Thanks to roller hockey skates, hockey has become a year-round sport that just about any kid can play. Children no longer need ice, but they do need a large and fairly smooth playing surface, a couple of makeshift goals, a stick, a ball and a quality pair of inline hockey skates.
What They Look Like
Roller hockey skates for kids are a version of inline skates designed for a fast and furious game. The skates have a tall, lace-up boot for ankle support and a lightweight aluminum chassis beneath the skate that holds four wheels. Wheels vary in hardness from extra-soft to hard. The hardest wheels, which are best for outdoor use, are the fastest but softer wheels have more gripping power for staying in place for fancy plays. Forget about a toe stop or other braking system. Black is the standard color, although many of the skates come with racing stripes or other snazzy designs.
What They Include
Additional safety features on hockey roller skates often include a hard heel cup and reinforced ankle support. Linings are usually padded and made of nylon while the outer shell of the skate consists of polyurethane or other synthetic, durable material. You can buy chassis, wheels and wheel bearings separately to replace worn parts or switch up the wheel hardness. Try two softer wheels on the outer edges and two harder wheels in the center to get both speed and grip, Hockey Monkey suggests.
Sizes
Roller hockey skates come in three categories of sizes. Youth sizes generally run from kids shoe sizes 10K to 13K. Junior sizes run from 1 to 5. Senior skate sizes start at adult shoe size 6 and go up from there. Hockey roller skates manufactured in Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and other countries have their own sizes that differ from the North American standard, but the three categories remain the same.
Buying
Sporting goods stores and skate retailers sell hockey roller skates for kids, as do some toy stores. Prices for inline hockey skates for kids in late 2010 started at $90 and went up from there, depending on the features. Kids might be lured by a particular skate's aggressive-sounding name, such as the Assassin.
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