Off-ice skates?

[Nevermind 363]

Sorry if this should be in another section...

My friends are trying to get me to join their street hockey league over the summer. But, I hate rollerblades.

So I was wondering if any of you guys have tried inline skates from some company called Newron (link). The skates are supposed to simulate skating on ice (by mimicking the strides and crossovers and stuff), but I'm skeptical. I don't know if it will feel anywhere near as natural as ice skating or not.

If you haven't heard of these, have you guys used any hockey rollerblades that come somewhat close to replicating ice skating? Any from CCM, Mission, Bauer, etc?

Thanks.

[rrasco 1,312]

I'll have to ask my buddy if he knows anything about them, he owns a roller hockey rink in Buffalo.

[Echolalia 2,961]

I have never used any blades that simulate ice skates, and I would be skeptical as well. There are different types of wheels that grip the surface differently, but nothing really mimics the feeling of skating on ice, and honestly I don't know if it's worth it to even look for something like that. Just get some average roller blades, understand the limitations (or advantages, perhaps) that come with inline or street hockey blades, and just have fun with it.

[Nevermind 363]

I'll have to ask my buddy if he knows anything about them, he owns a roller hockey rink in Buffalo.

Thanks.

I have never used any blades that simulate ice skates, and I would be skeptical as well. There are different types of wheels that grip the surface differently, but nothing really mimics the feeling of skating on ice, and honestly I don't know if it's worth it to even look for something like that. Just get some average roller blades, understand the limitations (or advantages, perhaps) that come with inline or street hockey blades, and just have fun with it.

Even if that limitation is not knowing how to stop...haha.

That's probably the best advice though, thanks.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Nevermind

[rrasco 1,312]

Even if that limitation is not knowing how to stop...haha.

Growing up in Texas, my ability to ice skate is, well, let's just call it limited. I did however grow up roller blading, so the best piece of advice I can give you on that front is to drag a skate behind you sideways. Nowhere near as effective as on ice, but I don't think you can get much better. FWIW, I never had a 'brake' on my blades.

[Echolalia 2,961]

Thanks.

Even if that limitation is not knowing how to stop...haha.

That's probably the best advice though, thanks.

I'm sure you know this but some blades have a "brake" installed on the back that is applied to the ground when you lift your toes off the floor. I personally don't like the protrusion on the back of my heel, so I deal with momentum changes in other ways.

Growing up I would always just take a turn. It doesn't stop you, but it does change your momentum from the direction you want to stop going. It never really hurt my game all that much. As I got a little more experienced I learned that I could do a similar stop to the traditional on-ice hockey stop, by changing the angle that my rollerblade touches the surface, so a lot of the chassy that holds the wheels, and even the boot slide across the surface. The boot ends up almost 90 degrees sideways from what it normally is. This always created enough friction for me to stop, but it was more difficult to control. It was beneficial mostly as a mechanism to try to lose people who were right behind me, and not so much for stopping myself from running into a player or a wall.

If I recall, one of the better players on the young Mighty Ducks team didn't know how to stop either.

[St. Michael (the Red Wing) 422]

Just bought a pair of the Bauer XR1's and being how cheap they are I thought that they might suck. I was wrong great skate for asphalt and outdoor inline hockey. Not too keen on the wheels so I'll probably be getting those labeda asphalt wheels but nonetheless good skate.

If your playing inline hockey inside on a nice roller rink you might want a good pair of skates. Otherwise being outside it doesn't matter cause they will take some abuse.

[VM1138 1,921]

Growing up in Texas, my ability to ice skate is, well, let's just call it limited. I did however grow up roller blading, so the best piece of advice I can give you on that front is to drag a skate behind you sideways. Nowhere near as effective as on ice, but I don't think you can get much better. FWIW, I never had a 'brake' on my blades.

Dragging the skate sideways like that will wear down the wheels if you do it on one leg more than the other, but I agree this is most effective. This is in fact the only way I know how to stop on blades. The "brake" just never works for me, it either doesn't slow me down enough or I lose my balance if I push too hard.

And I never learned how to ice skate so I don't know if that's similar to how you stop there.

I encourage the original poster to join the league. Street hockey is a LOT of fun. I'm not the greatest skater in the world, but I love playing and I'm actually testing the waters to see if there's any interest in one in my area. Pick up games are fun and all, but some competition would be nice.

Edited April 5, 2012 by VM1138

[cnot19 191]

Ive played roller hockey for about 13 years now and ice for alot less. I dont think there is anyway to imitate ice hockey on wheels, the stopping is very different. in roller you trun into the stop and slide a bit where ice is a bit more of a "hard" stop. They also use completely different muscles of the legs. WHen i havent played either oen for an extended period of time you definitely feel it. Ive had good success with the hi-lo chasis from bauer and mission. It give you a bit of lean, however I would strongly suggest you steer clear of Tour skates, the have a chasis where all the wheels are equal and it takes alot of getting used to. Either way if youre paying outside you cant go wrong with a cheap pair of bauers or missions, theyve kind of become the industry standard at this point.

[sandyeggo wingnut 19]

I had to take the brake off of any pair of blades that I've ever owned. That protrusion is just..."wrong". That being said...

Stopping and cutting on rollerblades is COMPLETELY different than on ice. If you try to do a cut stop on roller blades you will be on your ass. On the other hand, toe drags and trailing leg drags are really effective on wheels. Just make sure you rotate your wheels on a REGULAR basis.

The best I can describe the difference is like the difference between surfing and snowboarding. While the main principles are the same, the execution is very different. You just have to remember which you are doing (I grew up in SoCal and we would go snowboarding in the morning and wipe out surfing in the evening because I would forget it's not the same thing)