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Where to Mount Roller Skate Plates
by Dave VanBelleghem
This article by "Rollerskater Dave" explains where to position
the the plates on a pair of quad roller skates.
Mounting the plates on a pair of quad skates is a subject that brings up a lot of
arguments and confusion as to where exactly they should be mounted on the skate boot.
Personal preferences aside, the positioning of the axles depends on two main factors,
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Are the skates used indoors on a smooth surface or are they used outdoors on
imperfect pavement and concrete and
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What type of skating are they used for
(artistic, jam, hockey, speed, aggressive, fitness, etc.).
For types of skating where you need to "get up on your toes" and
do a lot of spinning (ie. artistic, jam, rollerdisco) the usual place
to mount the front axles is under the ball of the foot. The rear axles
are positioned under the middle of your heel. (See photo).
Not surprisingly these are the same balance points
used by dancers. Also of note is the fact that these types of skating are
usually done on a nice smooth surface. The importance of this in the
positioning of the front axles will become clear in a moment. Now let's
look at some setups that are used on surfaces other than that of a nice
smooth rink.
This picture shows a typical outdoor fitness type of quad skate. Notice
the front axles are under the "base" of the big toe, ahead of the ball of
the foot, with the rear axle under the midheel. This position, while cutting
down on the ability to dance on one's toes, makes for a much more stable ride
while rolling over pavement, pebbles, cracks, twigs and so on. This is because
as much of the skater's weight as possible is placed behind the front wheels,
making it easier to knock small objects aside or roll right over them. Some of
you might ask "Why not put the front wheels right under the toes then?".
While doing this does make for a very stable ride, it cuts down greatly on
your ability to turn, as the skater cannot properly shift their weight from
one side to the other in relation to the wheels. The base of the big toe is
the optimum position for stability and still having maneuverability. If the
wheels were placed under the ball of the foot as with the indoor setup small
objects would tend to jam under the front wheels and cause the skater to
stumble face forward. Simply putting outdoor wheels on an indoor setup does
not make an outdoor skate.
This picture shows an outdoor quad skate set up for doing stunt or trick
skating. These are Walid Nouh's skates. Check out his
video.
The front axles are at the base of the big toe while the rear axles are almost
under his ankle joint. This allows him to balance on his back wheels
(on one foot!) while doing slalom movements. This position of the rear
wheels allows for very precise control. This type of plate mounting is also
sometimes used by quad speed skaters as it provides very crisp and clean
turning movements in the corners.
Copyright © Dave VanBelleghem
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See also:
More Articles by Rollerskater Dave
More About Quad Skates
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