Hey, thanks for the kind note, that was lovely to hear :) My skates and the paintjob are still going strong! I've touched up small areas on the outer side where I tend to scrape the leather occasionally playing derby on concrete but otherwise all good, I'm surprised and impressed by how well it's held up.

Oh wow, congrats on going for it! The advice I would give to my rookie-self is: (1) Don't compare yourself to other skaters because this sport is definitely a journey and we're all at different points of it, (2) Plow stops never stop being essential so it's worth it to master them (3) We're never done working on our edges! Good luck x

Hi, thank you <3

Thanks, friend! I'm glad it helped xx

Lots of skaters feel this way. I think doing them smaller scale and getting in enough reps on a semi-frequent basis helps a lot. I haven't made a proper video for it but I did an apex-jump progression vid on IG at the start of the pandemic, maybe it'll help with the work up: instagram.com/p/B-iStPmDDSz/

My skates are leather, so I used Angelus paints that are specially made for leather. The prep work is important to get the right adhesion. I used their leather cleaner, followed by a prep coat that strips the leather of its sheen (I only used that where I wanted paint). Next primer--it took 2 coats since the leather is black. Then it was ready to paint. They also have products that can modify the paint to give it a matte finish, or so it works on fabric or synthetic surfaces. Last step is to protect the paint with a sealant coat. My skates still look fantastic, no cracking or wear on the paint. I've only had to do minor touch ups where I've scraped the skate against concrete playing derby. Hope this helps!

@@ThisRad WOW, Thank YOU ! the older skates are synthetic, but they are just so much more comfortable that I had to save them, I put new bushings,washers, etc., and of course, new wheels and bearings. It is hard find skates in half sizes now. But the info is GREATLY APPRECIATED ! I am very grateful for your response !

@@ThisRad OH yes, and thank you for the video on Crazy Legs, all your videos are good but that one really helps.

The template? I need details lol. These look great!

Awesome, glad to help! I always use plow stops in my warm up and generally if I can plow, I'm good to go for power slides and hockey stops.

We all wish we could push a wall like Freight haha <3

Hi! Just like any sport, there's a lot of strategy and tactics involved. You can watch a lot of great derby on the WFTDA channel to pick up the basics. Jammers also have different styles that will impact the approach to a wall. We adjust strategies for the people we have on the track, the jammer, and also very much the team we're playing. At higher levels of derby, there will almost always be strategic plays at the start of the jam, with defense, offense, and counter-offense happening simultaneously (stopping the opposing jammer, while helping your own jammer get out). It's complex, with so many variations in every jam, but at root, the jammer is looking to get past the opposing wall as quickly as possible with the least amount of impact/interference, so you're trying to take openings ("holes") and/or creating them to get through. I find jamming similar to rugby, with ice hockey mixed in.

Hi, that sound comes from having wheels that are hard enough to slide laterally on the surface, and using the right amount of pressure. This is a stop that's often used in roller derby, where we're skating on hard wheels on smooth surfaces like indoor or outdoor rinks. For situations where your wheels are soft like outdoor wheels, or just too soft to slide on a particular surface, the plow will need to be modified--a low to medium speed open plow stance (like for speed control on a slope) or a pizza stop (similar to doing bubbles/swizzles/lemons that end in a stop), and no slide is happening--or for higher speed, more efficient stops on softer wheels I'd use a different stop like the turn around toe stop. If your wheels ARE hard enough to slide then I wouldn't worry about it if they're not making the sound, that will come as you master the stop and can vary your pressure easily.

@@ThisRad oh, alright! Thank you!

Hi! These are Bont hybrid carbons, they're my favorite boot for all types of skating. I bought them specifically for roller derby and speed, but after trying other skates for dance, rec, and street skating, I still like my Bonts best.

Cheers!

Aw yay!! I knew you could do it! Have fun out there xx

Haha yes! Honestly it was those types of answers when I first started skating and playing roller derby, and the lack of online content at the time, that motivated me to create videos once I got further along in my skills and had trained with top coaches.

Hi, yes, Bont hybrid carbon fiber.

Hi, that's rad, so glad you've got it! Thanks for your note xx

Hi, that's a great question, I've been asked this a lot recently. You have a few options on outdoor/soft wheels: With Toe Stops: The turn-around toe stop is my go-to stop when I'm street skating and need to stop quickly--it's precise, doesn't need much room, works at high and low speeds, and the surface doesn't have to be super smooth. But of course, it requires you to have toe stops in, and preferably good ones that can hold up to a lot of stops on asphalt and concrete. If I plan on skating fast, doing any aggressive skating, and/or skating streets with traffic, I usually make sure to have toe stops in. Without Top Stops: Slow to Moderate speed / Smooth Surface: T-stops are good to control your speed, like when you're moving through pedestrian traffic at the beach, or maybe you just want to shave a little speed off...I rarely use it to actually stop but it's handy for adjusting speed because it doesn't require much space. Not for high speed or hills (too much force would be put on the hips in the open position) and not for rough surfaces where the wheels of the stopping skate could catch. Slow to Moderate speed: Modified plow stop (no lateral slide)---note: this can be quite difficult to do for skaters who aren't already proficient doing plows with slide---this is also something I use for speed control (e.g. like in a parking garage with an incline), you're basically holding a wide plow position and adjusting the pressure you send to your edges so that you're not trying to force a slide but just digging in enough to slow your roll (a lot of glute power is necessary). Once you've slowed enough, it makes other low speed stops possible--e.g. pizza stop, spin circle. Slow speed: Pizza stop...this is basically a single bubble or lemon, usually a bit wider and sinking/sitting a bit lower to assist the stop. If you can't quite come to a complete stop by the time your skates would come together, you can just step out of it one skate, then the other. This is typically a stop I teach to beginners because it works well at low speeds. Low to high speed: Slalom stop, kind of a modified hockey stop because we're not sliding laterally, but the path of travel and a lot of the mechanics are similar. Basically the legs are staggered/scissored, with left leg leading for a left turn (and vice versa). You do a sharp 90-degree turn, powered by snapping the hips around, and pushing down into your alternating edges (helps a lot to sink/dip at the moment of the turn, which will send some extra weight down to your edges). This is more of an advanced intermediate stop. Hope this helps! :)

Hi! These are my favorite skates because they're super light, fit like a dream, and give me top performance for the different types of skating I do---roller derby, street, and dance. I'm very aggressive with them and this set-up has lasted 4 years with periodic maintenance. Absolutely worth the investment in my opinion. The boots are Bont carbon hybrid leather www.derbywarehouse.com/Bont_Hybrid_Carbon/descpage-BHCBL.html / the plates are Atom Pilot Falcon www.derbywarehouse.com/Pilot_Falcon/descpage-PFPC.html / and the paint job is custom (I have a video of it) using Angelus paints made specifically for leather (I did the full prep and sealing, which really makes a difference. After 2 years it still looks good as new). I get my skates and gear through Derby Warehouse. If you end up ordering from them, you can use my discount code THISRAD for 20% off :)

Glad you handled that surprise incline! I've been there too, it's just going to happen as we expand our skate experiences outside. I've skated a lot of treacherous roads that looked fine from the car haha Good on you for continuing to go for it xx