Did I buy the right quad roller skates?

March 20, 2008 6:53 AM

I bought quad roller skates. Application: first (this is true), refereeing in my local banked-track derby league. I'm just learning to skate, so that's a while away. The surface is wood, but not the laminated wood of a typical skate rink. Application two: my local skate rink. I'd like to learn the moves, some skate dancing, for fun. more inside

Problem: backwards skating. I can do cross-overs, most of the other stuff, pretty well. But my backwards skating stinks. Part of this is biomechanics. My feet stick out very far (I walk funny.) I have super-high arches and roll wildly toward the outside edges of my feet, making it tough to put weight onto my big toes.

The instructor at the rink says the skates I bought were the wrong ones. He says given my build - feet and body weight of 175 - I should have gone for a higher, better, stiffer boot and metal plates, which would allow me more control. His recommendation is here and here's (first item at top) what I'm using at the moment, with nylon plates.

Any thoughts on the issue, applications, or the gear choices would be appreciated.

posted by soulbarn to sports, hobbies, & recreation (5 comments total)

What skates do you have? R3s/Carerras or something of that sort?

The one thing people in skating (speed/derby/whatever) like to do is claim that skates aren't worthwhile unless you spend major bucks. If you are just refereeing and generally learning how to skate, however, I don't think it's worth it to spend that much money. I would skate with what you have for now and then upgrade later if you stick with it. A stiffer boot and a metal plate will give you more control, but having a nylon boot shouldn't impair you so much that you can't skate well. Personally, I prefer to skate with low cut boots on nylon plates (but I am a bit lighter than you and I play as a jammer).

Secondly, if you are trying to put weight on your big toes while you're backwards skating, you're carrying your weight wrong. You are probably leaning forwards too much, which most beginners do -- it's a crutch that keeps you feeling more stable but it does not really help. Stand up more and push from your heels through the balls of your feet.

I have to run for now but I can try to help more later if you have more questions.
posted by taraza at 8:02 AM on March 20

Although a stiff boot prevents too much give and sway in the foot, what may be more helpful would be to find some inserts. Sounds like you need custom orthogonal correcting arch support inserts. There must be places that specialize in these. See your GP and get referred to a Podiatrist. Your back will thank you...

Why are you putting your weight on your toes¿ Sounds like you're unbalanced right off the get go. Double that with the wide stance. Never mind 'you walk funny', you aren't walking, you're using roller skates and you're rolling.

Regarding your stance, are you bending your knees¿ Get down over them. Don't keep them locked, but springy and bent. Evenly distribute your weight over the boot, never mind tipping yourself off balance by over loading the toe. You aren't a streetcar, so not too wide of a stance. Hips over your feet. Stand naturally, but with knees bent. You'll need to be comfortably balanced going forwards before attempting skating backwards.

To start:
Assume a natural position while standing still. Are you using your legs and pushing away from your body or are you using the nose pieces to push off. It's a side to side pushing motion with your legs to start. I repeat, knees bent, not locked.

Are you feeling your stomache muscles¿ To be balanced and help in coordination, it's all in your stomache. Yes, the chi [in karate].

I don't roller, but have bladed, ice skate a lot, board and slalom ski. I learned to skate at a very young age, so it'll take a little more practice to get the feel and balance you want before skating backwards. Falling backwards kills. Your tailbone and head will meet the hard surface, you'll see stars.

Good luck and get practicing the basics, firstly. The more you practice, the sooner you'll get the feel of it and soon, you'll spin around and start skating backwards, because it's the same as going forwards.
posted by alicesshoe at 8:40 AM on March 20

Learn and practice skating with your outside edges.
posted by hortense at 9:40 AM on March 20

Your instructor is right about a stiffer boot. A stiffer, higher boot means that any time you bend your knees, the front of your ankle and shin push against the top of your boot, which helps push your toes down. A stiffer boot will also help keep your feet from rolling outward. Maybe you can try a pair a few times before you buy, and see if you can feel the difference.

As a kid, I learned to skate backwards by doing a lot of that wide-narrow-wide (sorry, don't know what to call it !) pumping action. You don't pick your feet up off the ground at all, so it's an excellent technique to just work on proper balance while moving backward. Start with feet a bit wide, pull your heels in to start moving backwards, then push them out, then in, &c. You can't do this without the weight on your toes, because your heel has to be free to initiate motion. So it's a great little exercise for strength, balance, and coordination.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:52 AM on March 20

My feet pronate to the inside, so they are sort of the opposite of yours -- but I agree about the stiffer, higher boots, at least, for now. Once you are more experienced you might go back to the others for the derby skating. (Those boots aren't that stiff. You should see the ones people wear for school figures.)

However, it sounds like you do have some interesting foot issues. (I sympathize. I have severe pronation, outrageously wide feet and ankles, and two different-sized feet. And orthotics. This meant I eventually had to get custom skates, but I did learn on normal stock skates -- it was just more painful, and harder to learn some things.) You might see if you can get someone who is really well-respected to fit your feet. This will not always be someone at the local rink. It might be, though. Ask the good skaters, particularly the derby skaters since that is what you want to do.

In my case, I actually went to the ice rink to get fit for roller skating boots. (And eventually had the owner of the boot company remeasure me when I was able to meet him at a competition, because though the boots fit there was still a problem that needed to be corrected.) In our area the person who was recommended for skate boot fitting was an ice skater. So you could try the ice rink as well.

You should *not* be rolling to the outside of the foot. That indicates one of several things -- your skates don't fit, your boots fit but are broken-down or just don't support you enough, your plates are not attached correctly to your boot, or you have foot issues that require special treatment. All of these are fixable.

I'm not certain from the description whether you are leaning forward too much when skating backwards or not, but it's a common problem. Remember that your head is very heavy, and if you lean your head forward it will pull your whole body down where you don't want it. So don't lean your head, or bend your neck, or bend at the waist, etc. Your flexibility should all be in your knees. Bend those knees as deep as you can, but keep your upper body upright. I know that you see the fast skaters looking like they are bent over, but don't try that now. That comes when you know your skating and your body enough to know where the balance point needs to be. For now just stay upright except for the knees, which need to bend. You shouldn't have weight any further forward than the balls of your feet.

When you said "skate dancing" do you mean the funky kind to pop and R&B or the old-style "roller dance" to organ music, etc.?

"Regarding your stance, are you bending your knees¿ Get down over them. Don't keep them locked, but springy and bent. Evenly distribute your weight over the boot, never mind tipping yourself off balance by over loading the toe. You aren't a streetcar, so not too wide of a stance. Hips over your feet. Stand naturally, but with knees bent. You'll need to be comfortably balanced going forwards before attempting skating backwards."

This is good advice.

"As a kid, I learned to skate backwards by doing a lot of that wide-narrow-wide (sorry, don't know what to call it !) pumping action."

Swizzles, or sculling, are the terms I learned. I learned it in both an ice skating and a roller skating context, though, so I don't remember if one of those terms is specific to one sport or the other.
posted by litlnemo at 5:50 AM on March 21