“Just like breaking in a new pair of leather shoes, it’s best to start with shorter sessions and work your way up to wearing your skates for longer periods of time,” Badore previously told TripSavvy. “You can also help speed up the break-in process by wearing your skates in the house and walking around. Just be sure to use hard guards to protect your blades (like these).” While Wang concedes that there’s no real secret to breaking skates in other than grinning and bearing it even if they hurt a bit, she says that sometimes wearing two pairs of socks can help.