What it's like to rocker your inline skates.

[nicklaszlo]

Some previous threads.

https://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=7368.0
https://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=6128.0
https://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=1696.0

I have figure skated regularly for ten years and inline skated very occasionally for nine years.  I inline every day now because of the pandemic.  I finally rockered my inline skates, and thought I would post about my experiences.

Before:  4 84 mm 80A wheels
After:  84 mm 85A wheels in the center, 80 mm 85A wheels at the ends, different brands. 
Estimated radius of "blade" curvature: 16 feet excluding elastic deformation

Unfortunately wheel stocks are low so I didn't get a lot of choice on hardness.

Overall:  The new wheels are faster.  The rocker did not immediately feel all that different.

Stroking:  Immediate big improvement.  I can easily stroke onto an outside edge and change to an inside edge.
Curves on two feet:  Easier.
Edges:  Big improvement in inside edges (nowhere near as good as ice), outside edges are barely starting to appear.
One foot glide:  10X easier
Inside Mohawk:  Slightly easier
Edge pulls:  *SPLAT*
Bumps:  Slightly easier
Crossovers:  Easier, still pretty bad.  I am looking forward to the point when I can stop with edges well enough that I can remove the heel stop and practice this more easily.
Stopping backwards:  Tricky.  Since my inline skates are speed skates (no heel), if I try to stop backwards like I normally do on the ice, I fall forward.  This is really weird because I am falling opposite the direction of the torque, and towards the direction where the really long "blade" should help me.  Need more knee bend.
Twizzles and jumps:  Just a fantasy.

[Loops]

Wait- am I understanding this correctly- you do edge stops on wheels? Like a T/snowplow/show? How do you do this?  And what is the toll on your wheels?

Please share!!!

Stopping is hands down the scariest thing with my pics.

[nicklaszlo]

No, I'm learning to stop.    Currently if I am going very slow I can do a backwards snowplow from a mohawk or a pivot. 

The videos of stopping in inline skates on YouTube show variants on backwards snowplow and hockey stops with various names.  T stops are also possible.  But I've yet to see someone who can make it look as elegant as ice technique.

Forward snowplow works if you don't mind waiting three minutes to stop AND it's flat. 

Show stops in inlines seem very hard right now.  And that's my usual stop on ice.  But I suppose if you are sufficiently precise in shifting your weight and balancing, it ought to be possible.  I'd expect you would need new wheels and bearings pretty quick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdgk1MQBtL0

[Query]

The T-stop - or the drag stop variant, where the rear foot isn't as close - is often said to be one of the easiest inline skate stops:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWrDAi3aZLs

Any stop wears out equipment.

Even on ice. Stopping wears out an edge, requiring more frequent sharpening, until you have no useful metal left.

In neither case do the skate dealers mind.

If you are next to grass, maybe the easiest-on-equipment inline stop is where you put one foot in the grass, and let it drag a little. But it lacks elegance, and makes you look like a desperate beginner.

When I was an (ice) rink guard, if someone fearfully asked how to stop, and I only could spend a few seconds at it, I showed them that if they swung their arms around, it would make the do a slow mini-spin, that would stop their forward motion. Almost everyone learned it in those few seconds, but it too is inelegant. I've not tried it on inlines.

[Loops]

I finally had time to do some digging, and found this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMsyyBLOA2M

She suggests using a pivot, spread or turn to stop.  This is more or less what I had been doing (albeit far less elegantly than her).  SHe has a bunch of videos about transitioning from Ice to Artistic inlines, and some other interesting videos popped up in the side feed of Youtube. 

I haven't used my hour outside the house yet.  If I could get over my fear of skating in the street where PEOPLE CAN SEE ME (I need to get over it) I may go out and try some of this.  I've definitely been packing on the covid-19.....

[Bill_S]

I always did tight turns to stop quickly on my PICs at the rink. Think of a tight hockey turn (wide stance, inside foot forward) done on a 3 or 4 foot diameter circle. The video linked above shows this forward turn at the 1:00 minute mark. It really scrubs speed.

I need to get my PICs out before I lose any semblance of skating skill or physical conditioning. I have been REALLY lazy this past month.

[Loops]

Bill and ant other interested parties..... do I see a potential challenge?? Goodness knows I need a kick in the keester......

[Bill_S]

I will delay participating in any challenge until the week after next. I have a minor medical procedure scheduled for this week. That is, if they don't reschedule once again.

But if anyone else is game, I'll read about your progress with great interest.

[Loops]

Good luck Bill_S. If you manage to have it, I hope things go smoothly and as expected.