Diary of a Skater: 001

Where to start...

Well, I started here.

When I first started skating (not as a passing fancy), I wanted to do it for a handful of reasons. The best reason I can give: It looks cool.

I had little experience on skates before I really started. I wasn't exactly going in fresh, but I also had bad habits. My sense of balance and dexterity were nil and there were a lot of things I know now that I wish I could convey to my past self.

The most important lesson I've learned while learning to skate: This is going to hurt. A lot.

Before I really get into the dull, gritty day-to-day experiences I plan to blog, let me establish, in no particular order, a list of things I wish I'd known then:

Don't play with your skates. They're likely to last a lot longer if you leave them alone, rather than if you try to maintain them out of curiosity.

Upgrade your gear as quickly as possible. Don't ride your stock axles/bearings for too long. My axles fused into my frame, so this is a big deal for me. Personally, I use SEBA axles and Bones Red bearings.

Buy extra bearings. Play with them. Take them apart and smash them with a hammer. Set them on fire, put them in a microwave, and then dunk them in water (this is seriously the worst possible thing you can do to a bearing). Make all your mistakes on these bearings, so you don't ruin the ones that matter.

Learn to skate low. If you haven't so much as put a boot on yet, consider yourself lucky. If you totter forward in an upright position, it will take a much longer time to teach yourself proper posture and your growth will slow down.

New skates have a break in period where the outer shell adapts to the shape of your foot. Additionally, brand new liners are dry, puffy, and stiff. As you bang your skates up, the sweat that accumulates in the liners will soften them and help them accomodate your foot better. And remember to wash them when they start to stink.

Long after you break your skates in, you will still be breaking your body into your skates. You need to physically adapt to the rigors of skate boots, and these adaptations don't happen overnight (unless you're a mutant).

Adjust your skates. I'm flat footed, and my left foot would hurt when I skate. Thanks to the dealer, I discovered I can shift the alignment of the frames to counter pressure. Consult the person you got your skates from, or go to a skate shop (buy something if you want them to be nice to you).

ALWAYS WEAR KNEEPADS. Even if you don't wear wristguards or elbow pads, WEAR KNEEPADS. I think they look dorky, and a lot of people agree, but if you break your knees, you may never skate again.

That's why I wear jeans to cover them up. They also protect your body from scrapes, and keep your skin covering your muscles like they're supposed to. And it's still going to hurt. A lot.

As I go along, I'll inevitably flesch out these points in greater detail and from multiple angles.