before). Also, and this is important, by spending some money we're probably more likely to stick with it. No-one wants to admit defeat when they've just sunk some cash into it.

Remember I said 3 financial commitments? You're going to need the following:
Skates
Pads
Wheels
The skates and the pads are necessary. No getting away from that. The wheels... It depends. The skates will probably come with wheels, but they'll likely be crap. More on this later.

Looking for a skate is not as difficult as it first appears. There are a lot of options out there and its difficult to know where to start. You just need to limit those options, and the easiest way to do that is by deciding how much you want to spend.  You can break it down into 3 rough categories:  recreational, amateur and professional.



Recreational skates. Girls can get Rio Rollers by SFR or something similar. These skates are cheap (around £40-£50), and ok for learning. My wife has a pair for going outside so she doesn't ruin her good wheels. There's actually nothing wrong with them if you're skating outside or in a rink, they do exactly what they're intended for: recreational skating. The major downside is that if you do go to a rink they're popular with kids due to the price and the designs. When your friends are all wearing derby skates and you're matching with the girls in the one-direction t shirts... Don't say I didn't warn you. Guys can spend £60-£70 and get something that looks like a Bauer skate from the 90's. I'll review the SFR Raptor later, since I skated in some for a month.  If you're thinking about getting into roller derby, or just want to fit in with the cool kids, then you'll want...

Amateur skates.  You'll notice if you look at skate websites, that after the £50 skates there's really not much until you get to the £100 mark.  This is where you've got the  Riedell r3 and the sure grip GT-50. Most people who want to get into Derby will have one or the other when they start, and they're pretty similar.  Both are synthetic boots (read: not leather), have nylon (plastic) plates, come with shitty wheels, but otherwise do a pretty decent job. The r3 is actually really comfortable, and looks smart, so I'd say its well worth the money, being about £20 cheaper then the GT-50. If you're not a professional derby skater and don't want to spend £300+, this is where you'll be. Online I read plenty of reviews complaining about these type of skates, but they all boiled down to "the skates won't last long in professional roller derby", which at my level of skating was pretty irrelevant. If you do fancy getting some really fancy skates and have really rich and generous parents or have won the lottery, you'll need...


Professional skates. Always have leather boots and lightweight aluminium plates. Always cost between £300 and £400. If you're just learning to skate and thinking about buying some of these, then you have too much money. Go give some to charity instead. You can however look longingly at them online, if that makes you feel better. The Riedell 265 seems popular, and the Antik skates look cool.


Next up: PADS

How hard can it be?

Roller skating is becoming popular again. Parents are looking for ways to get their kids active, and it's becoming slightly more socially acceptable for adults to admit to doing it.  Slightly. I put on my first pair of skates this year, aged 32, and this is what I've learned. It may not be right, but think of this as a chronicle of my experience to date. Most of the resources online are aimed at girls getting into roller derby. Since I'm a guy and not looking to join a mens derby team any time soon, I won't be touching on that side of things. Anyway, lets learn to skate.

The funny thing about roller skating is that it looks so easy. Those guys and gals gliding around without a care in the world, weaving in and out, skating backwards, sliding gracefully to a halt. It looks so natural, so effortless. "I could do that" you tell yourself, and so you've just taken the first step towards learning to roller skate. And there will be a LOT  of steps, because its not as easy as it looks. Then comes the falling, the embarrassment, the fear.

Oh boy.

Many will give up at this point. it doesn't look so hot when you're nervously clutching the wall, with a look on your face like you're trying to do advanced calculus in your head. The way to learn any new skill is to break it down into measurable and achievable goals - it'll seem a lot less daunting, and the rewards from meeting each goal will help us to stay the course. We're getting ahead of ourselves slightly, first we'll need to get kitted out.