Slide
Most of the positions in which you put your skates when you perform aggressive sliding on tubes, can be also used to slide on rink or roadway, after an appropriate run-up.
Almost all these slides, such as T, Soul, Acid or Pornstar achieved in their various versions, come from dance. Fred Astaire already performed them in his tip-tap ballets in the ‘50.
But skates allow you to perform more than one version of the same slide. In fact you can lift one or both skates on only one wheel and the skate whose frame is completely on earth can be leant along the internal or external edge.
In recent times more slides are possible and the number continues to increase, so in freestyle competitions a new discipline on slide performance has been introduced.
The next videos show the most common slides that a rider must know if he wants to specialize in slide discipline.
1 – L-Slide:
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 1
For a good performance of the trick you need to bend the leg that takes your weight but at the same time keep your upper body as upright as possible and to distance considerably the skate that slides on the earth leant on the external edge from the other.
2 – Soul-Slide:
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 2
Its performance is good when you maintain your skates at 90°. The skate which takes your weight must be leant on the external edge. You can also lift this skate on the first wheel: so a more difficult version of the same trick is obtained. This version is called soul wheeling and is performed backwards in the following video.
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 3A
Forward soul wheeling is also called Fast Wheel
3 – Acid- Slide:
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 4
The skate (A) which takes your weight must lean on the internal edge bending your leg as much as possible, while the front skate must slide on the external side. This sliding, above all while performing forward acid, is possible if you dispose the skate (B) on the external edge when it isn’t yet leaned on the earth and you then lean it as far as possible from the other skate. It can be useful to try the position only with your feet without skates remaining still.
Also this slide presents different versions in which only one wheel of one or both skates is leant on the earth.
Some examples in reference to backward acid, are shown in the following videos.
4 – Acid cross – Slide:
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 6
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 7
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 8
You must leave your body weight on one leg maintaining the skate on the internal edge and crossing sideways the other leg that must be stretched with the skate completely leant on the external edge. The following video shows the backward acid crossed slide version obtained lifting one skate on the forward wheel.
5 – Mistrial and Soyale – Slide:
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 11 A
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 11 B
The more you bend your supporting leg, the easier you can lean on the external edge the skate you must slide. But it isn’t necessary that this skate is already at 90° respect to the other one when it touches the earth. In fact it may be difficult to reach this position if you have bent your supporting leg a lot. So at the beginning you can stand the skate to slide beside to the other one according to an acute angle and look for the correct inclination on the external edge until the earth doesn’t oppose any friction: when sliding begins, it becomes easier to put the skates at 90°.
Mistrial Wheeling is called Barrow or Royal depending on which wheel you support on the ground, the last one in Barrow, the first in Royal
Slides can be inserted in inline dance coreographies or can be used as styleslalom steps among the cones , but that is possible only if you learn to perform the same slide from both sides, as the following videos show.
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 12
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 13
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 14
After that you can cross around the cones performing a slide from one side and its opposite from the other one, as shown by the Example 30 on Slalom page or the examples on “Dancing tricks and Slides applied to Slalom” page.
6 – The queen of slides: the parallel:
The classic slide is the parallel shown in the following videos. It is certainly the more spectacular slide because it can be performed at any speed so it can be always perfected
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 15
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 16
–>> These steps are shown in next VIDEO 17
When you reach a discrete speed skating, you put your body in egg position with your skates parallel. The distance between the skates must be the same of your shoulder width, or also slightly less if the wheels are very wore out and your arms must be drawn forward.
Then you have to get up continuously without any backlash beginning a drop and taking your body weight almost completely on the external skate.
So, when you are completely standing up , you begin sideslipping along the tangent line at the drop going right. The smaller the space you use for dropping is , the more you go right along the beginning direction of your egg position.
NOTA 1: It’s important you get up continuously without any backlash from egg position whatever is the speed you reach in this position.
NOTA 2: your arms must be drawn forward as much as possible when you put yourself in egg position as if you had someone holding you on.
NOTA 3: When you put yourself in egg position , you must bend your legs as much as possible maintaining your weight all on your skates that must be always leant on the earth by the maximum diameter of the wheels. So, if your wheels are too wore out, you must pay attention that your skates don’t lean on the internal or external edge while skating downhill, but they always lean on the maximum diameter that is usually the central diameter.
NOTA 4: Respecting the rules of the latter notes it’s almost impossible to fall performing the parallel, whatever is the asphalt on which you are skating or even if the asphalt is different every time you slide. You are always prepared and ready for any asphalt.
NOTA 5: There are other ways to perform the parallel without bending very much your legs in egg position, but they are possible in plan or rink. In fact along little downhill or also in plan if the asphalt changes, it’s difficult to perform correctly the parallel the first time if you don’t bend your legs enough and don’t draw forward your arms.
You must try it many times and you can also fall before learning its correct performance.
This problem can be solved if you insert a thin plate of some millimeters between the skate and its frame where the last wheel is located: so when you begin to bend your legs, your body weight easily disposes forward on your skates and you can begin to perform the parallel before you put yourself in egg position.
WHAT MUST BE THE HARDNESS AND THE DIAMETERS OF THE WHEELS?
The correct hardness is about 85A, while the wheel diameter you has to be respected the rule that it must always be less than the maximum one allowed by the frame under which the wheels are inserted. For example 95 or 90 mm are the correct diameters of wheels for a 4×100 frame and 84 mm for a 5×90 frame.
IT’S BETTER 4×100 OR A 5×90 FRAMES TO PERFORM THE PARALLEL?
At the beginning it’s more difficult to sideslip using a longer frame , (a 5×90 frame).
But, when you have learnt the parallel, a longer frame will let you perform the trick at higher speeds, because a longer frame gives you more stability when you slide sideways.
Who can’t perform the parallel often tell that such trick wears out the wheels too quickly, so it’s not good to learn it…but it’s absolutely not so!
It’s true that wheels degrade very quickly , above all in Summer at high temperatures, but it’s also true that such degradation doesn’t decrease just so quickly their performance. In fact it’s always possible to reach high speeds because the maximum potential speed depends on the maximum diameter of the wheels that at the beginning isn’t reduced by the parallel. The parallel only reduces the profile of the wheels consuming them sideways.
So when you go downhill you must lean your skates on the max diameter of the wheels to reach equally high speeds and drop bending your skates more or less slowly because wheels are very edgy.
However very edgy wheels are much more handy for an expert skater in changing directions and reaching the max speed.
Those who aren’t yet satisfied and want to learn more about the parallel, can read the following link: Derapata (in italian language)
the technical report I prepared for II level freestyle coach courses organized by F.I.H.P. at Livorno in February 2013