A Rollerblade is a brand of inline skate, which is essentially a cross between a roller skate and an ice skate. Like roller skates, Rollerblades have wheels that are suitable for use on any hard, smooth surface. However, the arrangement of the wheels on a pair of Rollerblades mimics the straight line of an ice skate blade rather than the roller skate arrangement of two wheels in front and two in back. Because of this feature, the techniques used for inline skating and ice skating are almost identical.
Rollerblades typically have four wheels; however, some models feature three or five wheels. The wheels are aligned in a frame on the bottom of the Rollerblade and they rotate via the use of ball bearings. Smaller wheels allow for better acceleration and maneuverability, while larger wheels allow for greater maximum speed. Likewise, flatter, rounded-profile wheels are ideal for grip and control, while elliptical-profile wheels, with less wheel touching the skating surface, are ideal for speed.
When preparing to skate, the inline skater anchors one Rollerblade in a semi-perpendicular position in relation to the direction he intends to move. This is done to provide a base from which the inline skater can push off.
To start moving, the inline skater shifts her weight to the leg that is not anchored while moving that leg forward. As weight is shifted, the anchored Rollerblade is lifted off the ground.
The leading Rollerblade moves forward at a slight outward angle rather than moving straight forward. The inline skater then pushes off the leading Rollerblade and uses that momentum to propel the other Rollerblade forward. For example, if the right leg is used to lead off, the inline skater will push off his right leg, generating some momentum to the left. This momentum is used to propel the left Rollerblade forward in the same fashion.
The inline skater continues the above process, slightly shifting her weight left and right to maintain a steady forward momentum.
