Why Getting The Right Size Skate Matters

It’s common to hear the advice “go up a size in roller skates”. Don’t listen!

  1. Measure your foot, don’t go by street shoe size

    Stand on a piece of paper and have someone trace around your foot for you.  Hold the pen straight, leaning it outwards or inwards is going to give a skewed size.  It’s important someone does this for you as having to contort your body to reach around your foot is going to make the foot move about.   I highly recommend to stand in skating stance when you do it, knee over toe, etc so you get the widest your foot will be, with all your weight on it.

  2. Go by the manufacture’s size chart
    Skates vary hugely by brand and model even! Make sure you’re using the correct size guide for the skate you are looking to buy.   I wear a street shoe 5 and I can be anything from a 3 to a 8 depending on skate brand!

  3. Nothing takes place of trying them on.  
    Head to a skate shop if you can.  They have experience and product knowledge which will help you get the right skate for you.

This video has a section at the end on how to measure your foot.

  1. It’s going to be harder to skate
    Having a skate that is too big is going to make more advanced tricks hard.  Imagine that your skate is a little too long for your foot, now think about doing a toe manual.  You’re going to have to go further towards your toes to get the weight forward enough to lift the back truck.  This can cause foot cramp and just be awkward to balance.  If the front truck is right under the ball of your foot it’s going to be much easier to balance. This is why some skaters deliberately choose a smaller plate than recommended for their boot size, it’s called a short mount and can be popular with Rhythm skaters for this reason.

  2. So how much space?
    Its said that a skate should fit like a shoe, but a new skater is probably going to feel that wearing a skate is like having your foot in a vice. It’s not uncommon for skaters to go down a size once they get more experienced. To give you an idea; my longest foot measures 246mm, I started in a 260mm many moons ago (growing space, didn’t need it), then went to a 255mm, I currently skate a 250mm.  Thats just 4mm clearance.

Need More Info?

If you haven’t already, come and join me on my facebook group “Roller Skating for Beginners”

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