First time on Sport Court

[WERNER 1]

Well I finally made it over to the new rink with Sport court. I have never played on it before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't play goal, I just skated around working on my shot and stickhandling.

The surface seems great for stickhandling, but my skates would slip out under heavy accelleration?? I'm using 77a's, is this normal?

What durameter do you all use on sport court for playing goal?

Should I expect some slippage when I push off to make a save?

I usually play on a roll on surface, and it is much different.

Thanks,
Rick

[Rook1079]

There have been only 3 or 4 instances where I haven't played on Sportcourt since I started playing orgainzed inline. I really can't say that my skates slip at all when I push off.....I think it's probably just something that you need to adjust to. I remember thinking Sportcourt was slippery when I started, but now that I've been on it for a few years, it's just the norm.

[KDB]

I started playing on Sportcourt about a year ago. It seemed slippery at first, but I was coming from an outdoor non-coated concrete surface. It didn't take long to get used to, though.

I'm still playing on the same 78s I bought when I was on an indoor roll-on surface. They really need replacing, though, and I might go a little softer this time.

[Mx42]

Did you try cleaning the dust off your wheels? There could be a lot of dust or other debris on your wheels from skating before.

I always get the softest wheels I can.

By the way, don't you guys hate that 'train' sound when you skate on SportCourt? It took me forever to get used to.

[G-Man]

The thing about wheel hardness is that the correct one depends on the surface and on the player (weight, skating style, etc). You really have to experiment to get the right one.

I use 77a for playing goal on sport court. I like them a little softer for playing out because the 77a wheels tend to slip out on low, sharp turns. They don't slip when I accelerate though.

[leaferguy]

Whoa, you guys use sticky-ass wheels! I use 80/82 hi-los, and I've not had a problem EVER with them. This isn't that hard of a durameter, but 77?! I couldn't imagine shuffling across with them...

BTW, I've never played with a durameter below 80 on SportCourt, which I've been on for four years now.

[Chasedog]

I switched from 76 to 80 with a smaller diameter. At first I did slip a little, but now I can control the slippage to help stop. With the 76's I'd have to skate a foot or two forward to stop a t-push. I still move forward at the end, but not as much.

[Colin]

80 myself.

I haven't played on Sportcourt for a while, but that's a different thread entirely.

It took me about 45 minutes to get used to sportcourt, then it was all good.

[Bernie]

Some of you guys amaze me... 80 durometer on sport court? Must be nice to never have to make any explosive movements across the crease.

Correctly played, goaltending skating is incredibly explosive. The problem is you just get to the point where you can't get enough "bite" in your skates to support your push-offs. This is true for ice hockey as well (ask any of the good ice hockey players). As you move up in skill level you'll find that sport court becomes less and less desireable and roll-on becomes more and more desireable. In fact- the guys who skate out well would love to play on roll-on but the puck is much faster on sport court (for the same reason incidentally that the "bite" on your skates is less).

76A is about as hard as most decent goalies will be able to go with on sport court without losing edge during explosive movements.

Anything about harder wheels allowing them to slide across the crease like on ice is pure poppy****.

[Aaron]

I use 47mm/80a wheels, but I think the fact that I weigh a lot more than most goalies counteracts the loss of friction

Actually Bernie is dead on. I do tend to slip at times, and I'm about the least-explosive guy you'll find. I also play on a wood floor and on a urethane floor and I prefer both of them far and away over sport court. The floor at Oak Hill was pretty darn grippy too.

[avatarkava]

Bernie,

It depends on weight and a bunch of other factors. I love extra sharp ice blades, yet I perform better with 80A durometer wheels. I have used everything from 72's on up, and I don't think that if you skate properly ANY of those wheels should slip out on you when you're pushing off. I notice no difference in the explosiveness of my movements, and I am a positional goaltender, nowhere near big or quick enough to rely on reaction time.

I'd never say that harder wheels let me slide like ice, but they DO enable me to move around the crease without my wheels hanging up on the surface. Perhaps this is because I am using a 5-wheel chassis.

Again, I change the durometer a lot depending on surface (I use softer wheels for Mateflex, etc. , but I would much rather play on Sport Court or a similar surface as compared to roll-on.

[Bernie]

Wow. Wow.

Beg to differ Ava, but different durometer has no effect on pushing off if you skate properly?

Wow. I obviously don't know how to skate properly then because when I push off strongly on a higher durometer wheel (or dull skate) it's a HELL of a lot harder to track than pushing off on a softer wheel (sharper skate).

Wow. That's all I can say.


Aaron- 80A is fine for Roll-on or wood. Wood is about as soft as you can get a surface so even 82A on wood would work.

[avatarkava]

I didn't say there's no difference. I'm saying that it shouldn't be quite enough to make you slip out. Of course, that could be a byproduct of my body makeup and my personal experience using different durometers, but I notice little difference in my explosive ability regardless of durometer.

Also, now that I think of it, the wheel profile that I use is very flat, almost to the point of being like an aggressive skating wheel. This increased surface area may be why I still retain grip while having a higher durometer.

[Colin]

I use 64/80 mainly because I switch regularly between sealed concrete and sportcourt and don't feel like switching wheels twice a week.

I've never thought about the explosive movements until you mentioned it, Bernie, but I think I probably crouch a little lower on Sportcourt to compensate.

[Grinder]

i just switch from a 78a to a 74a....first game really sucked, could hardly move but after about 8 games on the new wheels i dont think i would go back...i dont do alot of shuffling in the crease so it doesnt slow me down much...