Roller Skating - Types

Artistic Roller Skating

Artistic Roller Skating is a sport consisting of various events. Usually these are accomplished on quad skates, but inline skates are also used for some events. Many types of events are organized according to age and experience. There are nine regional competitions in the US which lead to the National Championships and World Championships.

Figures

There are prescribed movements symmetrically composed of a minimum of two circles, and a maximum of three circles. It involves either primary, or both primary and secondary movements with or without turns. These are skated on circles, inscribed on the skating surface.

Types of Dance

Basically, there are two types of dance in skating −

• Solo Dance − In solo dance, the competition starts at tiny tot and goes up to golden, for a test round, it starts with bronze and goes up to gold. One has to take a couple of tests to get into a certain event though. In competition, there are set patterns and the judges give marks for good edges, how the look etc.

• Team Dance − At the set dances during a team dance, two people skate together. A partner with the same age and ability is preferred by most of the dancers.

Accuracy of the steps are the basic factor of judgment for the skaters while performing a particular dance. They are mostly judged by their turns and edges and apart from that they are required to portray themselves in elegance during the dance and should pay full attention to the timing and the rhythm of the music.

Freestyle Roller Dancing

In freestyle roller dancing, the physical movements are based on music. This type of dance is neither choreographed nor pre-planned so any level of athlete can come and dance.

Precision Teams

In this type of dancing, the members of a team should be either four or in the multiple of four. The following elements are performed in this types of dance −

• Skating in a line
• Skating in a box
• Splicing
• Skating in a circle

The judgement is based on the team’s ability of skating together and its choreography.

Singles and Pairs

In this either a single or a pair of skaters perform on the music. The factors to judge are their ability to skate and also creativity. Movements like jumps, turns and spins are expected in this type of performance. Sometimes two songs are played for an individual or couple of skaters.

Speed Skating

In inline skating, the players perform on inline skates. The basis of the judgement is creativity and skating ability as the skaters have to include jumps spins and turns in their performance.

Group Skating

In this type of skating, a large group of skaters skate on the streets. Previously the touring was limited only to quad roller skate club but later on it also started in inline skate competitions.

Aggressive Inline

Aggressive inline skating is a type of skating with tricks. Here the individual performs tricks using a slightly different skate than the normal one. This type of skating is seen at a skate park on the street including tricks like grinds, spins, and flips.

Roller Hockey

Roller hockey is another name for a roller sport which existed long before inline skates were even invented. Quad skates were used to play roller hockey in many countries all over the world and has many names.

Roller Derby

Roller derby is a team sport played with the use of roller skates on an oval track. Originally, for skating demonstration, an out of speed product has been developed and trademarked. The sport which is mainly played by women is currently undergoing a renewal as a grass-roots driven 5-a-side.

Most of the roller derby leagues adopt the rules and guidelines of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, or sometimes of the Men’s Roller Derby Association, which is its men counterpart.