Most beginners are young children. The boots you are talking about are fine for them. Your needs as an adult are different. You are heavier than a young child and therefore need a stiffer boot to be able to skate safely - even while just learning the basics. You are likely to have the skills described in the 'beginner' level in the document you have linked within a couple of months. If you want something which is described in that document, look at the recommendations in the 'instructional' level.Also this website says that beginner should have skates up to 30 stiffness so boleros are good for me
Choosing Figure Skates
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First skates advice?
- Thread starter Biscuitte
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
I was going to add my opinion on your question, but @Ic3Rabbit and @Minz and @FlossieH have already said anything I was going to. You may have seen others wearing the Graf Boleros you're keen to buy, but are they all the same height and weight as you? The same age? That makes a big difference in what strength of boot any skater needs. A larger adult beginner needs a stiffer boot than a child doing advanced moves on the ice.
The others are quite right -- the woman whose video you posted is not in any sense a "professional" skater. Please don't seriously take the advice of someone who has only skated for a few years and has made a video (no matter how slickly produced it looks) in her own home. Or films a "lesson" in a corner of his/her local rink -- there are also many videos on Youtube like that. Skating, even just at the recreational level, is a hazardous sport and you could face serious injury without proper fitting of equipment that is safe for you as a unique individual.
You may not have seen anyone being injured; rest assured that those of us on this forum who are urging (not "forcing") you to consider stronger skates have all seen others suffer life-changing injuries in our years on the ice. We tend to come on stronger than beginners expect because we care about their safety and want them to learn and enjoy our sport without pain. It can be very frustrating and worrying for us when a beginner clings to the idea of buying a particular brand and model that we know will only bring them grief. The best you could hope for with those Boleros is that in a matter of a few months you'll have to pay out the same or more for another pair and then another because they will break down so quickly. Have you asked those other skaters at your rink, all of them, how long they've had their skates? In a year you could find you've paid as much as a better pair that had the huge added advantage of being safer for you.
If I say "Good luck!" that's not just the standard casual sign-off. It's a genuine wish, because to stay unscathed on the ice you'll need as much luck as determination.
So why so many adults start with Graf 500 (stiffness 20), or Jacksons 200/500 (stiffness 10) and they are happy with it. They swap skates after 9months-1 year. To learn the basics I think it is enough to buy stiffness 25 Graf Boleros that are still better than any other "starter skates".
I am not arguing, I am just saying what I need because it would be my first skates and spending a fortune would be simply unwise. Also I do not have much choice, you all living in countries like America/Canada where you have professional skate clubs and skate shops with all the models. Those skates models are not available in my country to get in any way and in my size (EU 42 or 43 probably). I do not have other options and I simply want to skate and train. I will not start with jumps, I need basics and doing something because I am determined. I do not need skates that will break during basics for sick amounts of money and than to swap to another for huge money. I should start with something that is cheaper and then upgrade if I am ready for example after 1 year. Don't you think? I really don't have otehr choices here in Warsaw, Poland.
I am not arguing, I am just saying what I need because it would be my first skates and spending a fortune would be simply unwise. Also I do not have much choice, you all living in countries like America/Canada where you have professional skate clubs and skate shops with all the models. Those skates models are not available in my country to get in any way and in my size (EU 42 or 43 probably). I do not have other options and I simply want to skate and train. I will not start with jumps, I need basics and doing something because I am determined. I do not need skates that will break during basics for sick amounts of money and than to swap to another for huge money. I should start with something that is cheaper and then upgrade if I am ready for example after 1 year. Don't you think? I really don't have otehr choices here in Warsaw, Poland.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
The better, stronger skates would hold up much longer and not need to be replaced often like the weaker ones, so it would be the same amount of money over your first year or more with the support to learn more skating elements, and do them safely. However, if you must settle for the weak ones, then please just do plain stroking, round and round the rink. No turns, no spins, no attempting any moves you saw on television that "looks so easy".
Yeah I am not even thinking about jumps at this moment from the beginning. People from my country on facebook also recommended that Risport Antares with MK Flight would work for me so maybe if I would fit them they would be good. It is always a little cheaper than those Electras. The only problem is that I have no idea how long skates can last so beginning in high end skates and breaking them in few months and wasting so much money is traumatizing me. I just have no idea what I should do and if I should start in rentals that are probably horrible from my expierence as a child and teenager many years ago or buying those Boleros and learning basics with thos. Or skating in rentals and buying Risports Antares after that.. I have no idea.. I hope skates for so much money can last 2 years at least if I am not doing crazy things in them...
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
Their lifespan depends on how often you skate and what elements you work on a lot in them. If you only skate a couple of times a week and just do basic stroking, then a decent pair of skates should last you the two years, maybe more. Not rentals, though! Stay away from those. Even the ones that are the right size won't fit you properly, having been shaped by the heat of so many different feet in them. And the pro shop/rental desk at the rink won't have sharpened the blades properly or often enough, and dull or chipped blades guarantee you a fall.
Yeah, this year I want to skate 1 or max 2 times per week. So if you don't recommend Boleros, Risport Antares would be enough for this? Or do I still need Electras? (I am 52 kg and those are the only models available in my country, it is super hard to get them in my size anyway but
I can still try)
Also are Mk Flight Blade enough for me for the beginning or should I get Galaxy? Even If I would start jumping some day I don’t need more than single jumps to be happy.
//And a professional certified coach medalist from my city is willing to take me for my first lesson so she is going to help me buying first skates according to my level! : )
//And a professional certified coach medalist from my city is willing to take me for my first lesson so she is going to help me buying first skates according to my level! : )
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
Stiffness ratings vary from one company to another, and are not an exact science, but the Antares are rated by Risport at 35 while the Electras are 45. So yes, the Electras would be better for you if you can afford them and are able to buy them where you are.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
I would say to stick with the basic MK Pro blade, or the Coronation Ace. They are traditional blades that have been very widely used by many skaters for many years, and are easily located to buy. You can use them from beginners up to as far as you want to go without having to adjust to the feel of changing to different blades as you progress. When I started skating there wasn't as much choice in blades as there is now, so I used MK Pro blades up to senior competition level. (Now I use MK Phantoms on Risport RF1 boots.)
That's good news that you can link up with a coach who will help you with this! Advising someone unseen is never as satisfactory as actually seeing their feet and observing their skating in person. Good luck!
Okay thank you then! So I have option to either choose Mk Flight Blade or Aspirational Blade for just 10$ more while buying Electra skates (they say it is a better Mk Flight that is more stiff and sharp and will last longer). Also can Electras really be okay since beginnings up to those single jumps included? (That is why i was thinking about Graf Boleros just for start)
I am worried that Electras will break until I reach such level however I heard one adult person with same weight as me, that she used them for
2 years and they were still completely fine and it is a best choice for someone like me with 52kg because it allows safe single jumps.
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2020
It depends. All skates break down eventually. There is no guarantee that ANY skate is going to last you until you start jumping. However, Boleros are going to break down a lot faster than Electras.
There is a lot that you do between simple stroking and jumping. Electras can do all of that stuff. Boleros cannot. So even if the Electras don't last until you start jumping, you will end up buying them very, very soon. And ultimately, it will probably be a waste to have bought the Boleros in the first place.
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- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
She's quite right. As I think I said in an earlier reply, the stronger the boot, the longer they will last and the safer it will be to learn more advanced elements like single jumps. That was good advice she gave you
.Yeah totally, do you think I should get this Aspirational blade for 15$ more? Or MK Flight that is already included. They say Aspirational is better but I have no idea of course
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2020
I'll be honest, that's out of my area of expertise. I'll let the others help you with that.
Okay thanks. Those two types are the only ones available (so Mk Flight or Aspirational).
I hope Mk Flights will survive the basic single jumps in the future?
yeah
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
Mine also. I'm not familiar with either of those blades.
