What is Urban Inline Skating and Big Wheel Blading?
Urban Inline Skating and Big Wheel Blading (also known as Powerblading) refer to inline skating in urban environments such as streets, sidewalks, interesting architectural spaces and other urban areas.
Urban skating is a form of inline skating where we inline skate through the city and perform various tricks and techniques on public paths and squares.
Last but not least, we also understand urban skating to mean the use of inline skates as a fast means of transport within the city.
topics and content
To help you find your way around:
- What is Urban Inline Skating? – The full splendor
- What equipment do we need for urban inline skating?
- The right protective equipment
- The right urban inline skates
- The right Big Wheel Blades
- The right wheels for urban skating
- The right frames for urban skating
- The right clothing for urban inline skating
- Locations and Inspiration
- How can we learn urban inline skating?
- Urban Inline Skating includes these disciplines!
- We should know these terms of urban inline skating!
- What are the rules for urban inline skating?
- A Trip into the History of Urban Inline Skating
1. What is Urban Inline Skating? – The full splendor
By urban inline skating we mean, on the one hand, the use of inline skates as a means of transport in the city. We urban inline skaters use our inline skates, for example, to get to the nearest supermarket, as a means of commuting to school, university or work, and as a quick means of transport to the nearest train station.
Many people use inline skates as an environmentally friendly alternative to other means of transport to get from one place to another quickly.
On the other hand, many of us urban skaters don’t just stop at simply riding through the city.
We urban inline skaters have mastered various techniques and tricks to overcome obstacles and make the ride more interesting and action-packed. This type of inline skating has developed over the years and has been shaped by many influences.
The aggressive inline skating community contributed a lot to this in the 1990s.
With the advent of aggressive street skating, the focus shifted away from specialized skate parks and towards the streets of the city. Firstly, because it was something new and secondly because it was and still is a different kind of creative skating. Many skaters didn't even have the "luxury" of a local skate park.
This is one of the reasons why inline skaters and aggressive inline skaters began to incorporate urban architecture and structures into their tricks.
Advances in inline skating technology made aggressive inline skates suitable for urban use, e.g. with the Powerblade frames. This type of frame made it possible to mount larger wheels on the aggressive inline skates, thus securing various advantages in urban terrain.
This opened up a multitude of new possibilities, both for urban and aggressive skaters.
Conventional urban inline skates usually consist of a hard shell and a setup with medium to very large wheels. This allows extremely high speeds, stair rides and many tricks such as jumps and slides.
With the influence of aggressive inline skaters and the new technology of big wheel frames, stalls and grinds found their way into urban skating, which we now understand as big wheel blading.
The difference between Urban Inline Skates and Big Wheels Blades is that with the latter we can continue to use the Soulplates from Aggressive Skates, thus enabling grinding with large wheels.
Thanks to the UFS (Universal Frame System) and Big Wheel Frames, conventional aggressive inline skates have become suitable for urban skating.
Moving faster and more agilely through the city without having to give up grinding was and is a dream come true for many inline skaters.
2. What equipment do we need for urban inline skating?
Are you also interested in urban inline skating and cruising through the city? Do you want to upgrade your urban skating and take it to a new level? Or do you want to discover new things, experiment and let your creativity run wild?
Then we have put together some things and tips below that will help you move forward.
2.1 The right protective equipment
In comparison to normal fitness and leisure inline skating, with urban skating we skate through the city, across public spaces and often find ourselves in the middle of public and city traffic.
These alone are important reasons why we should not go without good protective equipment. Even if we are very good at skating, something unforeseen can always happen, especially in city traffic.
Furthermore, most of us urban inline skaters are very keen to experiment, as you might be. In order to reduce the risk of various injuries and increase creativity and risk-taking, the right protection is essential.
For this reason, and so that you can skate as long and as often as possible and make as much progress as possible, we at SkaMiDan recommend wearing protective equipment during every skate session.
We therefore recommend that you at least consider the following protectors and pads:
- stunt skate helmet,
- wrist guards,
- knee pads,
- and elbow pads.
In addition to the protectors mentioned, there are also other protectors, such as protective pants or shin guards. The most important protectors are definitely a helmet, wrist and knee pads.
The most important thing here is that the protectors fit well and are at least not uncomfortable. If the protectors are too big, for example, they will slip inadvertently in the event of a fall and either do not protect properly or not at all. For this reason, it is normal for protectors to cut in a little.
If you would like to learn more about protectors and their differences, please watch my following video on the topic of "The right protective equipment".
After you have found the right protectors for you, we would also like to help you find the right inline skates for urban skating or big wheel blading.
2.2 The right urban inline skates
The topic of protectors is very important to us, as we have often witnessed injuries caused by not wearing protectors. For this reason, in this blog we have addressed the topic of protectors before the right inline skates.
At this point, however, it is time to find out which urban inline skates are most suitable for you and what you should pay attention to so that your inline skates fit and can meet your requirements.
Compared to conventional fitness inline skates, urban inline skates are designed for excellent power transmission and reaction time and offer you more support while riding than conventional fitness inline skates.
Increased support and the associated support are particularly important if you want to master tricks such as jumps, slides and grinds. Increased support is also important if you have to quickly avoid an obstacle, another person or animal. The higher the support, the lower the risk of twisting your ankle or falling.
For these reasons, you should not go without a hard boot or a hard shell inline skate when urban skating.
In a few cases, urban inline skates do not have a special hard shell and come as so-called hybrid skates. Hybrid skates are usually a mixture of a soft and a hard boot and offer you good stability with less weight and sometimes good flexibility.
Hardboot skates, contrary to their name, are not as uncomfortable as is sometimes thought, because they usually have a separate inner shoe (liner), which offers good padding or can be replaced with an extra heavily padded inner shoe or liner.
Depending on the manufacturer, both the liners (inner shoes) or even the entire shoe of the inline skate can be thermally formed (even at home using a standard oven).
What you should always look for in a shoe is that it fits your foot type and offers you enough support. If, for example, you don't know whether an inline skate is narrow, medium or wide, please feel free to contact us at any time.
Furthermore, your footbed also needs the right sole. If, for example, an inline skate doesn't fit you right away, your feet go numb when you try it on, or you have uncomfortable pressure points, then it is often advisable to take out the insole and see whether it is simply the sole, which can be quickly replaced.
2.3 The right Big Wheel Blades
While urban inline skates already fully meet the needs of most urban inline skaters, some of us inline skaters are looking for more.
You should ask yourself whether you want to get Big Wheel Blades if jumps, slides, stair rides, spins, etc. are not enough for you.
Big Wheel Blades allow you to expand your creativity and variety of tricks with stalls and grinds. Big Wheel Blades essentially consist of an aggressive inline skate with special frames that allow you to mount larger wheels.
If you don't care about stalls of any kind or grinds, then we recommend regular urban inline skates.
Compared to urban inline skates, aggressive skates are usually even more robust and have a so-called soul plate, which allows you to grind on obstacles and other things.
In addition, there are the Big Wheels frames, which often have an H-block or fast slide groove, which increases the variety of possible stalls and grinds even further. This means you can take your range of tricks to a whole new level than with regular urban skating.
Whether you have escaped from the skate park and now want to prove your skills in urban terrain or are looking for a new challenge as an urban skater, with the concept of Big Wheel Blading you combine urban skating with aggressive skating and thus find yourself in Big Wheel Blading (formerly also called Powerblading).
Next we come to the right choice of urban skates, big wheel blades or upgrading your existing skates and the associated frame and wheel setup.
2.4 The right wheels for urban skating
When we are faced with the question of which roles are best suited to our needs and requirements, we should mainly think about the following three factors:
- roll size
The wheel size used in urban skating and big wheel blading is usually between 72mm and 125mm and therefore has probably the greatest variance of all inline skating disciplines.
The smaller the wheels, the closer you are to the ground, the more stable your stance and the less effort you need to put in to achieve optimal control. This is particularly beneficial for jumps, bumpy descents such as stairs and other special tricks.
However, the larger the wheels, the easier it is for you to skate over uneven and poor surfaces, the lower the risk of getting caught on small stones, sticks or other tripping hazards and the faster and higher speeds you can reach and maintain. - roller hardness
The wheel hardness used in urban skating and big wheel blading is usually between 85A and 90A.
The lower the value, the more grippy and shock-absorbing the roller's properties are. In addition, the softer the roller, the higher the rolling resistance, the greater the wear and the lower the speed.
If you jump a lot and cruise over cobblestones where you want to dampen the vibrations and shocks, then it makes sense to go for slightly softer wheels, such as wheels with a hardness of 85A. You should also opt for softer wheels if you perform a lot of demanding trick combinations on smooth and slippery surfaces where you need more grip.
If you want to set new track records on the streets, incorporate creative slides into your skating or generally go very fast, then we recommend harder wheels. The harder the wheels, the less wear and tear - roller profile
Finally, we should not forget the roller profile. There are rollers that run more pointedly and others that are a little flatter or more rounded.
In general, we can say that the sharper the wheel profile, the faster, and the rounder the wheel profile, the better the grip. Especially if we do a lot of creative tricks, our wheel should have a rounder profile, as this will allow us to maintain grip even if we tilt the skate sideways.
In urban skating and big wheel blading, only the following three wheel profiles are usually used (from rounded to pointed): Full Radius, Bullet or Race.
Now that you know which wheels are suitable for your riding style, or what to look out for with the wheels, we come to the last hardware topic, the frames, which in German are also called rails or frames.
2.5 The right frames for urban skating
Nothing is more important than choosing the frame or fame and the associated possible wheel setup and rockering. Because choosing the right frame is the deciding factor for your setup.
The choice of frame determines how agile, safe or fast you are on your inline skates. The frame also has a big influence on the overall weight of the skates, as well as the final power transmission and directness of the ride.
The nice thing is that depending on the assembly standard of our inline skates, such as Trinity, Dual Point, UFS etc., we have the option of switching between different frames and experimenting. As long as the frames are not riveted to your skate (which rarely happens with professional inline skates), you can also change them.
You can find a particularly large variety of different frames, for example with the Trinity or 165mm Dual Point Mounting. Even ice skate blades or SUV off-road setups are possible here.
The revolutionary Trinity mounting system developed by Powerslide ensures closer to the ground and better power transmission.
You can find countless frames in the market in a wide variety of variations. They vary in the following categories:
- Mounting standard (Frame Mounting),
- Material,
- manufacturing process and design,
- size (height and length),
- roll size,
- number of rolls,
- roller arrangement,
- rockering.
There are special frames for each area of application, which give you small or large advantages depending on your personal requirements or in a specific area.
The sooner a frame meets your personal requirements, or the more advantages it offers you for your individual skating style, the faster you will progress and the more precisely and skillfully you will be able to perform your tricks and apply skating techniques:
- frame length (wheel base)
The longer the frame, the more stable you stand; the shorter the frame, the more agile and maneuverable you are.
The respective information on the frame length usually refers to the wheelbase, not to the actual length of the frame. - material and manufacturing process
The lighter the materials used, the less energy it costs you to move.
The stiffer the materials, the better the power transmission and directness. A stiffer frame is often heavier and is, for example, CNC milled or forged instead of cast. - number of roles
The more wheels you use, the better the grip, or adhesion to the road, which is an advantage in steep curves at very high speeds, for example.
The fewer wheels, the lighter the setup and the longer you can skate. A frame with fewer wheels usually, but not necessarily, also comes with a shorter wheel base, which provides more agility. - H-Block, or Grind Groove
Some frames, especially aggressive inline frames and big wheel frames, come with an H-block. This allows you to master diverse and creative grinds.
Now you have to think about what type of skater you are and which frame suits your personal skating style.
Do you want a frame that fits 76mm wheels to make agile/fast turns or would you rather have a longer frame for 125mm wheels to be faster than everyone else?
Would you prefer more stability for jumps and therefore four rolls, do you prefer the agility of three rolls or would you prefer five rolls?
The choice is yours!
2.6 The right clothing for urban inline skating
What clothes we wear for inline skating and urban inline skating is up to each of us. There is no dress code and everyone has their own style.
However, so that the only limit remains your skating and your imagination, we recommend clothing that offers you space and therefore a lot or at least good freedom of movement.
If we make a recommendation, then take a look at our shop. With the “IQON Softgoods” you can be stylish and free in any weather and take your skating to a completely new level.
2.7 Locations and Inspiration
Especially when you've been skating for a long time, you sometimes lack inspiration for something new. This even applies to urban skating, where the limits are almost endless.
If that's the case, then we recommend that you look for a new spot that will encourage your creativity and bring a breath of fresh air to your skating. Even if you're new to urban inline skating, the right spot can be crucial. While spot X almost makes you bored, spot Y can have the exact opposite effect.
That's why we recommend that you skate through the city with your eyes open, incorporate every obstacle, no matter how small, into your urban skating and let your creativity run wild.
Look out for interesting architecture, steps, bumps, walls, sights or try to see and rediscover your local skate park from a different perspective.
If you ever run out of ideas, watch videos of other skaters or watch others skate live. We can all learn from each other, from each other, or get completely new inspiration.
Search the internet for inspiring videos on the subject of skating, no matter whether it is urban skating, other skating styles or even completely different skating areas such as roller skating or ice skating, the more diverse and unusual, the more interesting.
Join communities, check out our website, our videos and team riders, or meet new people along the way. We inline skaters love skating, share our knowledge with joy and are always happy to learn something new, including from you.
3. How can we learn urban skating?
Urban inline skating is suitable for every level and that is one of the reasons why it is so fascinating. You don't need any special previous knowledge to start urban skating, just go out and start rolling.
If you are just starting out with urban skating, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the basics until you feel reasonably confident on the skates.
Once you feel confident, move on to further basics for the different riding techniques, small jumps and stability exercises.
To improve safety and stability for advanced tricks, it is beneficial if you practice everything both in forward and backward riding, as well as regular and switch, which increases the level of difficulty significantly.
Once you decide to try urban skating there is a wealth of knowledge to discover and boundaries to overcome.
With our videos and tutorials we give you optimal support to learn not only the tricks and techniques of urban inline skating, but also all the technical knowledge.
In addition to our free learning videos and tutorials for urban inline skating, we also offer you the following additional options for learning urban skating:
- Book an inline skating course of your choice with us or register with us for personal training, a couples course or a closed group course.
- Take a look at our Urban Inline Skating trick list and find out what tricks there are and what level of difficulty they are classified into.
- In the introduction to each of our skate blogs about a specific urban inline trick, you will always find a short video or trick clip. Using our trick clips, you will learn to associate the name with a trick and vice versa. With the help of these short videos, you can also learn the respective trick autodidactically.
- Finally, for many of our tutorials we also have detailed text-based instructions, including photos and important tips and tricks to learn and perfect the respective trick or technique.
4. These disciplines include Urban Inline Skating
As in every sport, we also find different disciplines or trick categories in urban inline skating. That's why we have summarized the most important categories for you below:
- power stops and power slides
Power Stops and Power Slides are collective terms for different slides and stops. By "sliding" we mean sliding with the rollers over various surfaces, such as asphalt.
Stops and slides help you come to a stop safely and effectively. This is especially important when you are traveling at higher speeds. - Jumps & Airs
By the terms jumps and airs we mean a collection of different jumps:
Simple jumps, jumps with spins, grabs (jumps where we grab the skates, for example) or flips.
While we understand a jump to mean jumping in a variety of forms, we refer to an air as an air when we fly for a particularly long time or very high into the air.
These tricks often require good control of the skates and solid balance. - drops
Drops of different heights are essential in urban skating. Practice them to be able to handle more obstacles.
A drop is a jump into the depths, such as from a loading ramp, a wall, a roof or other elevations. - Cess Slides
Cess slides are a variation of a grind (technically it can be any grind), but instead of grinding, you slide along the ground while touching the object with either the frame or the soul plate (or both). The most common cess slides are royale, frontside or full torque. The concept of the cess slide is that you literally slide completely freely with your feet in the position of the respective grind without having any grip or any other kind of guidance. - spins
By spin we mean the turning of our body, no matter what the situation.
Practice spinning around your own axis, whether on the ground or in the air. This can help you maintain control during tricks or in tight situations. - grave
The term grab describes the gripping of one or more skates with the hand or hands during a trick, such as an air, slide or grind. - flips
The term flip describes a rotation over the head. A backflip, or backward somersault, for example, belongs to the category of flips. - stair climbing (stair rides)
Learn to go up and down stairs safely. This requires skill and control over your skates and your balance and weight shifting. - carving
Carving means skating very tight curves with the help of shifting the weight of our body.
Learn to make smooth turns and stay in control of your skates. Carving is not only a basic skill, but also the basis for more advanced tricks. - Lips, or Lip Tricks
The term lip trick, like the term stall, refers to standing on the edge of a wall, pipe, etc. Unlike a stall, a lip trick can also be performed with the hand. A typical lip trick is a handstand or handplant. - wallrides
Wall riding involves skating on a vertical surface for a certain amount of time before leaving it, such as along a wall. This can be done with both skates or just one skate.
Wall rides can be as simple or as creative as you can make them. It's not so much the height that matters, but the angle at which you ride.
It does not have to be a real "wall", but can also be a box, a column or something similar. - Wallstalls
The term wallstall refers to standing against a wall. The wallstall is therefore a stripped down version of a wallride. - slalom
The term slalom usually describes skating through and between slalom cones.
However, slalom also refers to a special type of skating in which you skate in large or small arcs from right to left and left to right. - manuals
The term manual describes skating on only two or fewer wheels. - grinds
Big Wheel Blading, formerly known as Powerblading, also includes the category of Grinds. This is when a skater slides along edges or railings. The soul plates (on the sides of the skates/frames) and grooves (between the wheels, in the middle of the frames) are used for this purpose.
5. We should know these inline skating terms!
You will come across the following terms again and again in the area of urban inline skating and big wheel blading. Therefore, they will not only help you to find your way around the urban skating and big wheel scene, but also to get you started.
- roller hardness
Albert Ferdinand Shore was an American metallurgist. In 1915, Shore invented the durometer for measuring the hardness of polymers and other elastomers.
Thanks to the square durometer, we can precisely define the hardness of inline skate wheels and thus use the wheels that meet our personal requirements.
Hardness is measured in Alberts, such as 85(A). The lower the value, the softer and the higher the value, the harder the rollers. - Flat (Flat Setup | Flat Frame)
By a flat setup we mean a frame with a flat arrangement of all wheels. With a flat setup, all wheels on our frame are at the same height, meaning that during normal skating, all wheels touch the ground (classic setup). - rocker
The rocker in inline skates refers to the arrangement of the wheels along the axis of the skate. Typically, inline skates have a "flat configuration" where all the wheels are on the same level or height to have equal or common contact with the surface.
In a "rocker" configuration, the rollers are arranged in such a way that they are not all in a line, but rather in a kind of arc, for example (but not necessarily). - Natural Rocker (NR)
The term Natural Rocker (NR) describes a two-stage to three-stage rocker, i.e. the arrangement of the rollers at two or three different heights, while the front and rear rollers are arranged higher up.
For the Natural Rocker you need at least four wheels. Usually four wheels of the same size are used.
Example:
We have four rollers on our frame, the middle two rollers are lower, the front and rear rollers are higher. While the middle rollers are at the same height, for example, the front roller could be 2mm higher and the rear roller only 1mm higher.
The rearmost and frontmost rollers can also both be positioned exactly 2mm higher, for example.
An example of a natural rocker is the Banana Rocker.
These types of rockers are used in urban, freestyle slalom and wizard skating, among others.
This type of rocker gives you very high agility and makes you extremely maneuverable. - High-Low Rocker (HiLo)
A High Low or HiLo Rocker can be a Natural Rocker, with the two middle rollers located lower and the front and rear rollers located higher up.
However, a natural rocker is not necessarily a HiLo rocker and a HiLo rocker is not necessarily an NR rocker.
With a HiLo Rocker, the front two rollers can be higher and the rear two rollers can be lower. - Progressive Rocker (PR)
The term Progressive Rocker (PR) describes a rocker with at least three levels, i.e. the arrangement of the wheels at three different heights.
The middle or central rollers are always the lowest, while the other rollers are arranged higher up and at different heights, creating a curve.
For the progressive rocker you need at least five wheels. The wheels can all be the same size.
With the Advanced Progressive Rocker, for example, the rear and front rollers are larger than the other rollers, but are still higher.
Example:
The front roller is the highest, the second roller is a little lower, the third roller is even lower (lowest), the fourth roller is higher again, and the fifth and rearmost roller is even higher.
The front and rear rollers, as well as the second front and second rear rollers, can be arranged at the same height, but they do not have to be.
A PR Rocker usually uses five smaller wheels, which are smaller than the NR Rocker. This gives you the advantage of a lower center of gravity, which improves control over the inline skates. Smaller wheels also lead to better stability and therefore safer standing.
Smaller rollers arranged directly next to each other also result in a shorter roller position, i.e. a shorter distance between the rollers directly next to each other.
This further increases maneuverability and agility, despite an overall long frame.
In freestyle slalom skating, greater agility is an advantage, but a PR Rocker is not used there because the frame is too long.
That's why a progressive rocker is mainly found and used for very creative tricks. - Anti Rocker (Antirocker / AR)
An anti rocker is basically the exact opposite of a natural banana rocker.
Antirocker refers to an arrangement of rollers in which the middle two rollers are higher than the rear and front rollers.
Example:
The front and rear wheels are positioned lower (usually at the same height) and are in permanent contact with the ground when skating.
The middle two wheels, often special grind wheels, are higher or smaller so that they do not touch the ground during normal skating.
An anti-rocker setup is used by many aggressive inline skaters because it gives us the following advantages:
Minimizing the risk of wheel bites and making it easier to hit and execute grinds.
When you touch down on an edge, e.g. after a jump, the middle wheels (anti-rocker / grind wheels) take on the function of wheels and take you over bumps better and more safely.
- liner
The term liner comes from English and means nothing other than inner shoe.
Many inline skates, especially hard-shell skates, have a separate inner shoe that can be exchanged and replaced.
With the help of the right liner or inner shoe, the fit of a skate can be further improved and the comfort and support increased.
For example, there are both thick and thin inner shoes, as well as lace-up inner shoes with or without eyelets. - Wheelbite (Wheel Bite)
The term wheel bite refers to getting caught on our wheels.
We use the term wheel bite not only for big wheel blading, but also for aggressive inline skating.
Example:
We jump with our skates onto the edge of a wall or a pole to grind there with our H-block or groove. We don't hit the ground precisely enough or we don't place our skates correctly. This results in the middle or outer wheels touching the edge of the wall, pole or obstacle. This slows us down and we can even trip over them and fall.
A wheel bite is when the wheel bites firmly into the ground. - tool
Most people know it, but not everyone. Tool means nothing other than tool in German and therefore describes the tools we use to loosen the wheels of our skates, change the ball bearings or tighten screws. - Straight
The term straight is only used in very rare cases, because it only describes driving forward and is considered a prefix for any trick that is performed without turning while driving forward. - fakie
The term fakie describes riding backwards and is used as a prefix for any trick that is performed while riding backwards. - Switch / Regular
Every skater has a stronger leg, a preferred direction of rotation, a preferred direction of looking over the shoulder, a preferred foot for braking, and a side on which a trick, such as a grind, is preferred (regular). The term switch refers to the execution of any technique and any trick on and with the unfamiliar side, or the weaker leg. - Snake (Snaked)
The term snake refers to someone who cuts us off, drives into our line or prevents us from performing a trick. - step-in
By a step-in we mean a step with which we initiate our trick.
We step or tap, for example, onto the edge of a sidewalk and then jump into the air with the help of this step.
Another example would be that we run or tap into a grind instead of jumping or flying into it. - gap
We call a gap a gap or hole over which we jump. The gap is called a gap. - Transition
In skating, transition means skating a transition, e.g. from one pipe to another or from a slanted wall to the straight surface of the wall. - Soulplate
The soulplate is located under an aggressive skate and is usually made of plastic or metal. Its purpose is to reduce friction and facilitate sliding on surfaces.
This allows the skater to perform various tricks and stunts by placing the soulplate on surfaces such as ramps or edges and sliding over it. We call this category of tricks grinds. - Positive (Positive Soul)
By Positive Soul we mean the outer side of the Soulplate.
The outer side of the soul plate is the side that is on the right side of our right skate and on the left side of our left skate.
For example, if we do an acid grind where we grind on the outer side of our soul plate, it is a positive acid grind.
Since the positive variant is the standard variant, we skaters usually leave out the addition “positive”. - Negative (Negative Soul)
By Negative Soul we mean the inner side of the Soulplate.
The inner side of the soul plate is the side that is on the left side of our right skate and on the right side of our left skate.
For example, if we do an acid grind where we grind on the inner side of our soul plate, it is a negative acid grind.
Since the negative variant is the more difficult variant, we usually always use the addition Negative. - Downside
We usually use the term downside in connection with a stall or grind. A downside grind is a grind in which we grind over the lower side of our soul plate, i.e. over or on the side that faces the ground when standing normally.
A downside stall or grind is the usual and therefore standard form of a grind.
The following stalls and grinds are, for example, downside stalls and grinds:
Makio Stall, Soul Grind, Acid Grind, P-Stall, Mizou Grind, Makio Grind etc. - topside
We usually use the term topside in connection with a stall or grind. With a topside, our soul plate is perpendicular to the ledge, curb, coping or rail, while our frame rests on the side of the obstacle.
Imagine that the frames form a 90° angle to each other, but that the frame rests horizontally on top of the obstacle and the soul plate rests vertically on the side.
We can also perform all downside grinds topside, e.g. topside soul grind or topside acid.
Some topside tricks have their own names. A topside makio, for example, is also called a fishbrain. - Groove (H-Block)
The groove is located in the middle of the frame, between the wheels and is usually made of plastic or metal. It serves to reduce friction and facilitate gliding on surfaces
This allows the skater to perform various tricks and stunts by placing the soulplate on surfaces such as ramps or edges and sliding over it. We call this category of tricks grinds. - stall
By stall we mean standing with the groove, the soul plate, the frame or the wheels on an edge, wall, coping or similar without grinding. - Grind
By grind we mean sliding with the groove, soulplate or frame on an edge, wall, coping, rail or similar.
If we slip over the wheels of our skates, we call it a slide. - Channel (Channel Grind)
In a flat set-up with no groove there are 3 channels. It is similar with an anti-rocker setup. The first channel is between the first and second wheels. The second channel is between the second and third wheels. Finally, channel 3 is between the third and fourth wheels. In a Channel Royale it is common to combine the numbers. For example, in a Channel 33 Royale both skates would be on channel 3. - Grabbed
By grabbed we mean a name suffix which we use when we grab our skate or foot with our hands during a trick.
Here are a few examples:
We do a Makio Grind and grab our foot = Grabbed Makio.
We make a jump, or air, and grab our foot = Grabbed Air - Rocket
We use the term rocket when we extend one leg while performing a trick and grab the foot or skate of the extended leg.
As a small example we can take the "Rocket Makio Grind". - Step Grind
A step grind is a soul grind variant, but where we don't grind on the soul plate, but on the lower narrow piece of the frame.
Step grinds can also be done on the negative side. Remember that this is more likely to happen by accident and is almost impossible on a rounded surface (such as a rail).
Of course, there are also skaters who are particularly good at this type of accidental grind. - Switch-Up (Switch Up)
By the term switch-up we mean the direct change from one stable to another or from one grind to another grind.
To do this, we can either simply change the foot position or jump into a new position (stall or grind).
For example, if we switch to a Makio Grind while doing a Soulgrind with a full rotation, that would be a Soulgrind 360° to Makio Grind Switch-Up. - Rough
Rough means something like rough or coarse and is a variation of a soulplate grind.
For a rough stall or rough grind we only use the heel part, i.e. the back part of the soul plate (instead of placing the soul plate completely on the obstacle)
A rough stall or rough grind is another variation of any soulplate stall or grind.
This variation was also called a "Bin", e.g. a Rough Soul was or can also be called a Bin Soul. Warning! This can easily be confused with the "Byn" Soul, which is a completely different and special trick. - Tough
Tough means tough or hard and is a variation of a Soul Stall or Soul Grind.
For a Tough Stall or Tough Grind we only use the toe part, i.e. the front part of the Soulplate (instead of placing the Soulplate completely on the obstacle)
A Tough Stall or Tough Grind is another variation of any Soulplate Stall or Grind.
A good way to remember this trick name or variation is that T stands for Tough and Toe.
This variant has also been called "Tokyo", for example Tokyo Soul instead of Tough Soul. - disaster
We refer to a disaster as, for example, a stall or grind with a catastrophic or frightening initial situation.
A disaster grind, for example, is a grind where we first have to jump over another obstacle or a gap in order to then land on the final obstacle and grind.
Even if we simply have to jump a great distance to land in a grind or stall, we call it a disaster. - Darkside
A darkside stall or grind is when we jump over the object and stall or grind it on the other side than the one we approached it from (although we could have grinded the object from either side).
For example, we ride on the left side of a grind box, jump over it and land on the right side of the grind box in our stall or grind (although we could have stalled or grinded the grind box on the left side as well). - Farside
We speak of a farside stall or grind when we skip an object that we can only stall or grind on the "other side" in order to get to the stallable or grindable side.
In other words, it is also a farside if we skip an obstacle to grind it on the side that is actually intended for it. - Zero Spin
We call it zero spin when we start a stall or grind from reversing without turning and also perform the grind backwards.
So we ride fakie (backwards), jump into the grind without turning and grind backwards. - Alleyoop (AO)
An alleyoop or AO stall or grind is a stall or grind that we initiate with, for example, a half turn while moving forward.
Attention! It is important that we turn 180° in the direction of the obstacle or object.
Example:
Our grind box is to our left. We ride forward towards the grind box, jump a half turn with a left turn and land backwards in a soul grind.
With an alleyoop grind we can target the object while rotating. - Truespin (Tru)
A Truespin or Tru Stall, or Grind is a stall or grind that we initiate with, for example, a half turn while driving forward.
Attention! It is important that we turn 180° in the opposite direction of the obstacle or object.
Example:
Our grind box is to our left. We ride forward towards the grind box, jump a half turn with a right turn and land backwards in a soul grind.
With a Truespin Grind, we cannot target the object while it is spinning and so we jump at it blindly. - Inspin (In-Spin)
We call it an inspin when we start a stall or grind, with a 180° turn, for example, from reversing and then perform the grind forwards.
So we start fakie (backwards), jump into the grind with a half turn and then grind forward.
Attention! It is important that we turn (turn towards) the obstacle or object with the 180° rotation. - Outspin (Out-Spin)
We call it an outspin when we start a stall or grind, with a 180° turn, for example, from reversing and then perform the grind forwards.
So we start fakie (backwards), jump into the grind with a half turn and then grind forward.
Attention! It is important that we turn (turn away) from the obstacle or object with the 180° rotation. - Half Cab (180°)
We call it a half cab when we jump into a stall or grind with a half turn while reversing.
Example:
If we turn towards the object, this would be a Half Cab Inspin Stall, or Grind. - Full Cab (360°)
We call it a full cab when we jump from forward driving into a stall or grind with a full turn.
Example:
If we turn towards the object, this would be a full cab inspin stall or grind. - Revert
A revert is, for example, a 180° jump out of a stall or grind while turning away from the object.
Example:
We grind on an obstacle that is to our right. Then we jump out of the grind with a 180° turn to the left. - Rewind
A rewind is, for example, a 180° jump out of a stall or grind while turning towards the object.
Example:
We grind on an obstacle that is to our right. Then we jump out of the grind with a 180° turn to the right.
6. What are the rules for inline skating?
When it comes to inline skating, and urban inline skating as well, there is only one important rule in the law: We inline skaters are considered pedestrians under the law (in Germany). Therefore, we should follow the same rules that apply to pedestrians.
In addition to the official rules, we also recommend a few other points for safe inline skating:
- traffic rules
We urban inline skaters should know and follow the traffic rules. Even though we inline skaters are considered pedestrians under the law, skating on bike paths, streets and public places is tolerated.
To keep it that way, we should be considerate and follow the general rules of traffic. - Respect public space
We urban skaters should respect public space and not cause damage to public or private property. Sliding over handrails, railings or other architectural elements should only be done in designated areas or with the permission of the owner.
- Be considerate of others
Pedestrians have priority.
Adjust your speed when overtaking pedestrians and be prepared to stop or swerve if necessary. Be considerate of cyclists, drivers and other road users.
When riding in skate parks or other skate spots, be considerate of other skaters and use the facilities fairly. - Master your equipment
Make sure your inline skates are in good condition and that all moving parts work properly. Check your wheels, brakes (if applicable) and screws regularly to avoid accidents due to material defects.
If you follow these rules, you will not only ensure your own safety, but you will also contribute to a positive image of the urban inline skating community and to better coexistence with our fellow human beings.
7. A trip into the history of inline skating
Finally, we delve into the history of urban inline skating, which brings with it some exciting points. To do this, we go back to 2010 and find ourselves in Spain, more precisely in Barcelona. At that time, the term " powerblading " was born, a marketing term that became known in the inline skating world.
Oli Benet had recently moved to the city center and installed larger 80mm wheels on his Xsjado Aggressive Inline Skates so that he could move around the city better and faster instead of having to take the bike, car or subway.
Together with the company Powerslide, Oli founded and set up "The Powerhouse", where powerslide skaters could live and film in Barcelona. Richie Eisler was the first to arrive and Oli lent him his "Powerblading skates" (aggressive inline skates with large wheels).
Shortly afterwards, Dustin Werbeski arrived, saw Oli's Powerblades and fell in love with the aggressive skates with big wheels, as did Oli himself and Richie. As more and more guests arrived, it became clear to everyone that this was not only the best and cheapest way to get around the city, but that it was also a lot of fun to be on the big wheels and to incorporate the tricks from the skate park.
Back then, aggressive inline skaters were hardly familiar with large wheels, as the scene itself only used wheels between 55mm and 60mm in size. So it was a huge sensation when the first aggressive skaters equipped their skates with 80mm wheels.
Immediately everyone started calling skating with aggressive inline skates with these large wheels " Powerblading " - a name that actually came from CJ Wellsmore in Australia, who had been given some freeskates, which he called Powerblades.
Richie, Dustin and Oli spoke to boss Matthias Knoll from Powerslide about making frames for and with large wheels for grinding. Matthias was enthusiastic about this idea and the first product lines were created. With the frames of the KIZER Arrow and KIZER Advance lines, the term " Powerblading " was officially born as a marketing concept and as a style of skating - grinding on large wheels.
Since grinding with large wheels was controversial at the time and some puritanical aggressive inline skaters were upset about it, Oli started a separate project, the " Powerblading " project. The project quickly gained a huge fan base, as well as an extremely active community with over 2,000 active users.
The project, as well as the website, was supported by Powerslide, Grindhouse and Rollerblade. However, as the popularity of powerblading grew, Rollerblade changed their mind about the project and issued a cease and desist letter on the term powerblading. Rollerblade owned the trademark rights to an old, forgotten skate called the "Powerblade".
So ended the short, exciting project and life of Powerblading and a new name rose like a phoenix from the ashes.
Welcome to Big Wheel Blading !
Love it or hate it, powerblading changed the entire industry. Big wheel skating evolved from a little-known niche into its own type of skating. Big wheel blading, previously known as powerblading, was born.
The first skates that were tailored to big wheel blading and embodied this type of skate were the following:
- USD Carbon Free PB
- USD Team Realm PB
- Xsjado 2.0 PB
- Xsjado 1.0 PB
- USD Kids Transformer PB
- Aeon 72 (added in 2017)
In addition to these models, there were also the first Big Wheel Blading Frames from the KIZER brand, which at that time were still called Powerblading:
- Advance PB Frame for max. 80mm
- Level II PB Frame for max. 76mm
- Level III PB Frame for max. 72mm (added in 2014)
In keeping with this, one of the top roller brands that still exists today launched the first rollers for Big Wheel Blading:
- UNDERCOVER PB Bullet 80
- UNDERCOVER PB Controller Full Radius 80
- UC Team Los Angeles 72mm
- UC Team Tokio SR 76mm
- UC Team Paris FR 76mm
- UC Team Rio de Janeiro 80mm
In 2017, things got really BIG - the USD Sway Freeride with the KIZER Trimax 3x110mm frame was introduced. Big Wheels Blading is the bridge between aggressive and urban skating.
With Big Wheel Blading, Powerslide wanted to bring the two skating disciplines closer together. After the first tests, the Powerslide team riders were quickly convinced that it can be a lot of fun to be able to move around the city faster with bigger wheels and still not have to compromise on tricks, grinds, etc.
New tricks were developed and with the “Powerhouse” in Barcelona they had a shared skater community that encouraged each other and tried new things.