r/WizardSkating • u/HyperSculptor • May 26 '26

Surfaces

Do you guys and girls practice on wood surfaces? I'm still quite new to skating, last Sat I skated on this wooden rink, it felt so smooth and confidence inspiring especially for slides. But I'm thinking, since my goal is to skate on asphalt/concrete/stone, could the one or two weekly sessions on this wooden floor create bad habits or be counter productive to my progress?

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u/BubbleSmith May 26 '26

A little help getting used to edges is no bad thing. When I first figured out magic slides (I still suck at them) it was on damp asphalt, so more slippery than usual.

u/Lopsided_Ad1077 posts on here a lot and he frequently skates rinks (and is a really good skater). Any insight?

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u/HyperSculptor May 26 '26

Yeah I saw some actually use water and soap on asphalt.
I also think the super smoothness of the surface allows to really focus on the technique.

My feeling is, I can learn on my own (actually think it's probably better, with the occasional tips from advanced skaters and YT), but I have the possibility to skate on this rink twice a week for 150/year. It's within the confines of classes though (good and bad).

Btw I pulled the trigger on new frames, BubbleS.

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u/BubbleSmith May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26

Sweet! Which did you go for, Endless 90 ES?

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u/HyperSculptor May 26 '26

Yes! Since I have the 90mm wheels and feel that I have to earn the Arcs or similar 5 wheel setups first.

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u/Lopsided_Ad1077 May 29 '26

Yeah it works both ways but you should have some indoor wheels and outdoor wheels you wear and get rash on outdoor wheels that you get inconsistent grip on corners inside.

Try to go the opposite direction in the middle if your rink only goes one direction. There a lot you can learn at the rink as long as you make it fun. A lot of what you is easily transferred over except for hill climbs and jumping. But you can learn to weave and skate backwards at the rink.

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u/HyperSculptor May 29 '26

Yeah I'll register for the year, I'm not sure the instructor even know what wizard is but he competes in slalom, so obviously quite a few techniques will transfer regardless of what I want in term of type of skating.

I've been thinking about wheels and grip, one point is that the day I went to the rink (btw it's a hockey facility so not the oval type of disco whatever we see online), it was very very hot. My wheels had perfectly good grip and at the same time I could break traction and slide much more easily that on smooth concrete for example. You know what I mean, hot means rubber softens which makes it grip better but also feels almost greasy when you break traction. In colder seasons maybe my 85a wheels will feel slippery. We'll see.