Skating is fun and terrific exercise for the whole family; from the very young to the very young-at-heart. Practice and go slowly at first and the skills required should develop in time. It is excellent cross-country training for many sports including snow skiing, grass and roller hockey, ice hockey and ice skating, cycling and running.

It is obviously very important to learn how to stop!

The basic method of stopping is application of the rear brake. The safest way to do this is to extend your braking foot (usually the skate on your right foot) forwards and slowly start to lower the brake; this will allow you to slow down and eventually bring you to a complete stop. Always check the brake block for wear before using it and ensure the brake block is fully tightened. To stop when using skates with no brakes, the recommended method is to form a 'T' shape with your skates - done by dragging your back skate along sideways.

Safety Information (please read before skating)

1. To help prevent injuries, always wear protective clothing - helmet, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads.
2. Always control your speed and avoid slopes or hills - unless you are highly skilled.
3. Use common sense when skating. Never skate at night, in poor visibility, on roads where ther are moving vehicles and never allow yourself to be pushed or towed whilst skating.
4. Skate only on clean, dry and even surfaces, where there is no risk of injury to you or others and always obey traffic signals.
5. Avoid skating through oil, sand, gravel or water or any dirty surfaces - this may cause you to slip and can ruin your skates; it will also decrease the life of your skate bearings.
6. Do not modify your skates in any way that could reduce safety.
7. Before skating, make sure wheels, axles, bearings and brakes are clean and properly fitted.
8. Be aware that self-locking nuts and othe components may lose their effectiveness after some use.
9. Check for sharp edges created during the use of your skates and remove these.

Maintenance/Cleaning

Always keep your skates clean for safe, long lasting performance. After skating, rub down your boots inside and out with a soft, damp cloth. Clean off any dirt from the chassis, wheels, axles, brakes and bearings.

Bearings  Our high quality bearings require only minimum maintenance. Always clean around wheels and axles after skating. Spin the wheels to make sure the bearings are clean and occasionally replenish any lost oil with '3-in-1' or bearing oil.

Brakes  Continually check your brakes for wear as worn brakes are dangerous. If you cannot easily touch the skating surface and stop by tilting your skate backwards by less than 45 degrees, you should replace your brake.

Wheels  Rotating your wheels is important to obtain maximum use from your skates and it is necessary to do this regularly, especially when you see signs of wear. To do this, change the position of the wheels on the chassis by undoing the axles and rotating the wheels so that the edges showing the most wear face outwards. Ensure all axles and nuts are tight; this will prolong the life of all the working parts of your skates.

PLEASE BE SENSIBLE AND SAFE WHILST SKATING - YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND UPON IT!

Issued by Knights Round Table - Visit us here.