LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

EdP · Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Posts: 481

What is the are people's thoughts on the hill climbing technique outlined at about 1.20 of this Eddy Matzger video? - it is quite radically different to how I'd normally approach an ascent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVH_WA_L4yg

Fred_Paris · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:13 am Subject:

You definitely don't want to be be underpushing while going uphill, It is quite different from what I personally do as I don't set my skate straight like in this video.

I tend to glide it in a more open position from the set down, it also really deppend on the incline, the steeper the more the sake is open.

EdP · Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Posts: 481

Likewise - I'm going to have a go at this at Richmond on Saturday to see how it feels. On the face of it, it looks like an easy enough technique to perform.

ed! · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:38 am Subject:

I can't view the video at work, but will take the hit and agree with Fred's comments.

The steeper the incline, the more open my foot tends to be when setting down, and shorter the stride. I then tend to swing my arms across my body to give momentum.

I really wouldn't look to do any sort of underpush as that looks to expel more energy.

Mikey-two-Names · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 4107

If you want to link directly to a specific time point in a YouTube video, add this, for example, &01m27s. If it's a very long video, then h for hours as well. Here's the direct link to EdP's bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVH_WA_L4yg&t=01m27s

There's no underpush in that video, as far as I can see, it's nothing more than a straight ahead setdown. I'm not sure I'd want to set down straight ahead up a hill, but maybe if the hill wasn't particularly steep and I was going up at speed. Otherwise it'd be an open setdown for me too.

EdP · Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Posts: 481

Yeah, no underpush, just a straight ahead set down with a deliberate turning out of the foot. Here is the technique in action in a race (with Mike's linking method!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZTqr1NPn_k&t=05m30s

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1380 Location: Putney

The "pivot open on the heel" looks quite energy inefficient to me, short fast movements aren't very sustainable.
In practise in the marathon video I think he doesn't look so bad though...

What I see in the race video, is a straight ahead set-down followed by a short glide, followed by a more rapid than usual opening of the foot for the push.

The other guy is doing similar, perhaps a longer glide, but he's also a lot taller, and has a more classic/stylised technique than Mazger.

I think that's all fairly normal/natural... if you have the speed and momentum to glide then you want a straight(er) setdown to make the most of it, but when going up hill you'll decelerate much faster, so therefore presumably want to transition from glide to push proportionally faster.

Space there for a coaches comment I think??

In the video he is doing it up a fairly steep hill... but he's also sprinting to break away from the other guy... I'd like to see him do the same/similar hill at a more normal speed... I don't reckon he'd have the momentum to glide up the hill... regardless, at some point he won't... in which case what benefit is there from a straight ahead set-down?

dan_b · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 2428

Yeah, I'm not sure why he's teaching that technique either. Maybe because it forces the unweighting of the toe wheels in order to pivot, so you have to get weight through your heels where it will do most good?

Echo the comments of others: if for whatever reason I need to be in a low "gear" while skating (starts, uphills) I achieve that by setting down more open, not by setting down straight ahead and scraping wheels across the road. Straight setdown is for cruising speed and higher (or for drills)

Van · Joined: 10 Nov 2008 Posts: 227 Location: London

Lots of opportunity to scrutinize Eddy's hillclimbing technique in this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbNpZX6iHDg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbNpZX6iHDg&t=02m09s

annabri · Joined: 07 Feb 2011 Posts: 204 Location: London

At least the surfaces looks good but too high. some corners looks quite sharp.
I try to shorten my stride uphill and use my arms.