Artistic Inline Skating: Which skates to use?

Artistic Inline Skating: Which skates to use?

Special skates

Indeed they get more and more importance in competitions. And yet, these skates have a few characteristics that differentiate them from standard inline skates.

Rules constraints

In artistic skating and in inline dancing, in order to take part in a competition, you have to make a program on a chosen music.

For artistic skating, the program should consist in jumps, pirouettes, diverse attitudes (arabesque like, Ina Bauer, etc.) and linking footwork.

Some of these elements may be performed with standard fitness skates, especially in dancing (… and yet!) but not in artistic skating because of all the jumps like Flips, toe loops or Lutz.

You should then use skates specially designed for these disciplines.

Given that there should be equal opportunities for each competitor, it is imperative that the rule is the same for everyone:

« In order to compete in artistic or dancing on inline skates, you should have a suitable equipment, whatever the brand. »

With which skates can you practise Artistic Skating?

It is true that, from a distance, artistic skates look like ice skates; they are set up on the same boots (which are used for quad-skates as well by the way).

• They enable to perform all the technical elements of quad and ice skating
• they are lighter than quad skates
• and above all they more performant as for edge taking.

Several brands exist:

• Picskates with 4 wheels
• Double’Ls Snow White with 3 or 4 wheels
• V1 (3 wheels), etc.

It seems that the most performant ones would be the Picskates, especially for pirouettes… It is at least the opinion of a couple of very good artistic skaters.

(Article written on 2005 and updated on 2012)

Useful Links

Photo gallery of an artistic inline competition

www.skateparis.com
World Inline Figure Skating Association

By Jean-Pierre Faugère
Translated by Close Yr E’s
Photos: JP and Alfathor