So you've just started Raw Meat (exciting!) and there's already a
bunch of stuff to worry about. Basic skate maintenance is one more
thing, but it really can give you a shortcut to improving as a skater.
Your skate set-up can really make a difference to your technique.
There's some basic stuff about skates that makes a huge difference early
on, but you'll also need to know it for the rest of your skating life.
The Anatomy of a Derby Skate
It all begins with the anatomy of the derby skate, so check this diagram, thanks to Ivanna Spankin:
When you buy a pair of skates, unless they've been made specifically for
you, or some clever derby girl has owned them before you, they will
come pre-assembled from a skate manufacturer. More often than not,
there's some stuff that needs tweaking. Skates usually come with a basic
tool, or you can get one for around $15 from any skate shop.
Adjust Your Trucks
A common problem is having trucks that are too loose or too tight.
When you lean to one side, your trucks lean with you, and that makes the
two wheels on that side curve into a small arc, and you turn. If your
trucks are too tight, the wheels won't move and it will be really,
really hard to turn corners.
But the trade-off is that loose trucks are harder to balance on, so you
also don't want them too loose until you're comfortable with your
balance on skates.
(If you're really interested, these skate geeks wrote an article that explains it in more detail:
If you flip your skate over, one truck is the short metal bit you can
see running across the skate between the two front wheels and the other
truck runs between the two back wheels.
You adjust your trucks by tightening or loosening the large nut in the
centre, which is called the action nut. Use a skate tool or wrench to
adjust your trucks.
Which way do you turn the nut?
Anti-clockwise loosens, clockwise tightens.
I remember it using Rosie the Riveter's old mnemonic: Lefty Loosey - Righty Tighty
Only adjust the nut one quarter turn at a time, and then forcibly wiggle
the wheels back and forth to check how much the trucks are moving, and
maybe adjust another quarter turn, and so on. You want them to move with
a little bit of pushing effort. Try skating on them once you've
adjusted them a little bit, and adjust further if you need, but don't
loosen them too much all at once!
Also, your trucks will gradually get looser over time by themselves, as you skate on them.
Check Your Wheels
Next thing with factory-fresh skates is to check your wheels. Too loose
and they'll fall off; too tight and you are gonna be working a whole lot
harder to get anywhere. Check them all, because they are likely to all
be set differently. (Gah!)
You want your wheels to spin freely without rattling on their axles. Use
a skate tool to adjust them. A good way to adjust them is to gradually
tighten them to the point where they only just won't turn, and then loosen them off a quarter or a half turn of the axle nut until they spin without stopping for a long time.
Make sure all eight wheels are set to pretty much the same looseness.
This video shows you how to check your wheels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z3zo_AYze68
Laces
A super common complaint for skaters with new skates is numb feet. Some
of it's getting used to skates and building up strange little unused
muscles and learning balance, but some of it can be helped.
Some people (me included) like their skates loose around their toes to
beat numb-foot (I just made that term up) but tight around the top for a
more stable, secure feel.
You can simply skip a couple of holes near the toes and start lacing from the third or fourth hole up.
Or you can lace the first few holes up, then skip a few, then lace the top ones.
Or you can double-lace. To double-lace, get two shorter pairs of laces.
Lace halfway up each boot using the first pair. Then lace the top half
using the second pair. That way, you can have one tension in the bottom
half, for your toes to wriggle freely, and a different, tighter, tension
up the top.
Which lets you worry about skating instead of the pain in your toes.
That's it for now... see you on the track. x
Psycho Fox
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