All About Momentum

All three of Merriam-Webster’s online definitions for “momentum” apply to inline skating. Along with those definitions, here are some tips and links to help you handle the kind of momentum that means the most to you.

Speed: 1 : a property of a moving body that the body has by virtue of its mass and motion and that is equal to the product of the body's mass and velocity;

• Find a downhill skating spot (CASkating.com search)
• Gain confidence on steeps by using ski poles
• Brush up on your stride technique
• Upgrade your wheels and bearings

Beginning skaters need to know that a certain amount of speed creates a type of dynamic balance that makes it easier achieve certain skills. For example, when fear prevents a relaxed pre-braking coast, it's harder to balance well enough to engage the heel brake.

Braking Distance: ... a property of a moving body that determines the length of time required to bring it to rest when under the action of a constant force or moment.

From the Orbit archives:

• Give yourself a brake!
• It’s all downhill from here!
• Braking section of Orbit

Learning: 2 strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events (impetus)

Learning momentum comes from frequent practice that builds confidence and coordination. Newer skaters who take a long layoff (during winter, for example) can lose much of what was learned in the first year! Keep up the learning momentum by:

• Engaging a certified skating instructor
• Upgrading to better skates
• Signing up for skate camp
• Building basic muscle memory through carpet skating
• Joining other skaters on a Zephyr skate tour
• Working to improve your balance

 

Other November 2005 Stories

All About Momentum - Advice for both ends of the spectrum: skaters who seek the thrill of downhills and those trying to avoid it.

Anti-Wobble Drills - Practice carpet skating to build memory in your joints, muscles and brain for proper technique and stances.

Ski Pole Tips for Skaters - Using ski poles adds confidence and a feeling of security on steeper hills. Get pole training tips from this excerpt from Get Rolling.

It's All Downhill From Here! - From the Orbit archives:
"With more machismo than skill, I ventured out the shop door and pointed my skates down the crowded sidewalk," Dan recalls.

SF East Bay - Lafayette-Moraga Rail Trail - Gravity aids momentum in this lovely roll past St. Mary's College, which glows white in the winter sun against the lush grasses of Mt. Diablo's foothills.

Adventure: We joined Zephyr Adventures' Tibet Trekking trip in August. Words cannot express what we saw, did, and felt in China, so we are sharing Dan's captioned photo album.