Rollerblading is becoming increasingly popular with both children and adults alike. It not only is a fun and convenient way to get around faster, but you can also practice your skills to master cool tricks and show them off to your friends.
Like all sports though, rollerblading comes with its dangers. The biggest injury that people get when rollerblading is anything to do with the hands and wrists.

This is because if you fall over, you instinctively put your arms out to catch yourself, meaning that all of your weight is suddenly put on your wrists when you hit the ground. This can lead to cuts and bruises in the best case scenario and a broken wrist in the worst.
To prevent this from happening, many people recommend that you wear wrist guards while undertaking any sort of skating. Both beginners and pros wear these to protect themselves.
If you are looking for new wrist guards, you’ve come to the right place. Here we are going to review the best wrist guards you can buy right now.
At the end of this article, you will also find a buyer’s guide that will show you the features you need to look out for when buying these products.
Here are the best wrist guards for skating you to try out!
Best Rollerblading Wrist Guards: Hillbilly Wrist Guard
The Hillbilly Wrist Guard is one of the top rollerblading wrist guards due to its tough construction. This product features a robust build and leather details throughout. And because leather is such a durable material, you can be confident that these guards will last a long time.
Not only can they withstand a lot, but they are also very comfortable to wear. They have substantial padding on the inside to alleviate impact during a fall. This padded foam is also inside the finger portion of these guards, which gives added protection to your fingers as well.
Though these wrist guards cover a portion of your fingers, as they do not cover the whole hand they are considered fingerless. This might be a benefit to you as it makes the guards more breathable and your hands less warm and sweaty.
Another quality that you will appreciate about these gloves is their cost. While Hillbilly is not the cheapest brand available, a pair should last well over a year, which is very good as you will get your money’s worth.
Pros & Key Features
- Super durable – padded with leather and with foam inside for shock protection, these wrist guards will last a very long time, no matter how much you fall
- Good protection – the leather and padding inside work well in shock prevention and will prevent your wrists and hands from being cut up in a fall
- Breathable – you won’t have to worry about your hands getting hot and sweaty, which can be uncomfortable
Possible Cons
- Sizes run big – a lot of customers have said that the gloves are bigger than they expected, so maybe get a size below your expected size when you buy this product
- Made with durable goatskin material and double stitched with heavy duty nylon thread.
- Impact-resistant ABS palm splint for ultimate wrist and palm protection.
- Convenient half length fingers allow you to do all you need without taking your gloves off.
- Sizing and Fit Tips: Measure your middle finger from the webbing between the adjacent finger to the tip of the finger: XL = 3.5+ inches; L = 3-3.5 inches; M = 2.5-3 inches; S = up to 2.5 inches
Best Roller Derby Wrist Guards: 187 Killer Pads Wrist Guard
The 187 wrist guards are very popular in both the rollerblading and skateboarding community. The extra-thick splints on this wrist support protect the base of your hands by absorbing the bulk of the impact.
These components are excellent features of these guards since they are not only protective but also of good and strong quality.
The wristbands are secured to the rider’s hands through three adjustable straps. These straps are constructed from industrial-grade fabric, making them incredibly durable.
Additionally, the three-strap design of this brand distributes strain equally across your wrist and fingers, resulting in a more comfortable fit.
The unique curved design of these gloves allows your hands to bend slightly, rather than forcing them straight like a lot of other guards do.
This not only makes these comfortable to wear as it does not strain your wrists, but this more natural hand position also helps to keep you balanced.
The wrist guards are fingerless, with one hole to put your thumb through and a big open space for your fingers. This allows your hands to move freely and makes your palms sweat less than they would with closed finger guards.
Pros
- Very thick wrist splints – gives the best protection to your wrists in the case of a fall
- Adjustable straps – make the fit tighter and more comfortable
- Curved shape – this is a more natural position for your hand and will keep you comfortable and balanced
Cons
- Velcro may come loose – the adjustable straps use Velcro, which after a while may start to break down. This might make the guards feel looser
- Angled design conforms to hand for excellent fit
- Reinforced thumb hole and palm increase longevity
- Ballistic nylon with industrial-weight stitching ensures durability
- Padded interior provides increased comfort
- Extra thick splint gives concentrated protection at base of hand where most hard impacts occur
Best Fingerless Skating Gloves Pro-Tec Street Wrist Guards
The Pro-Tec Street Guards are suitable for a range of outdoor activities and have a competition-grade structure used by professional rollerbladers and skateboarders. These wrist guards are made of a durable material that makes them ideal for rollerblading and similar sports/hobbies.
These wrist pads are constructed with high-quality components. The fabric and ballistic nylon used by Pro-Tec provide outstanding protection.
These are the preferred materials of professionals because they offer the optimum balance of durability and safety. Though very tough, these materials are also soft enough for fluid hand movements to be possible.
Another excellent attribute of these wrist guards is their design. They wrap your hands and wrists pleasantly, and the straps are plenty wide to fasten them securely.
Adjustable Velcro straps are also a plus. These wrist pads have adhesives that are nearly as long as the wrist guards themselves.
They run the length of your palm, from the rear to the wrist joint. The wrist guards appear to be more secure with them, which means that you don’t need to use the built-in loops to attach extra straps.
Pros & Key Features
- Loved and trusted by professionals – if they are good enough to use in competitions they will be good enough for casual use in skate parks or when you are out and about
- Durable and give good protection – the super-strong materials, including the ballistic nylon, give you loads of protection while also ensuring that these guards can survive any potential fall damage
- Adjustable straps – give you a snug fit
Possible Cons
- Short plastic splints – compared to other brands, the wrist splints in this product are pretty short, which may mean you have more chance of wrist injury if you fall.
- WRIST GUARD SET: Competition quality wrist guard set is perfect for skateboarding, biking, inline skating, and a variety of other sports
- PROTECTION FROM FALLS: Ergonomically designed wrist pad splint with full wrap straps provides palm protection and wrist support to shrug off high impacts and hard slams
- DURABLE FLEXIBILITY: High-grade, heavy duty fabrics and ballistic nylon provide protection without restricting movement
- SECURE FIT: Multiple straps are strong and easily adjustable with the attached hook and loop fasteners, so the guards are never too loose or too tight
- SIZE SMALL: Set includes 2 wrist guards in a size small and fits 6-7.5 inches (16-19cm) around the wrist
Best Multi-sport Wrist Guards: 2PM TOOLS Guards
The leather fabric found on all the edges of 2PM TOOLS’ Guards is one of the best characteristics of this product. This leather can be found on all the seams of the finger holes and the whole circumference of the wrist guard. Thanks to this, the sutures and pads will last a very long time with them.
What distinguishes this pad is how soft it is. It is constructed of EVA foam, which is a very good shock-absorbing material. This does not completely encircle the entire body for the wrist guard, however.
It is properly positioned on the palm, which is where the bulk of impacts occur. This is an excellent design since it keeps the wrist guards looking slender.
Additionally, this wrist guard is unique in that it has two splint-like strips for added protection. These components are situated on both sides.
These two strips provide great protection against impact. Additionally, the fabric mesh improves airflow around the wrist guards, stopping your hands from becoming sweaty.
The ropes on the guards provide a big advantage as well. These textile swatches are situated along the bottom edge of the wrist pad. While not all brands contain this feature, these ropes allow you to very simply put on and take off the guards.
Pros & Key Features
- Leather features – make these guards very durable
- Two splints – give even more protection to your wrists and hands
- Breathable – you won’t have to deal with sweaty hands which is uncomfortable
Cons
- Splints may bend in the guard – though the splits do protect you, in a particularly bad fall, they may bend inside the split, causing potential bruising to your hands/wrist
- ❤ Material: Using High-quality EVA foam protection pad on the palm combined with the human body engineering design, can effectively reduce the impact force and protect your wrist, palm and hands...
- ❤ Breathable: The elastic breathable nylon mesh on both sides of hands provides a snug fit and allows wrist to perform naturally. This mesh fabric causes almost no sweat, can help to keep hands...
- ❤ Adjustable and Protective: Velcro closure straps can adjust your wrist wraps for a perfect fit and provide the flexible support while maintaining full range of movement of thumb and fingers....
- ❤ Size and Package: Unisex design with three sizes for kids, youth and adult. Size S for palm breadth of 2.16-2.85", size M for palm breadth of 2.75-3.5", size L for palm breadth of 3.4-4.1". Manual...
- ❤ Multi-purpose: This protective wrist brace is perfect for snowboarding, skateboard, skating, skiing, roller skating, inline skating, cycling, motocross, motorcycle, mountain biking, rope climbing...
Buyers Guide For Wrist Guards
If you are buying wrist guards, there are a few essential features that you need to consider.
Material Used
An amazing set of rollerblading wrist protection is constructed from a range of materials. By combining these elements properly, you can maximize your chances of enjoying an enjoyable and safe trip.
EVA cushioning, ABS plastic splints, leather patches and seams, neoprene fabric, and ballistic nylon combine to create superb wrist protection enjoyed by rollerblading users.
These components are crucial to the guards’ lifetime and resilience to impact. Additionally, check the Velcro strap length and width that are used to keep the pads on to ensure that they are of good quality.
Sizing
One way to decide your appropriate wrist guard size is to start with your brand of choice. You may be unaware of differences in the size scales of most of the wrist guards made by various manufacturers, but what one brand may call a ‘small’ maybe another brands ‘medium’.
Sizing is important to get right as the wrong size can make the guards uncomfortable or even dangerous to wear as they will not support you enough in a fall. Using a tape measure, find out the size of your wrist and hands and then compare this to the sizing chart proved by the brand.
A lot of brands are known to run big or small in their sizes though, so check the reviews to see if this is an issue with your brand of choice and adjust the sizing accordingly.
Design
Numerous design choices are available to accommodate rollerbladers with varying styles and abilities. Wrist protection without fingers is one option. Wrist guards are typically composed of cotton that reaches an inch past the knuckles. Certain designs contain an extra inch of finger separators, while others only have a thumbhole.
Another popular design is full-finger support that looks similar to skating gloves with some added wrist protection. These wrist pads are far more durable because of this design.
Frequently Asked Questions on Wrist Guards
How Effective Are Wrist Guards?
Wrist guards are very effective in preventing injury if you fall while rollerblading. Without wearing any wrist protection, you are 50% more likely to break your wrist or get other serious injuries.
Can You Wear Gloves And Wrist Guards Together?
Typically, wrist guards come in two designs, either fingerlings or not. If you get guards that also protect your fingers, then you will not need to wear gloves under them. But if you get fingerless guards, you may wear thin gloves underneath if you want.
This might make your hands warmer, which is useful if you still want to rollerblade in colder months, but the gloves will have to be pretty thin to fit underneath the guards, and it might make your hands feel more uncomfortable due to them being more restricted.
More Protective Gear for Skaters
Rollerbladers and roller skaters alike need to take precautionary steps every time they jump on their wheels – whether they are a beginner just learning to roller skate or a pro with years of experience.
In addition to wrist guards for rollerblading, don’t forget to add:
- A suitable helmet for roller skating (dual-certified is best)
- And knee and elbow pads for added protection on the other most important joints most susceptible in skating accidents.
If your child is a skater too, pop on over and see our favorite wrist guards for skateboarding.
Jump back over here for all our best safety gear reviews and advice for skaters
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