With Barry Publow

QUESTION

How can I increase my comfort on hills? I am a fairly competent speed skater, however I have a problem going down hills fast. As you can imagine, this often leads to me getting dropped from the pack when we hit a downhill. I can usually climb fast enough to jump back on the pack, but I would rather use my climbing skills to build an advantage rather than compensate for a shortcoming. Mostly it is fear that is holding me back. How do I break through this mental block?

ANSWER

Fear and uncertainty on downhills can be a major liability in this sport. Not only do you waste enormous effort catching back up on the flats or uphills, but being tense and uptight on a downhill can be downright dangerous.

There is no magical solution for increasing your comfort for going downhill fast. I can offer a few practical suggestions for increasing your comfort, and ultimately, speed. My first comment is technically-oriented: Bend your knees (your ankle becomes more stable the more you bend), and place your hands on your knees (for added support and control). Keep your body weight slightly towards your heels with equal weight on each skate. You want to maintain active contraction in your lower leg muscles for increased stability, but not excessively. Remain relatively relaxed and fluid. Being stiff will delay your response time if you have to negotiate a bend in the road or avoid an obstacle, but you don’t want to be completely relaxed either.

Once you have addressed the technical elements, find a hill that brings you up to a speed that is within your comfort zone and practice your descending technique. Once you’ve done this a number of times, find a larger/faster hill, or descent the same hill from higher up. Get yourself up to a speed that is just beyond your personal comfort zone, and practice, practice, practice! You will find your confidence and stability increase a little bit each time. Once you feel that a given speed doesn’t frighten you, go a little faster/higher. Repeat this procedure until you are able to descend at the speed you want. Once you’re okay bombing a hill by yourself, descend (again, starting at lower speeds) with one other skater, then two, three, etc, until you are comfortable going down a steep hill in a group. It may take time to develop this skill, but the payoff will be big the next time you go out for a hilly group skate or race.

QUESTION

Recently I’ve purchased new speed boots and I’ve noticed that I’m not getting that centered feel on my right skate. I should tell you first that I’m left-footed and my left skate feels solid without any sense of caving in or out. However, my right skate always seems to be off balance caving in or out, not being able to find a solid center stance. I haven’t heat customized the boot yet because I felt it was fitting well. Do you think it’s because of the boot not customized? Or do you think it’s because of a "weak" ankle? If it’s the result of weak ankle, what kind of exercise do you recommend to strengthen the ankle?

ANSWER

My best guess is that the sensation you feel has nothing to do with the fit of the boot, but rather a whole lot to do with placement of the frame. Many skaters mistakenly assume that the frame should be set up the same way on each skate, but this is often not the case. We humans are grossly asymmetrical in discrete ways, and the anatomy of the ankle is one of them. You need to address your frame placement independently for each boot. There’s nothing wrong with setting them up the same to start with, in fact this is the best starting point. But from here you need to adjust each frame so that you feel equally stable and confident on each skate.

Don’t worry how they look. I have seen many skaters with their frames set up dramatically different, and it usually has little to do with cornering. Many of us have a "fear" ankle - usually the result of a past injury - but often because of different anatomy from left to right. In other words, if we force both ankles to do the exact same thing, one will feel unstable while the other will feel fine. You need to compensate for this discrepancy by adjusting each frame on its own. There is a past Ask the Expert article on my website which discusses frame placement. Go to www.breakawayskate.com and go to the Ask The Expert archive in the articles section.

And as far as having a "weak" ankle goes, there is really no such thing. The ankle is a joint and any weakness that may exist is a result of weak shin/lower leg muscles. The best way to strengthen these muscles is to adjust your frame to a comfortable neutral position and log some miles.

QUESTION

We have just started an ice speed skating group here in Arizona using the Coyotes practice facility. We had Glenn Koshi from Bont and Shani Davis come out to introduce folks from the valley (inliners, hockey and figure skaters) to the sport. I have had about 4 sessions on the ice and it has been relatively easy to pick up the form on the turns. However, I can’t for the life of me figure out how to glide on these flat surfaced blades. Do you rotate your foot over to get an edge while going straight? If I try to stay nose-knees-toes over the blade it just goes where it wants and if I try an extended glide it will slide out from under me. Any suggestions on drills or technique?

ANSWER

Ah! Welcome to the challenging transition of inline to ice! I experienced the same trouble you are having when I was first introduced to ice in 1993. As you know, speed wheels have a parabolic profile, and while rolling resistance will vary depending on the orientation of the wheel, they will roll no matter what angle they are subjected to. A speedskate blade is flat with square corners, and requires precise edge mechanics to glide with minimal resistance. Most inline skaters, like yourself, have little trouble on corners when the blade is using only one edge.

The tough part to figure out on blades is how to get them to glide straight without making eerie scraping noises and chattering from side to side. Body position and balance are key, but the objective is to get the blade almost flat with only minimal pressure on the outside edge. With no edge pressure, the blade can theoretically glide completely flat. But this is very unstable, and because of the lateral movement of weight it is impossible to maintain this state for more than a fraction of a second. In theory, you want the blade to glide flat, but the reality is that some measure of outside edge pressure is required to get the blade to track properly. Otherwise the blade will literally slip out from under you until one edge digs into the ice. What you need to do is experiment with body position during the glide so that you use the least amount of outside edge pressure. Too much pressure and you will experience a great deal of friction and resistance. Too little and your blade will scrape and slide, almost like it feels dull. Practice and experimentation is the key to success, so keep working at tweaking your body position and optimal center of balance. Eventually you will discover the desired point of equilibrium between "slipper" blades and fast blades. Good luck!

QUESTION

What is the best way to heat mold a racing boot?

ANSWER

Your best bet is to check with the manufacturer of your boot. Different companies have different recommendations, and it is dangerous to follow guidelines set by one particular boot maker. Some boots get "soft" at fairly low temperatures while others require extended exposure to moderate heat. Before you go do something crazy (like plop them in a 500 degree oven while it is still pre-heating), check with your manufacturer for recommended procedures.

© 2001 Barry Publow, Canada
Submit questions to: barry@breakawayskate.com
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