Skating is a fun hobby that has been around for ages. Who doesn’t remember their first time getting on the board or lacing up their skates? It’s an exhilarating feeling, and it never goes away. It’s a great way to get your exercise or just spend time with your friends skating around.
The best thing about skating is that it’s an activity for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re a beginner or someone who has been skating for years, there are always new tricks and techniques to learn. Skating can be great exercise, but it also has many other benefits like improving your balance and coordination.
The Importance of Staying Safe
As fun of an activity as it is, skating without proper gear can lead to injuries that will seriously dampen your whole experience. Safety should always be your priority, no matter what your level of expertise is! No one is immune to the dangers of skating, and sometimes injuries happen from exterior causes like rough terrain, bad weather or just someone crossing your path. It’s better to be prepared for the worst, rather than ending your skate training before it even starts.
The industry offers you a whole range of different safety equipment, from helmets to knee pads and even elbow guards, but there’s one piece of gear everyone overlooks- skating wrist guards. One bad slip can lead to broken bones, injured ligaments and physical therapy that could last for months.
Falling is inevitable while skating, so why not invest in proper gear that will lower the risk of ending up in the hospital? When we lose balance, our first instinct is to outstretch our arms and grip to something which results in pressure on the wrists. Wrist guards are used to adding a layer of protection and support on your wrists, so should you fall it will minimise the damage or even avoid injuries altogether.
Since skating has become so popular, the industry has evolved and produced all kinds of safety equipment. At first look, seeing the options for skating wrist guards may seem intimidating, but a good start is educating yourself on the use of this protective gear, how it can improve your skills and what type is best for you.
Guide to Wrist Guards
When doing any kind of sport activity, wearing protective gear is essential not only for preventing injuries but also for proving support to execute the movements the right way. After all, the gears are designed to accommodate skaters and help them during executing all kinds of tricks and techniques.
Wrist injuries are the most common ones in skating and that’s why experts and veteran skaters recommend investing in proper wrist guards. Skating wrist guards are padded gloves with “splints” on the inside that keep your wrists from bending the wrong way, and absorb the impact of the fall.
Essentially, these guards keep your wrist rigid as you slide on the ground and help distribute your weight to your forearm and palms, so you don’t fall full force on your wrist. The styles of the guards range from full-finger gloves, half-finger and fingerless options.
Fingerless Gloves
Fingerless wrist guards offer the simples design of all. They come up to the palms and allow complete use of your fingers. This design has protective pads on the inside and outside of the palm area and splints down the sides of the guards to keep your wrist rigid. Fingerless wrist guards are the blueprint for every other guard, as all other variations of this model include its basic structures.
Full-finger Gloves
Exactly as the name implies, these guards are designed as regular gloves that cover your whole palms and wrist. These gloves include protective pads on your palm and sturdy material that protects against any skin contact or scraping. Full-finger gloves are great during colder months as they provide more warmth and comfort.
Half-finger Gloves
Similar to full gloves, this type of guards goes up to half of your fingers to give more protection, yet at the same time allow free movement of the fingers. Half-finger guards are constructed with the same design as a complete glove and are common in the skating practice since they are more practical plus you’ll look really stylish wearing them.
Safety Tips for Skating
Skating and all its variations are a really cool hobby to master, but even the greatest skaters practice certain safety measures to avoid any kind of injuries. Why cut your fun short when you can enjoy the activity and spend more time perfecting it rather than healing injuries? So, let’s go over some quick safety tips and prepare you for your skating adventures!
First and foremost, you have to invest in full-body protection gear. This means everything from helmets to wrist guards and even elbow and knee pads. No matter how good you are at skating, injuries happen constantly and especially when you finally feel prepared and let yourself go careless. The market for protective gear is extensive, so finding something that fits your aesthetic won’t be a problem.
Next, you should find a good spot for skating. Skating on uneven grounds is the biggest safety hazard, and for beginners, it can quickly escalate into an uncontrollable environment. A good choice would be a skate park or empty parking lots. This will ease your fears of bumping into things and losing balance. A great tip for beginners is to practice safe-falling into the grass. With practice on a soft surface, you will master falling without injuring yourself.
Before you go trying out expert-level tricks, you should learn the basic skating techniques. This includes balance on your skates or board, how to take turns and when to slow down. You can’t become a master skater overnight, but dominating the basics is a good start. Never take chances or overestimate yourself during the beginning stages of skating, as it can result in heavy injuries that can compromise your whole well-being.
Now that you’ve learned the fundamentals of skating what are you waiting for? Grab your gear, strap on those stylish protective accessories and slide into the exhilarating world of skating!
