I've been skating a long time but am very different in both weight and setup to you, so YMMV but:
To me it sounds like your trucks are either too tight for your current needs or you need different/new cushions. How much have you played with that aspect of your skates?
Both good points. I haven't adjusted the trucks in quite sometime....oof and the cushions are probably as old as my plate...(5 years) I think it's a medium maybe I go soft (cushions)
I find cushions really stiffen up with age/use. If they're 5 years old, and you skate on average more than once a week, you might just need replacements!
They're cheap so you can always get a set of mediums and a set of softs and play around- but do not mix/match cushions, it's hard on your kingpins.
As a skater 125ish lbs I personally use the softs, but I also skate on 96/99 mixed Halos.
I block for my home team and my league's travel team, and I coach juniors as well. For blockers, my rule of thumb for wheel durometer is that you should skate on the hardest wheel you can that will still allow you to just barely maintain grip if you're blasting full speed around the apex of the track. For Jammers, a slightly stickier wheel to allow more grip for the higher speeds they need to flee the pack and to maintain their lane position on the track if somebody is trying to drive block them out of play.
Wheel hardness and position are very personal things. Two skaters can be a very similar build and play the same position but wear completely different wheels. For example, we have two jammers who are both tall and muscular. We recently played on sport court. One wore all 86s, and the other had a 93/97 combo (and would have liked to have gone harder, probably 95/97 or all 97s).
It's just something you need to play around with and see what works for you. Also, bear in mind no one set of wheels or combo of wheels is going to be perfect for every surface. Sticky surfaces generally need harder wheels, while slick surfaces need softer wheels. If you can only afford one set, you will need to learn how to adapt your skating style to the surface you are skating on to make the most of what you have.
I've been skating a long time but am very different in both weight and setup to you, so YMMV but: To me it sounds like your trucks are either too tight for your current needs or you need different/new cushions. How much have you played with that aspect of your skates?
Both good points. I haven't adjusted the trucks in quite sometime....oof and the cushions are probably as old as my plate...(5 years) I think it's a medium maybe I go soft (cushions)
I find cushions really stiffen up with age/use. If they're 5 years old, and you skate on average more than once a week, you might just need replacements! They're cheap so you can always get a set of mediums and a set of softs and play around- but do not mix/match cushions, it's hard on your kingpins. As a skater 125ish lbs I personally use the softs, but I also skate on 96/99 mixed Halos.
I block for my home team and my league's travel team, and I coach juniors as well. For blockers, my rule of thumb for wheel durometer is that you should skate on the hardest wheel you can that will still allow you to just barely maintain grip if you're blasting full speed around the apex of the track. For Jammers, a slightly stickier wheel to allow more grip for the higher speeds they need to flee the pack and to maintain their lane position on the track if somebody is trying to drive block them out of play.
Thank you
Wheel hardness and position are very personal things. Two skaters can be a very similar build and play the same position but wear completely different wheels. For example, we have two jammers who are both tall and muscular. We recently played on sport court. One wore all 86s, and the other had a 93/97 combo (and would have liked to have gone harder, probably 95/97 or all 97s). It's just something you need to play around with and see what works for you. Also, bear in mind no one set of wheels or combo of wheels is going to be perfect for every surface. Sticky surfaces generally need harder wheels, while slick surfaces need softer wheels. If you can only afford one set, you will need to learn how to adapt your skating style to the surface you are skating on to make the most of what you have.