Recreational skates are the best skate for learning to skate. Most of the other skates, you will notice, don't have brakes. Recreational skates have a wide variety of brakes to choose from. Specialty skates only take a certain style of brake that is more difficult to learn than some recreational skates. Brakes on skates are very important to beginning skaters. There are a number of types of brakes usually found on recreational skates.

The first one and most common brake is the heel brake, also known as the friction brake. This brake is located at the bottom of your skate behind the wheels. The brake is attached to the wheel frame and can be placed on either right or left skate. With this brake you must lift your toe for the brake to touch the ground in order to start braking. This can be kind of difficult for the total beginner, but is a good brake once you are comfortable on your skates.

The ABT brake (Active Brake Technology) is one of the best and most efficient styles of braking suited for beginners. This brake is not only connected to the wheel frame, it is also attached to the boot cuff. So without lifting your toe you are able to keep both skates on the ground, and doing a scissors motion with your skates will activate your brake by actually pushing the brake down to the ground.

The PBS (Power Braking System) looks like the standard heel brake, but when you lift your toe and activate the brake, it will rub against the wheel to slow you down quicker than the standard heel brake. This brake has a spring which can be adjusted to regulate the pressure of the brake against the wheel.

The PAS (Pressure Activated System) does not have a standard-looking brake. It is a spring-loaded back wheel and, with a lot of pressure to the correct area on the back wheel, will move the back wheel up to the bottom of the boot, where it will rub against the metal plate to slow you down. This brake also adjusts the braking pressure with the spring. This brake does keep both feet on the ground, but takes a lot of practice to put pressure on the back wheel correctly so that it will stop you efficiently.

From years of experience teaching and also trying the different styles of brakes, the ABT brake seems to be the best all-around brake for in-line skaters. Many people use the other styles and like them just as well, so it is a matter of personal preference. As always, it is best to take a lesson from a certified instructor to learn proper safety and braking techniques.