Personal Finance Tips

When I was about 11, I started playing hockey. Now, I played foot hockey in the street, but it soon progressed into roller hockey. The reason I chose to play roller hockey, was because it was more fast paced and fun than playing on foot. It also took less out of you, because the skate wheels would allow you to coast and still move without exerting any energy. I quickly learned that skates were a huge factor in becoming a better hockey player in inline hockey.

While my first pair of skates and helmet were not up to the best standards, they did the job they had to do. Since I was learning, I wasn’t exactly tearing up the hockey courts. The skates were endorsed by a major star athlete. That doesn’t mean the quality was good, it was not. The bearings were the lowest you could get and they rattled when skating. The rattling and shaking of the wheels made my skate sessions bumpy and not very smooth.

The fabric on the boot was cheap and eventually tore. I was lucky though, because the boot separated from the frame of the skate at the end of a game. I should also mention that the frames were plastic and started to crack. They weren’t very strong. These skates were a mess and helped me realize what type of skates I would need to raise my level of play in the sport of hockey.

My helmet was bulky and awkward. I couldn’t really see out of the cage and the protection was minimal. It didn’t fit too well and it would bounce around on my head. This is the type of helmet that you will get for like twenty five dollars. If you want anything good, expect to pay upwards of sixty or more. It did its job though. All I needed was something on my head in order to play in a league. Pretty much all leagues everywhere require a helmet.

So, how did I go about becoming a better player. While part of it was playing everyday, the other part was learning how to get the right equipment. For my next pair of hockey skates, I knew I wanted an aluminum frame that held the wheels. This was so that my foot would be extra stiff and I would have better control over the skates. I made sure the wheels were the right type for my playing. I bought sport court hockey wheels when I played indoor hockey and I bought outdoor hockey wheels when I played on outdoor courts. I made sure my bearings were abec 5 rated or above. This made my wheels virtually silent when I skated. There was no more rattling and the skating was smooth as could be. I also became one of the fastest players in the league that I was playing in. After I learned this, I always made sure that I had the best hockey skates I could possibly have.

I also made sure I got a new helmet. My old one was cracked. It was terrible. Like I said, I couldn’t see and it would bounce around on my head. The next one I got was a very good brand. It was by a company called Cooper, that were eventually bought out by Bauer. The difference between this helmet and the last one was that it was sleeker. It held tight to my head and offered me great protection. The most important thing of all about this helmet was that I could actually see out of it. It made passing easier. It made scoring easier and made maneuvering easier.

Ok, so now imagine this, I had new skates that helped me skate better. They also helped me skate faster. I also had this new helmet that I knew protected me better and I could see. It was not bulky and awkward. This helped me become a better player in spades. My confidence was at an all time high and from their I progressed. So, I value equipment greatly, especially, in an equipment oriented sport like hockey. From hear on in it was just testing new moves and buying minor equipment like sticks and pads. I shouldn’t say minor, those things are just as important to your playing as the other two. So, if you are just starting of playing inline hockey and you want to increase your ability and the way you play, the best type of equipment to do so are hockey skates and helmets.