Similar to ice hockey skates, the best inline skates are comfortable and provide good protection for your feet. To determine the best skates for your child, consider his skating ability, experience, style and position. Like many types of sports equipment, great skates can make a good skater better, but nothing takes the place of ability combined with practice.
Considerations
The old adage "you get what you pay for" applies to inline skates as well. Consumer Search suggests that a skate that provides good fit, responsiveness and protection will generally cost about $200 for junior skates. If your child is an advanced skater, the price can be higher. Good fit and foot comfort is essential. Look for an outer shell that covers her ankle for protection and stabilization. Laces provide a better fit, but some skates close with buckles. This system is acceptable if the buckles retain their setting after your child has removed the skates.
Skate Rules
Skates must consist of three or four wheels if your child is a general player, according to the International Federation of Roller Sports. If he is the goalie, he has an option of using five wheel skates but with smaller wheels. All wheel bolts and axles must be recessed and even with the frame of the skate or covered with protective material. The North American Youth Roller Hockey Leagues echoes these requirements and mandates that all skate wheels must be present during play. These are safety precautions to protect players from injury. While this requirement may not be necessary in local federations, it is good to keep this in mind when evaluating new skates.
Contenders
Because of so many variables, there is no specific list of the best inline skates, but the brand names that appear over and over again as the top contenders include Bauer, Mission, Tour and Hyper. The best skate for your child is based on her height, weight, age, experience, ability, skating style and position. Whenever possible, test a skate before you purchase.
Bauer
The Bauer company manufacturers skates for both players and goalies. They offer three styles of skates for players: Supreme, Vapor and Flexlite. Each category has several skate styles to choose from. The Supreme skates are made for power players, the Vapor line for skaters who love speed and the Flexlite XR Lite for Juniors is best for a skater who does not want to spend a lot of time breaking in his skates.
Mission
Mission brand skates offer many options for juniors. Some believe the Axiom line from the T.9 to A.3 models are top player's skates due to Mission's use of technology in their materials and aluminum chassis. Mission offers skates in senior, junior and youth sizes in several of its models. It also offers different styles specifically created for goalies.
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