With Barry Publow

QUESTION

I am new to inline racing (I have never competed) and am currently polishing up my technique. I have been told that when I am finishing up a push stroke, (either forward or crossover) the last wheel to leave the ground is my front wheel. My coach refers to this as toeing. I switched to smaller front wheels to solve the problem of pushing with the toe of the skate, but now I am confused. All of the images in FaSST show world-class athletes doing what I am being told is my problem (i.e. the toe of the push skate is the last to leave the ground).

ANSWER

My first comment is that caution has to be taken when viewing still photos. The dynamics of inline technique are such that a snapshot, or photo, of a skater can often be misleading to represent technical errors when they do not necessarily exist. Even a technically proficient skater can look goofy and awkward in photos. So caution has to be taken when diagnosing technique using still photography.

Secondly, lets define toeing, toeing out or toe flick. There are really two separate actions, but each is very different. For the sake of clarity, we will refer to them as toeing out and toeing down. It is important to realize that the toe (or foot/skate) can flick either down or out. Toeing out involves erroneous movement of the entire leg/thigh. The skater will externally rotate the leg at the end of a stride so that the skate (when viewed from above) points outwards (from the direction of travel).

An easy way to identify toeing out is to look at the direction the knee cap is pointing. In a skater who toes, out the knee cap will not be pointing straight ahead, but will instead be directed outwards. This is a fairly gross biomechanical error, and reduces the effectiveness of the push. This is seen in inexperienced skaters and cross-country skiers who unknowingly rotate the thigh outwards during push-off, leaving the skate pointing away from the body. The problem is not that the skate points out, but that power is compromised because sideways pushing force is reduced when the thigh is externally rotated at the end of the push.

Toeing down, on the other hand, involves pointing the toes (flexing the ankle) slightly at the end of the push so that the first wheel is the last to leave the ground. If this action is combined with toeing out, then there are fairly serious limitations in force output. However, so long as the knee cap is pointing ahead and the thigh is not rotating externally, toeing down in itself is not as detrimental to force production.

The other thing to keep in mind is how and why the first wheel is the last to leave the ground. Whenever you analyze a technical discrepancy, it is important to look a little deeper into the action and trace the movement back to understand why it is happening. If the toe wheel is the last to leave the ground because the skater is actually plantar flexing the ankle and forcefully pushing the foot/toe of the skate down, then this is a bad thing. However, if pushing force is directed through the middle of the foot and the skate/ankle flops towards the toe at the end of the push then this is not a big deal. As with all errors, there are varying extremes, and without seeing you skate it is impossible for me to conclusively state how much of a problem this is, or whether you are toeing out or toeing down.

Talk to your coach, and try to look a little closer at why this is happening. Are you powerfully pushing the toe into the road, or is the toe of the skate simply tilting forward at the end of the push. This is a critical thing to ascertain before determining the severity of the error, and how to go about correcting your alignment.

QUESTION

A few days ago, I started weight training at a local gym. I was doing some squats and the gym instructor told me that I shouldn't position my kneecaps past my toes. He told me it would gradually damage the knee joints and I might develop knee problems later on. He told me I should position my kneecaps no further than my toes, or slightly behind the end of my toes. Does this make sense?

ANSWER

The instructor who said this you is not totally right but not completely wrong. It is true that the deeper you squat the more stress is placed on the quadriceps tendon that inserts onto the patella (knee cap). When squatting deeply, the tendon is in a very awkward position to leverage force. This places additional stress on the knee joint itself and has the potential to damage cartilage or (more likely) result in a strained tendon. But this does not mean that you shouldn't squat fairly low, only that you should be very cautious about the amount of weight you are lifting. The risk of injury or damage to the tendon/knee joint increases the more stress you place on it, however it is important to simulate the knee angle observed during actual skating.

Posture, technique, and body positioning is critical if you are to reap the most benefit from any strength training exercise, and squats are no exception. In long distance skating, knee angles are around 110-120°, while sprinters squat even lower (90-100°). In order to transfer strength gains achieved in the gym to sport-specific performance, it is important to simulate the same range of motion when training in the gym. And this includes developing strength and power at the lower knee angles.

If you are training for gains in muscle size and raw strength/power, you are likely lifting very heavy loads. If this is the case, be cautious about how low you squat. 110° is deep enough, and this should place the knees directly almost over the toes. If you are training for more endurance-based improvements (using higher reps) it is relatively safe to squat fairly low. say, 90°. Just be aware that the risk of both acute injury a repetitive-strain/overuse injuries increases when you squat low, especially when using heavier loads. Use common sense, and at the first sign of pain or discomfort, either reduce the amount of weight being used or don't squat as deeply.

QUESTION

I’ve been keeping my recovery skate as close to the ground as possible. I also set the skate down a few inches ahead of the support skate. I discovered I really do not create the conventional D-shape movement in recovery. It is more like a straight-out then straight-in movement. I feel good about it and I enjoy the gliding. Is this a problem or should I consciously make a D pattern around the back during recovery?

ANSWER

An excellent question, and one that many skaters have brought up in the past. The first thing to keep in mind is that classic inline technique takes its roots from ice speedskating. The problem is that while similar, ice and inline pose very different frictional forces to the skater. When comparing the relative duration of push to glide between ice and inline, its not surprising that the glide on ice is significantly longer. The bottom line is that more time is spent bearing weight on the support/glide leg. In order to prolong glide, minimize friction, and maintain proper edge control, ice skaters use a pronounced D-shape recovery around the back. This is the best method for maintaining stability, preparing for the subsequent weight transfer, and enhancing the glide phase.

On inlines, the glide is much shorter, mainly due to higher frictional forces between the asphalt and wheels. The dynamics of balance differ greatly because of the elliptical shape of the wheels. The weight transfer is less dynamic, and a number of biomechanical elements differ. Hence the D-shape recovery of ice skating does little to truly benefit the mechanics of inline skating. In fact, because of the higher stride frequency of inline, there is some benefit to making the recovery more efficient, typically by bringing the recovery skate directly back towards the support leg instead of 'around the back'. The D recovery of ice technique may be more aesthetically pleasing, but it does little to enhance the efficiency of technique on wheels.

Even if you are not double-pushing, the snap technique is equally effective for regrouping the push leg and preparing for the weight transfer. Since D-shape recovery does little to foster efficiency, logically snap technique is more efficient and adds the benefit of facilitating a higher stride frequency. On inlines, recovery is one of the technical elements of the movement that you can add your own flair or signature to. If it feels natural, I say keep on truckin'!

QUESTION

I’m going to skate the Empire Speed 26-mile Marathon, and am fairly new to the sport. What should my training regimen be? Should I do 12-18 miles a day? Work hills some days only? How often should I train? I’d like to definitely finish the race and possibly not last and dying of exhaustion. I’m in good shape, so I’m willing to put the pedal to the metal…I just have to know how to go about it.

ANSWER

It’s difficult to prescribe detailed training recommendations here, but I can give you some solid general guidelines in terms of training variables.

• Frequency - You can skate up to 6 days a week but no more. Your body requires at least 1 day of full rest, sometimes even 2.
• Intensity - Keep the intensity of your long workouts at roughly 65-75% effort. For a long race your primary objective is to build muscular endurance, and not necessarily speed. You should feel comfortable, and be working only moderately hard.
• Time / Volume - When it comes to preparing for endurance events (over 90 minutes), the important training variable is volume. The key is progression! You need to gradually increase your daily/weekly mileage over 4-6 weeks.

In the beginning your typical daily workout may be 6-10 miles. But as the weeks go on and endurance improves, you need to progressively overload your body to ensure continual improvement. I’d normally advocate a 6-week progression where you are increasing weekly mileage each week for 3 consecutive weeks. The 4th week would be a reduced ‘recovery’ week similar to the 1st. Week 5 would be a higher volume week than 4. During this week you should have at least one skate that is roughly 90% of the race distance. Follow this step-like progression and give yourself a good 5-7 days to peak, taper and recover prior to the big day.