How To Break In Street Hockey Skates

There's only one way to break in street hockey skates. That's to get in them and abuse them. Before you play a game with your new street hockey skates, you want to make sure you feel totally comfortable in them. You want to work out each and every kink. Getting new street hockey skates is different then say, buying some new sneakers. You want to preserve the "fresh out the box" look with sneakers for as long as possible. With street hockey skates, you want them to be perfectly conformed to your foot by the time you use them in your first game. You don't want them to be stiff. Your street hockey skates need to be able to handle all of the cuts and quick moves you'll be pulling off in the game. The more beat up the better. Here are some things you can do to break in your street hockey skates and have them ready for game day.

1. Before you use the street hockey skates, make sure those bad boys fit. You want them to be secure, but you don't want them so tight that they restrict your movement. There should be a little space between the tip of your toes and where the skate ends. If your toes are mashed up against the front of the skate, you'll feel every bump. It can get painful after a while. So leave yourself just a small amount of space. Give yourself about a half size up.
2. Take them out. Put them on and go riding. The only way to get comfortable with street hockey skates is to use them, so get out on the street and try them out. Move around in them so the skates can get used to how your foot moves within them. You also need to get acclimated with how you'll move within the skate. This may sound slightly corny, but you need to become one with the skates. Any athlete will tell you that they break in their shoes, equipment and any other gear they have if they think it'll improve their performance.
3. The fun stuff. After you've moved around in your skates and you feel comfortable with the basic movements, it's time to get serious. Now's the time to practice the in game maneuvers you're going to be making. Remember, don't take it easy on your street hockey skates just because they're new. You're trying to break them in, so break them in. This is your time to do any crazy move you may pull of in the game.
4. Finally, the game. The real time to break in the street hockey skates is during a real game. By now, you should have gotten relatively comfortable with your skates. You won't really know what they can do until you play that first real game. Getting pumped and pushed around by other players will really show you what those skates can do. If you abused them before the game, they should react fine to other folks throwing their weight into you. But, there's only one way to know, so suit up and knock the hell out of somebody.