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Jan. 13, 2010

Round Back or Straight: What's the Best Position for Speed Skating?

Hi, Bill: I am a very mediocre indoor skater. The same goes for short track ice. In both, I skate laps in the high 11-second range. But I do pretty well outdoors, skating marathons in 1:18. (I'm 43 years old.)

In short-track skating, they preach rounding the back like a cat and tucking the butt under. But inliners preach more of a stiff back position that approximates sitting in a chair with chest up and bent knees.

Bending the knees sounds good in theory, but it tends to lock up the lower back and raise the center of gravity. So I have doubts about it. And I notice from watching videos that Joey Mantia rounds his back and keeps his chest quite low. What are your thoughts on skating postion? Thanks in advance! - Glen Gardner from Columbus, Ohio

Hi, Glen: Don't be so hard on yourself. The U.S. youngsters (with the fast indoor lap times) are developed indoors; whipping around small tracks is their speciality. No doubt the great J.L. still scoots around indoors. But most 43-year-olds do not. For master skaters, the marathon is more suitable than scooting around indoors.

As for skating position, I suspect the inline skaters preaching stiff backs only have half the story. When it comes to body position, first you need to get your butt squatted down like you are sitting in a chair or on the toilet. In this position, your knees should be over your toes and your hips above your ankles.

This is the power position — make no mistake about it.

In this position, the back should be bent forward, not held straight. Some skaters bend lower than others, but most assume a position similar to Joey Mantia's. To go fast, you have to bend your back and keep your chest low.

But that's not to say that you always maintain this position. In marathons, you spend 90 percent of your time in bunches (packs, pelotons), where the rule is to follow the leader and maintain your position. That means you spend a lot of your time standing or in an upright position with your knees and back relatively straight.

But don't get too comfortable. When the next attack comes, it will be time to drop your butt and get back into the power position ... or you'll get dropped.

Cheers, Bill

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