inline skating program and equipment fundamentals

Inline Skating Program and Equipment Fundamentals

By Joe [email protected]

Dec. 5, 2008 Copyright 2008 - Joe Kaplenk 2

Agenda Overview. Where is Inline Figure Skating? Fundamentals of Inline Figure Skates Mounting an Inline Frame Popular Inline Frame Manufacturers Rinks National Inline Competition and

Seminar – “A Celebration of Inline Skating”


Introduction

This presentation will focus some of the technical information needed to start an inline figure skating program.

The audience will have a better understanding of some of the technical issues with inline skating.

Discussion will be held on the relevant background and interests of coaches.

An invitational inline figure skating competition will be presented.


Overview

Inline Figure Skating, while using techniques similar to both ice and roller skating have differences that require some adjustment to teaching techniques

Inline Figure skating offers an opportunity to attract skaters to the sport that might not otherwise be attracted.


About the PresenterJoe Kaplenk

Current USARS registered coach and competitor. Current accredited PSA and US Figure Skating coach and competitor. Started roller skating while looking at adults in other sports. Co-founder and President of Adult Skaters Forum, a national level non-profit

organization of adult ice skaters. Organized and chaired the first USFSA Adult Skaters Advisory Committee, Chaired the first USFSA Ad-Hoc Adult Nationals Committee. Registered local Data/Video Specialist U.S. Figure Skating President - U.S Inline Figure Skating. Sports video specialist in Dartfish. B.S. Physics. Professional computer consultant. 22 years part-time Computer Science Community College Instructor. Author of two computer science textbooks and co-author of four others.


Research Goals Of This ProjectResearch was done to determine: The variety of characteristics of various inline figure

skates Which features and hardware might be attractive to

certain kinds of skaters. Determine the elements necessary for a coach to

understand some of the basic equipment needs. Understand where changes can be made to

equipment to encourage more skaters. Make recommendations for the development of an

inline figure skating program.


Evaluation Criteria This presentation is based on personal experience

and that of other skaters and coaches. This is intended to be a vendor neutral presentation. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect

that of USARS or any other organization or individual.

Some ideas may be expressed as personal preferences and you are encouraged to evaluate equipment and share your experiences.


Current Status of Inline Figure Skating

Has seen growth for several years in other countries as reported by several vendors.

Has declined in numbers in the U.S. The number of events in the U.S. has

declined as the number of skaters competing has declined.


Where is Inline Figure

Skating?


Current Inline Events

World Class Inline Freeskating Elementary Inline Creative Solo Free Dance Open Inline Creative Solo Free Dance All Dance Events – Skaters can compete on

inlines with quads in the same dance event. Precision Events – Can be mixed quad and

inline skates.


Who Are The Inline Figure Skaters

Quad Figure Skaters Ice Figure Skaters Skaters that just want to do Inline Figure

Skating


Inline and Ice Figure Skating Many ice coaches find that teaching inline figure skating is quite

similar to teaching ice figure skating Many high level ice skaters have found the transition to inline

figure skates easy. This includes Michael Weiss, Brian Boitanoand other Olympic caliber skaters.

Ice time is much more limited in other countries than in the U.S. Inline Figure Skating is used as an alternative training

experience due to the limited availability of ice in other countries.

A lot of Inline Figure Skating is done outdoors in other countries.

The Paris Open, an annual winter event, attracts ice skaters and coaches and uses ISU Figure Skating rules. It has been a growing event.


Opportunities to Attract Skaters Inline Figure Skating offers an opportunity to

attract skaters from other skating disciplines provided that:• Coaches understand the training requirements.• Equipment advances allow skaters to transition easily

to the sport.• Skaters and coaches are willing to try them out. • Broad opportunities to train and compete are

available.• Skaters and coaches from other disciplines are made

aware of the opportunities. It is necessary to think outside the box and let them know.


Fundamentals of Inline Figure

Skates


Applying Weight to a Wheel

Whether a wheel is compressed or not needs to be considered during inline skating.

As weight is added the wheel compresses


Three vs Four Wheel – No Weight

*Not drawn to scale

Four Wheel Rockered Frame - No Weight

Three Wheel Rockered Frame - No Weight


Forward Skating

Occurs typically on the rear wheels of skates. (The heel of the boot)

The actual compression and weight distribution depends on the skater’s weight and skill.

Three Wheel Rockered Frame - Weight on 2nd and 3rd wheels

Four Wheel Rockered Frame - Weight on 3rd and 4th wheel

Four Wheel Rockered Frame - Weight on 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wheels


Backwards Skating

Occurs typically on the front wheels of skates. (The ball of the boot)

The actual compression and weight distribution depends on the skater’s weight and skill.

Four Wheel Rockered Frame - Weight on 1st, 2nd and 3rd Wheels

Four Wheel Rockered Frame - Weight on 1st and 2nd Wheels

Three Wheel Rockered Frame - Weight on 1st and 2nd Wheels


Three vs Four Wheel – Equally Weighted – Power Stroke

*Not drawn to scale

Three Wheel Rockered Frame

Four Wheel Rockered Frame

The Amount of Compression of the wheels

will vary depending on

the skill and weight of

skater and wheel

hardness


Rockering

Allows a frame to have more than two wheels on the frame, but only have two wheels make contact at one time.

The ideal situation would be to have many very small wheels so there is a constant curve as is done on ice.

Larger wheels means fewer wheels or a longer frame.


Why Rockering is Important

Wheels pointed at are not straight on a circular pathLike a car skidding around a turn

Front Wheels on Track Center Wheels on Track Rear Wheels on Track


Path of Non-rockered Wheels

This gives more detail of the third wheel going sideways.


Height and RockeringAdjustment

The amount of rockering can be adjusted by:• A frame with a center height adjustment.• A larger wheel in the middle compared to the

end wheels.


Three Turns Because of the nature of the wheels and balance I’ve found that three-

turns for the lower level of skater have the following order ofdifficulties:• Ice – very narrow point of contact because of the rockering of the

blade makes a three-turn easiest of the three.• Inline – a longer wheelbase makes a more stable platform. Less

floor contact than quads and hence less resistance means that three turns on inlines might be introduced earlier in a skaters career than perhaps commonly thought. Two wheels are typically in contact at one time with less surface area than quad wheels.

• Quad – there are typically four points of contact for the skate with the floor, and the need to slide the rear wheels around making alarger surface area of contact. There is also a tendency for skaters to fall forwards. Without toe stops this can lead to a face plant.


Three Turns on Inlines

A properly executed three-turn only has two wheels on the floor at one time.

The weight shifts from the rear wheels to the front wheels.The middle wheel in this drawing rotates about a point.


Mounting an Inline Frame


Importance of Proper Left to Right Balance The basics and issues of mounting inline blades is

basically the same as the mounting of ice figure skating blades.

Mounting can be done by a qualified ice skating boot and blade specialist as well as a roller rink. My experience is that both ice and and quad specialists are often eager to try something new in mounting these frames.

Improper balancing of inline figure skating blades can lead to difficulties in skating, particularly in properly balancing on spins as well as landing jumps squarely.


Left to Right Improper Balance• Inline skaters may have problems of being too much on the inside or outside edges of the skates.

• Improper mounting of blades can also have the same impact.• Correct Position is shown in the middle


Left to Right Balance – Skater Adjustment

The skaters weight distribution and skills may require that the frames be mounted further to the inside or outside.

You can test this by having the skater skate a straight line on one foot.

But only adjust after some analysis!

Don’t compensate for bad habits.!

Weight on Inside Frames Needs to BeSet Closer Together

Weight on OutsideFrames Needs to Be Set Further Apart


Length Many skaters and coaches prefer the three wheel

frames because they are shorter as well as being lighter. This prevents the heels from interfering with each other and may be considered more maneuverable.

Dancers and Precision Team/Synchro skaters prefer the shorter frames for the same reason.

Ice freestyle skaters may have fewer problems with longer frames because ice blades are longer.


Bearings

ABEC value doesn’t really matter unless you are skating around 200 mph.

What matters is the quality of the bearings.

Swiss bearings are often mentioned as being the best quality.


Outdoor Wheels The following list is based on recommendations from other

skaters:• Speedmax – 90A hardness seems to be popular• “Red Star Rocket 86A red, 76mm. I used a similar Red Star in the

past (it was 84A, not the Rocket) and I was very favourably impressed by the good response and a more-than-acceptable wear down.

• Hyper Pro 250 84A (orange, the yellows are 82A), 72mm and 76mm, round profile (larger than Spirals/SpeedMax), very long lifetime, good edging but a bit slow. Sometimes good deals on eBay, sometimes not.

• Kryptonics Power Play 84A black, 72mm and 76mm, round profile. I've not used them, but I know they are considered of very good quality

• Revision Ghost "The Axis" 84A, 72mm and 76mm, round profile. The small core should allow good edging.

• Rink Rat World Cup 84A outdoor, 72mm and 76mm. This is the only outdoor wheel made by Rink Rat.”

• Recommendations by tguido56 on Skatelog Posting


Popular Inline Frame

Manufacturers


Choosing an Inline Frame The technology has changed over the last 10 years and is still

changing. There are a wide variety of different frame designs available. Not all frames will work the same for an individual skater. Inline frames and ice blades tend to use similar designs and meet

similar issues. A coach should have as wide a possible exposure to inline frames,

equipment and teaching technique differences in order to understand how to best match the frame to a skater.

Heavier skaters may require a four wheel frame, adjustable middle wheel, or varying sizes or hardness of wheels in order to achieve the best skating experience.

Standard manufacturer listed lengths may not work best with all skaters. Some skaters from other disciplines may prefer longer frames.


Snow White

Rockered Wheel Alignment Fixed Height Middle Wheel Adjustable Height Toe Stop Offset Center Wheel – Closer to front than back

wheel. A 40/60 ratio.

http://www.inlinefigure.com/


Snow White Cont.

SW2• Released at Worlds 2008• 9 sizes of frames• 15% lighter only 750 grams.• Built-in bearing bushings.• Price-competitive.


Snow White Video

• An example of the constant improvement in the technology

• Click on the picture to play the video

Video providedby Snow White


PIC Four Wheels – Front and Back wheels are higher off the ground than the

middle two wheels – rockered. Toe stop is not adjustable. But can be cut down for some finer adjustment. Was designed to emulate an ice blade and in cooperation with several ice

coaches. Most popular inline figure skate blade at last PSA coaches conference in an informal survey.

Longer than other inline figure skate frames and so some skaters may find the heels touch each other on some moves. But some skaters may like the longer length and feel more stable on them.

www.picskate.com.

Photo fromPIC Website


PIC continued PIC has released a newer four-wheel frame in the last few

years that is a noticeable improvement over the earlier design including better quality toe stops.

PIC will shortly be releasing a P-3 that has:• Three wheels• A newly designed multi-layer wheel that claims better response in

jumps and edge control.• Maintains the same turn radius as the standard PIC frame• Will be less expensive than other frames.

I’ve found three-turns easier on PIC frames, perhaps because of my ice background and the intent to make it perform like an ice blade.


PIC Video A Video that shows how similar ice and inline skating is and

how it can be used to attract skaters.

The_Pic_Skate_1_1.f4v The web location is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvG7cb71nZY


Custom Inlines Rockered Wheel

Alignment Adjustable Height

Middle Wheel Adjustable Height Toe

Stop Offset Center Wheel –

Closer to front than back wheel. Picture from

Custom Inline Websitehttp://www.custominlines.com/


Custom Inlines cont.

V2• Recent design• 18% lighter than previous

version.• Higher rebound material than

earlier version.

Pictures from Custom Inlineswebsite


Triax by Snyder

Not rockered. Can use different size wheels to get

rockering. Supposed to be easier for quad skaters

than ice skaters.


Rinks


Where to Skate

Roller Rinks Gyms – more popular in rural areas and

other countries. Outdoors – more popular in warms areas

and other countries – particular for ice skaters looking for alternative training locations.


Floor Surface Coatings

Coatings – Various coatings have different characteristics for indoor and outdoor skating. Some coatings require a base or multiple base coatings as well as a surface coat or coatings. Examples Roll-on, Nova Play, Dura Seal, Tite Coat, Valspar, Rink Cote, TITE-Tanium


Interlocking Plastic or Similar Material Tile Surfaces In my experience:

• They are relatively poor surfaces because they are relatively slippery compared to wood floors.

• Inline figure skaters require some time to be spent on one foot and this doesn’t work well on these kind of surfaces.

• Hockey players often have to use super-grip type wheels to prevent the slippage. These wheels don’t seem to help figure skaters.

I’ve found two different types of surfaces. • Smooth or relatively smooth rubber-type surfaces – Are very poor surfaces

for inline figure skating because they have too much slippage – Examples include Sport Court

• Web surface – very poor for inline skating and hockey because the skates tendto slip very easily and a skater needs to be on two feet. An example is Spider Court which has a web type surface and is great for outdoor surfaces due to its low maintenance, but it quite slippery even for hockey players. The plastic like material tends to crack over time and break-up


National Inline Competition and

Seminar

“A Celebration of Inline Skating”


Useful Example: Starting a National Event on Ice - Adults In the early nineties, adult ice figure skating, except for dance, had

one or two events for a whole range of skills. One adult male competed in Regionals in Freeskating in the whole

Midwest Section. 12 adults competed in the whole country in the first year of Adults in Regionals.

A recent Adult Nationals competition had over 500 adults and continues an overall growth. But adults don’t typically compete locally.

A key component was the support of coaches, the involvement of the skaters and the support of the organization as well as the realization that change was necessary.

It was also realized that Adult Figure Skating needed to be approached on a national level with a national level event open as much as possible to all skaters, at least initially. Eventually test requirements and Regionals/Sectionals would be developed if needed.

Test requirements and a Sectionals for popular events were added. Other adults go straight to Nationals with no Regionals.


Open Inline National-level Invitational Goals:

• Create a national level invitational open competition on inline figure skating that is also fun, a draw and team-based.

• It would be moved around the country.• Not USARS sponsored, but USARS- sanctioned (Information to be

completed by early January).• Any profits would go to advancing inline figure skating and skaters. • Attract skaters and coaches from all venues of skating. • Proposed name is U.S. Open Inline Chicago 2009 to emphasize

inclusion of not only figure skating events, but also basic skating skills.

• “Think Globally, Act Locally” a lot emphasis will be placed on attracting local skaters and beginners as well as high-level skaters from everywhere.


Competition Events All current USARS inline-only figure skating events. Some USARS events that allow mixed quad and inlines. Events that are currently quad-only but will be allowed to

be skated on inlines for this event. Selected events from other skating venues, particularly

those for beginners and that are family oriented. Spotlight and dramatic skating events like at the Gold

Skate and prop events. Exhibitions for visiting skaters not wishing to compete. Events requiring no special program or preparation such

as individual elements like jumps, spins, or moves, etc. Other custom designed events.


Location and Dates Events: Saturday - May 2, 2009

• USA Skate Center Romeoville, IL.• Alternative or additional location: Edge Arena, Bensenville, IL.

Seminar: Friday, May 1 – Sunday, May 3 – Scheduled at Bensenville, Il at Edge Arena*, (length dependent on speakers)

Speakers:• Nick Perna, Prominent in the development of the original PIC skate. –

various topics on inline figure skating.• Garrett Krug, National-level skating and physical sports trainer to

Olympic caliber skaters– discussion of off-skate training techniques• Joe Kaplenk, topic: “Sports Video Analysis using latest technology” et.

al. • Looking for additional speakers and demonstrators. Please volunteer.

*(Home of the Chicagos.Blackhawks, State Wars on inlines, site of ISI Worlds 2007, 2007 U. S. Figure Skating Adult Nationals, 2008 PSA Conference).


Volunteers Needed For the Event

Needed:CoachesJudgesOfficialsSkatersSpeakersSpectatorsSponsorsSupportersVendorsVolunteers


Open Inline Competition Committee Joe Kaplenk, Chair, 708-707-0992,

[email protected] Mary Lu Wehmeier, Meet Director

[email protected], home phone 909-860-2494. Rhonda Arena, [email protected] Others to be added

Other skaters and coaches are welcome to help with the planning on the committee and the event.

Contact one of the committee members to volunteer.


Further Thoughts

Join us for a discussion about

inline figure skating after this

presentation


Everyone Skates

No One Waits!-Joe

Summary


Where to Get More Information www.skatelog.com for great discussion. Competition website - We will be putting up a

website after the first of the year with info on the competition. Keep in touch and watch skatelog.com for details.

Watch for mailings Send an email to [email protected] to be

added to the competition mailing list. Send me an email for an updated copy of this

presentation.

inline skating program and equipment fundamentals

Documents

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