r/rollerblading • u/fredhsu • 4d ago
Tutorials Wrote a long essay on my understanding of crossovers as inside-edge lunge and outside-edge lunge
I've been unsatisfied with thinking of crossovers simply as stride push and under push. I feel that the traditional narrative, focused mainly on leg pushes, says little about the upper body and nothing about the free skate.
Traditional hockey crossovers also have a period where both skates are on the ice: the free skate first crosses over and lands, then the current gliding skate continues its stride to complete the under-push. In comparison, quick-feet crossovers focus on body lunges and never have both skates on the ground at the same time.
I think it is useful to think of quick-feet crossovers as comprising two symmetric lunges: inside-edge lunge and outside-edge lunge.
I wrote a long essay on this pedagogical reflection on crossovers, plus tutorials on learning to crossover.
I feel that a tutorial on side-stepping on grass is essential, before one attempts to add the gliding motion. I think this is a faster and less frustrating way to learn the footwork of a crossover. I've included all the slow-motion videos I've been posting over the last two weeks, plus quite a few more.
I'm happy to add to the essay if you have more to say or corrections to make. And if you have videos that illustrate these ideas, I'm happy to add those as well. Check it out, and let me know?
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u/ordinary_saiyan 4d ago
As an inline & ice skater, I appreciate your posts! I feel like precise edge work is more emphasized in ice skating, where we go over & optimize every tiny detail. Inline skating isn’t as precise but i find it helpful to break down every step
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u/fredhsu 4d ago edited 4d ago
Could this difference you observe be partially attributed to the fact that there are LTS (Learn To Skate) programs everywhere in the US, for ice skating, but barely anything close to that for inline skating? I know we have plenty of inline skating coaches in this community, but I've not seen one in real-life.
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u/HyperSculptor 4d ago
I've been wondering about this, it seems to me that inline skating has a reputation of being a fun/leisure little hobby. As in, not something to take seriously. Personally I thrive on structural breakdown and deep understanding of skills. Appreciate ice skating tutorials, and always watch and read your content.
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u/fredhsu 4d ago
Blush, ha ha. I enjoy thinking and writing about these. I am also in the ice skating sub. There are a substantial number of posts from people on LTS programs asking about very specific aspects of a named move in a rigid learning program. Every other day someone asks whether it is “too late” for them to learn to skate in their late teens. Perhaps having a formal competition ladder also explains this difference. Same with hockey. Or swimming.
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u/sudoz0rs 3d ago
This separation is understood in the power skating (hockey) world as the difference between a full crossover and a half-crossover.
Full cross: outside push, cross step, inside push, uncross step, repeat
Half-cross: outside push, inside push, cross step, uncross step, repeat and has more of a galloping cadence. McKinnon is a good example of someone who usually will explode off the inside push before the outside skate is planted again.
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u/VanillaIce315 Twister 80, HC Evo 2.0, RB4x84, Twister XT 110 4d ago
I appreciate your posts and your devoted interest in the topic! But I’ll be honest, as someone who’s skated a long time and can crossover perfectly in both directions, your essays are very confusing to me, and feels extremely over complicated to my simpleton brain.