Tag: How To Inline Skate (Page 5 of 10)

Rollerblade Twister 80 – My First Impression
from How To Inline Skate on 21 Apr 2017

This is the first time I try on my new Rollerblade Twister 80s.

The boot fits really well. It has two straps. The lower strap locks the heel in place really well, which is nice. The upper strap is surprisingly long and extends on the outside, not on the inside which I’m used to from other skates. If this turns out to be a problem I guess I can just cut the straps short, so this is not really an issue.

The wheels have a flatter profile than I’m used to. I immediately felt the difference. It’s like I need to lean a bit more before the skates start turning. I suppose this is good in terms of control but bad in terms of speed.

Jumping feels a lot more comfortable with these skates. In the heel there’s a shock absorber and the wheels themselves are really thick. What I mean is that the wheels (Rollerblade Supreme 80mm 85A) have really small cores and therefore a lot of rubber/urethane to absorb shocks.

Powerstops are very easy, but today everything is frozen, so I guess I could do it with any skates. No problem.

As expected with a short frame, transitions are easy. Comparable to triskates.

Since I literally only had five meters of ice free road to skate on, I could not test speed. I know for sure that they are not as fast as my larger 100 mm wheel inline skates, that’s obvious. I need to wait until the ice melts and the roads dry up to test HOW BIG the speed difference really is.

So far I can tell that these skates are really comfortable. They are suitable for technical skating, especially for jumping. For beginners they are a good choice because of the small wheels and short frame. For advanced skaters, who do tricks and urban skating, they are a also a good choice. In fact, Greg Mirzoyan, one of the best urban skaters in the world, wears the pro version of these skates. However, if you are more into speed and efficiency, I think you better go for larger wheels.

How to BUY INLINE SKATES – Beginner’s Guide #1
from How To Inline Skate on 19 Apr 2017

Playlist – Beginner’s Guide to Inline Skating

How to choose inline skates – for beginners

From these four skates, in my opinion, there’s only one that’s not suitable for beginners.

Look at the orange one. It has a really long frame. That’s good for speed but requires skill to control. Therefore I do not recommend this one.

The one with green laces has the smallest wheels and the shortest frame. That’s really good for beginners … advanced skaters too for that matter … but keep in mind a few things.

It’s got a hard boot and stiff frame, and that’s great for technical stuff .. but maybe a bit overkill for a beginner?

And the hard boot increases the chance of blisters, sweaty feet … you know .. those kind of things … so it’s not necessarily the best choice.

The yellow skate with three wheels, also called triskate, is fine. However they usually come with either 100mm wheels, 110mm or 125. I recommend 100mm as that puts you

lower to the ground and is easier to control.

The gray skate has 84mm wheels and that’s also a good choice, perhaps even better.

Now I wouldn’t obsess too much about these differences. 80mm, 84 or triskates with 100mm – all are just fine.

You may even buy hockey skates or freestyle skates with rockered wheels. …don’t worry, it’s okay…

What really IS IMPORTANT though … is the fit.

Lots of people buy skates that don’t fit their feet very well and they end up with blisters and pain.

So if anything … just choose the skate that fits your foot the best.

Before buying a pair of skates, just go the local shop, try on several skates, take your time and pick the ones that fits just perfect.

I prefer using socks that are not too thin and not too thick. Just normal socks.

Put on the skate. Make sure the heel is all the way back. Tie the laces. And buckle up.

Your toes shall not push hard against the front of the skates, nor shall there be much free space in front.

You know … it’s like trying on shoes.

But just as important. Make sure there are no pressure points. And especially no point where the skate will rub against your foot.

If this happens you may have to throw away your skates pretty soon .. so please … make sure you pick the best fit for your foot.

PRICE & QUALITY

Good news! Cheap skates may be good enough for you.

Expensive skates may actually roll so fast that a beginner cannot control speed.

What I mean is, when you first learn to skate you’ll soon be able to accelerate to high speeds. But controlling those speeds is not easy.

…

Therefore cheap skates will actually be safer because they are slower.

And don’t worry; even with the cheapest skates you’ll anyway be faster than if you were wearing shoes.

On the other hand, cheap skates are not very durable. So if you expect to skate a lot, maybe better invest in a bit more expensive skates that will last longer.

And also on cheap skates the frames and boots are softer, which reduces power transfer etc

As a beginner you may not notice that but soon you’ll reach a level where you’d benefit from higher quality.

So… to summarize … yes, you can buy cheap skates … no problem … but if you can afford it, consider going a bit up in price.

Then your skates will last longer and they’ll be fine even for more advanced stuff – which I’m sure you’ll soon be able to do.

Are SPEED WHEELS good for SLIDE STOPS?
from How To Inline Skate on 18 Apr 2017

Today I put speed skating wheels on my triskates.

These are very fast, of course, but they don’t have much grip.

And the lack of grip … I wonder … will that make them good for slide stops?

Oh yea!

It’s almost too much slide. It’s difficult to control.

Normal wheels would stops very fast but these just keep on sliding,

and it’s almost like I need to learn a new skill.

During the slide I need to find a balance point, else I will just fall.

But the cool thing, I realize now, re-watching the footage is that

I can abort a slide halfway and continue backward.

Here I do just that, but it wasn’t planned, it was by accident.

THE WHEELS

The size is 100 mm.

The durometer is 88A. This means they’re harder than the wheels you normally find on fitness skates.

The feel a bit like plastic, not rubber, but that’s not a problem.

Even on rough surfaces they roll well and don’t shake that much.

In fact, they roll extremely well!

Even on these triskate with a short frame the roll is about as good, if not better, than with the Macroblades.

So with these short-frame triskates you get the best of both worlds – speed and manoeuvrability.

Small jumps are fine but there’s not much shock absorbtion so be careful with bigger jumps.

THE ONLY NEGATIVE

Lack of grip is good for slides but challenging when turning.

Doing crossovers I had to be very careful, especially on smooth and wet areas.

Feels like ice skating with dull blades …

POWERSLIDE PHUZION OMICRON

Although the wheels I used today are good,

I’m not too happy about these skates.

There are several things I don’t like about them and just to be clear – these wheels are NOT the original ones.

Replacing the wheels and bearings did make a great improvement though!

As previously mentioned they are really quick now and despite the negatives,

the upgrade really helped and I will use them a lot more for sure.

But the boot and frame are still not the best, and I’ll

explain the details in an upcoming review.

Q&A – Hockey Stop Practice – 2500 Subs
from How To Inline Skate on 14 Apr 2017

2:10 My Worst Video Ever – Is Puck or Ball Best for Roller Hockey?
2:45 Hockey Stop Practice
5:52 Question – Weak Side Stops
8:34 Q – Triskates? Powerslide Phuzion Omicron?
11:32 Q – Small Wheels for Transitions / Stops (Urban vs Fintess Skates)
12:58 Grass Roll Emergency Stop
14:02 Q – Rollerblade Twister 80
15:26 Q – First Skates for Beginner Recreational Skater
17:45 Off-Road Downhill
19:17 Q – Russian
19:53 Q – Rain Skating
22:50 Q – Triskate 3×100 for Conrete and Rough Asphalt?
24:10 Q – Which knee pads?
25:37 Subscriber Video – Inline Hockey Stop Video
26:22 Fakie Powerslide vs Reverse T-Stop

5 Slide Stops on Inline Skates
from How To Inline Skate on 11 Apr 2017

Avantlink application ID 399213

Slide to Stop … here are five ways to do it

Slalom turns are good for controlling speed

Put a lot of weight on the outside leg

Push with the heel

If you do it hard enough the otuside skate will slide

Fall back on the inside skate and repeat

*** wash, rinse, repeat ***

Just be careful not too get your balance point too far back, so you don’t fall on your ass

Also, if both your outside and inside skates begin to slide, this may happen …

Drag to power stop is maybe the safest everyday slide stop

Begin with a drag stop, also called t-stop

When the speed is reduced to a comfortable level, make a quick turn

Just as with the slalom stop, put your weight on the outside leg,

push with the heel to trigger a slide, then fall back on the inside skate

The revese t-stop is for when you want to make a long, controlled slide

The reverse t-stop takes three steps

First, transition from forward to backward

Second, balance on one leg

Third, put down the sliding skate very lightly

Keep it light to make a long slide

and learn to add some more weight to control the stop

… ehm … not quite …

The plow is a good technique for beginners

But advanced skaters can take it a bit further

If you stay low and add enough weight, one skate will start to slide

I’m still experimenting with this technique

and hopefully soon I’ll be able to make the plow into more interesting slides

The hockey stop is the most challenging one

With both skates in a parellel slide, a lot of power goes into it

It’s also a lot more difficult on inline skates than one ice hockey skates

But the basic principle is similar

If you know how to do a ice hockey stop, do the same thing with one exception;

Put your weight more toward the heel!

If your front wheel grips while the other wheels slide, you’ll get this nasty rotation, as you seee

RISKS

Another word for slide stop is POWER STOP

Big forces are at play and a wrongly executed stop can result in injury

Falling on your ass is one thing. I, at least, have done this many times but never really got hurt

Another issue is having the wheels stick, instead of slide, but normally this will just lead to some awkward jump.

What I really do fear is getting only the front wheel stuck, while the other wheels still slide, as shown with the hockey stop.

This leads to a nasty rotation which adds stress to ancles, knees and hips – especially knees.

This is why I always try to keep the weight more toward the heels.

With the drag to powerstop I find this easier to control, and therefore it’s a safer stop, in my opinion.

BE SPECIFIC

Learn to control exactly where you stop

Like here, I miscalculate, then add more weight to stop faster … but this again leads to too sudden of a stop .. so I get that awkward jump

WEAK SIDE

Try to make the stops on your weak side. I have to admit – I find it really difficult