Guide to Safety for Skaters

Repetitively working on the same muscles over and over can actually be detrimental to those muscles. Strain and tearing can occur, and the muscles can eventually not respond to the physical activity you dedicate to them.

In this case, it is recommended that skaters take rest days, even in great health, to allow for muscle to rest and avoid overuse.

If you are like many skaters and simply can’t stay out of the rink or off of your skates, many professionals advise switching your routine, whether it be in skating or exercise, and using different muscle groups than usual.

Skaters of all kinds share a great passion and dedication to their sport, their team, and within themselves. Although it may seem like your focus and dedication to skating means you should never get off of your skates, there are many advantages to trying other types of exercise, in addition to your skate practice. Check out our Workouts for All Skaters Article for even more amazing information on keeping fit safely!

Roller derby is notorious for injuries related to the overuse of one muscle or an injured area. Muscle tissue takes time to build, whether you have incurred an injury or not. Roller derby experts recommend taking a day off of training and trying a new type of exercise. Yoga, cardiovascular exercise (such as running, biking, or hiking), cross training, Pilates, or whatever your personal preference, it is important and beneficial to participate in other types of exercise while engaging in any form of skating.

Balance

Strengthening your core is a huge gain in skating. By doing exercise aside from skating that uses your whole body, without a focus on the same muscle groups you are used to, aids in balance. Balance is key to all forms of skating, whether a recreational skater, figure skater, indoor skater, outdoor skater, dance skater, artistic skater, roller derby skater, etc. If you want some awesome information on workouts on and off your skates, check out our article Workouts for All Skaters.

It is also important to step away from the skates and try something different than your regimented skate routine in order to be more well rounded in matters of focus and productivity. Individuals involved in a heavy workout routine or intense sport agree that changing your routine is not only mentally and personally stimulating overall, but also attest to the fact that it is crucial for a well-rounded lifestyle overall.

Injuries and Healing

Many skaters return too early after an injury. Training while injured or while recovering from an injury is very dangerous, and often adds more recovery time to the injury! Always consult your physician before making the decision to perform any physical activity after, during, and while healing any injury.

Player 1 or P1, a.k.a. Germaine Koh, of the Terminal City Rollergirls All-Stars, expressed her thoughts on aging the day before she turned 45 via social media. As an active member of the famed roller derby team, she realized herself to be the oldest member of her team and double the age of some teammates.

Roller derby is very much a contact sport, and has the potential for injury. Koh, for example, ruptured her Achilles tendon and damaged her ACL participating in roller derby. She mentions her fears that she can no longer keep up with her younger counterparts, and is unable to complete what she had for years, as a star of her team. However, after some major injuries, and at an age where many might give up on their dreams of participating in a physically intensive sport, she gives tips on continuing her participation in roller derby and the advantages of “aging” in the sport.

Germaine Koh goes on to quote Richard A. Lovett, saying that “with age, the fast-twitch muscles that give speed and power decline significantly, plus there’s ‘declining VO2 max, reduced strength, increased body fat, reduced lactic acid clearance, declining bone density and more”. This does not mean that one can’t participate in what they love and be physically fit enough to do it! It just means that there are recommendations and potential precautions or challenges to overcome.

Any skater will agree that quality protective wear is essential. Mouth guards and helmets protect skaters from getting a concussion, pads protect against bodily injury, and more options of protective wear allow for an absolute safe skate.

DevaSkation realizes the extreme dedication, passion, and hard work associated with any type of skating. Skating is a challenging, fun, exciting sport that we are very passionate about, and we are proud to offer the very best in Protective Wear. Your safety and well being is of the utmost importance to us.

We offer helmets, mouth guards, wrist guards, elbow pads, kneepads, knee gaskets, custom packages of items, and offer them for all ages and sizes. We have certified and dual certified products. We’ve listed our favorite in each major category below so check be sure to check them out.

Helmets

Helmets are of the utmost importance in skating. After all, protecting the head and brain is essential to avoid concussions, brain injury, and head injury. One fall without a helmet can be extremely dangerous and have lasting effects, should your head take any unnecessary impact while skating. Concussions are increasingly common in not only skating, but also many popular sports today. The best prevention is to wear a helmet, and we offer many varieties so that no matter what your size or build, you will be comfortable and protected against serious injury.

We have all types and sizes of helmets to suit your skating needs. DevaSkation offers certified and dual certified helmets, to provide protection and prevent head injury or concussion. The S1 Lifer Helmets are some of the best helmets on the market. They test their products constantly to guarantee that they continue to have one of the most protective helmet available. The Lifer Helmet by S1 is a multi impact helmet that has been tested against others out there and come out on top every time. If you are wanting a multi impact helmet that will continue to protect time after time, the S1 Lifer Helmet is for you.

Mouth Guards

Mouth guards protect skaters from hurting or even loosing their teeth while skating. Due to the increasing popularity of skating, mouth guard technology is increasingly innovative. Instead of the old, bulky mouth guards that veteran skaters are used to, today mouth guards are thin and moldable with a soak in warm water. Mouth guards suction to your teeth, and no longer need to be removed for a drink of water or in order to talk.

We offer mouth guard brands like SISU and Damage Control at the lowest prices. Our customers love the lightweight, moldable innovation of the newer-style mouth guards to protect their mouth and teeth. You can check out our Mouth Guard Showdown SISU vs. Damage Control if you’re interested in learning more about these two amazing mouth guards!

Pads

Wrist injuries are among the most common in skating. Wrist guards protect against damage to the wrist tremendously, and are extremely affordable.

DevaSkation offers high quality wrist guards with sizes for children and adults. While you should never fall on your hands and wrists, these will help them from getting scraped up if the do come in contact with the ground.

Knee pads are so important, as skating can put a lot of pressure on your knees. Knees often take intense damage from falling, and the recovery time needed to heal knee injuries is not short. We offer the best brands in knee pads on the market in order to keep you skating comfortably and safely. Knee pads should be well-fitted and have thick padding to protect your knees from any damage. Many skaters also like knee gaskets since they provide for extra protection beyond knee pads. They fit under most knee pads and are very light-weight, but make a huge difference should a fall occur.

Pads simply protect your body from injury upon impact. As any skater knows, elbow pads are very important pieces of protective wear for all types of skating. Elbow pads protect your elbows from hitting a hard surface, and should have a snug fit and thick padding, as well as hard caps.

Many skaters need wrist, knee, and elbow protection so we’ve created a special package so you can get everything you need at a package price. Check out our pads package to pick your level of pads and get all three for a great price!