Thinking about trying some tricks? If you've been inspired by skaters on Instagram or YouTube and want to give it a go, you might be wondering if you need specific skates. The answer depends on the style of skating you want to try.
Aggressive Skating: Stunts and Grinds
Aggressive skating involves stunts like grinding on rails, sliding on obstacles, and jumping or spinning off various structures. It's similar to skateboarding, with an emphasis on tricks at skateparks or in urban environments.
For aggressive skating, you'll need aggressive skates, which are specifically designed for these stunts. These skates feature a strong cuff for ankle support, reinforced plates and frames for grinding, and smaller wheels to keep you closer to the ground. However, these skates are specialised, and not ideal for general skating or other styles.
Slalom and Freestyle: Technical Precision
Slalom and freestyle skating focus on precise, technical tricks around cones or other obstacles. The key to this style is the banana-rockered frame setup, where the front and back wheels are slightly higher than the middle ones. Some skates come with adjustable axles for this, while others have it built into the frame. Alternatively, you can use smaller wheels in the front and back (typically a 76-80-80-76 setup).
FR Skates for Slalom/Freestyle are popular models for this style but if you're just getting started, skates with rockerable axles like the FR2 80 or the Seba Trix 2 are a more affordable option.
Wizard Skating: Expression
Wizard-style skating has developed into a unique discipline which contains elements of aggressive skating, slalom and freestyle. Wizard-style skaters explore dynamic movement on skates with a lot of creative freedom, underpinned by logic. Check Leon Basin’s video below for an excellent demonstration of wizard-style skating:
For Wizard-style skates, a UFS mounted boot is preferred (see our article on frame mounting for more on this), especially one made of carbon fibre, which keeps your centre of gravity low. You'll also need a Wizard-style frame designed for this type of movement. Wizard-style frames typically feature a long wheelbase and a natural rocker, making them stable and manoeuvrable.
Urban Skating: Moving Through the Streets
Urban skating is an odd term (is there such a thing as rural skating and rural skates ???). It can be understood as navigating through space in a playful way, interacting with obstacles like rails, stairs, and ledges. It's not a defined and recognised discipline like wizard-style, aggressive or slalom. It's a clunky term used to describe general skaters who are a little more daring than usual. Without going too deep into the subject, Urban skating is a term often associated with the skates used rather than the types of tricks performed - the language is just a bit messy.
Check the video below if you're unsure, but note most of the examples are skaters who are very experienced in aggressive or wizard-style.
For urban skating, we typically see hard shell skates with 80mm wheels used, as they are easily accessible and affordable. Skates like the FRX 80, Rollerblade RB80, or Powerslide Next are commonly used. Keep in mind that being more daring on these general style skates can be hard on them, as they are not intentionally designed for this purpose.
Can One Skate Do It All?
The easiest answer is to say not one skate can excel at every style. If you're focused on a specific type of skating, it's best to invest in skates designed for that purpose.
Having said that: Some skates with unique cross-style features might be of interest and - equally - building something custom (usually costing more money) can broaden user experience (and we are on hand to help with that).
Having said that again: If money isn't an issue, the ultimate all-around skate is the Wizard Base paired with a Wizard NR frame. It's one of the best-fitting skates available, offering the versatility of aggressive skating (except for grinding) combined with a subtle slalom-like rocker. Its robust and responsive build quality makes it perfect for playful exploration. Or otherwise put, a quality skate that does a bit of everything.
If you still have any questions or want a recommendation specific to you, email us at hello@locoskates.com.
Cover photo by Sam Cooper - ft Harry Abel @ Mudeford