INLINE vs ICE SKATING .. Differences Explained

Inline ... or ice ... what are the differences?

First let's compare the blades. The ice blade is rockered, which means the front and back are rounded. Here you see a hockey skate but the same applies to dance skates as well. Speed skates are different, but that's a topic for another video.

These dice illustrate the blade's contact surface.

A typical inline skate has a much longer contact surface.

Please also note that rockered inline skates do exist, which make them more like hockey skates.

What this all mean in real life is that on ice skates it's more difficult to keep balance. A correct stance is more important on ice skates. Or as Bill Stoppard puts it; on rollerblades STAY LOW. On ice skates STAY LOWER (difference #1).

This is important not only for balance but also to get a good grip.

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The edges. The edges are completely different. Still, inline and ice skating are very similar. Crossover turns are the same. Transitions feel the same. Even slalom turns are mostly the same. However, the T-stop (drag stop) does not really work on ice. It's because dragging a skate behind you on ice does not create much friction. (difference #2).

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The hockey stop works well on ice ... thus the name hockey stop ... but it's much more difficult on inline skates (difference #3). It's because an ice skate easily just shaves off some ice while for inline skates the physics are completely different.

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The weight. Hockey skates are lighter than inline skates. Lighter skates make you quicker and let you go on for longer. A few hundred grams may not sound that much, but I do notice the difference. (difference #4)

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Finally I'd like to mention that falling on ice so much better (difference #5). Just glide it off and up you go. This is the most important difference in my opinion.

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Although it's good to be aware of these differences, you should not forget that inline and ice skating are ninety percent the same. Just enjoy both kinds. The better you are at inline skating, the better you are at ice skating. And vice versa.

[gottfired]

I think the biggest difference is that edges work differently. On ice the more you lean on the edge the more grip you get. On inline the more you lean, the more you slide. One ice it's the opposite. The less you lean, the more you slide. Same on skis by the way.

[renderz]

I tried doing a waltz jump with rollerblades, i couldnt walk down stairs for a few days

[kolbekjm]

The only reason i can ice skate is because i only skated in inline skates

[chrisrugh]

Agree! I may even argue that they are 98% similar. Every freestyle trick I've learned on inlines translates very well to ice, and usually much less effort is needed. So (like stopping) if you can produce a 3-turn on inlines, do it very gently on ice because much less effort is needed.

Yes, I've over rotated a few times when figuring this out...

[samcarambat]

aw man that ice rink you filmed in is HUGE! Where is that??

[austin]

only reason i'm using inline blades is to practice hockey for next season

[eatpinkjin]

the T-Stop is actually used on the ice

[wollowa]

Ice skating looks so good and graceful

[adhdhikaru]

The difference (to me at least) was really jarring actually. SInce I was already used to how "touchy" my balance was on the ice (I learned to ice skate first), I used little weight shifts to my advantage when I was ice skating, which doesn't translate very well to inline because of the difference in physics. You can get away with not paying attention to balance as much on inline, but you have to work harder to do the same things you can on ice, which was a hard transition. It might not be as bad for people going from inline to ice skating though. Just my thoughts.

[itzajdmting]

Yes for me my rollerblading experience translated directly to ice skating. the key was to use a decent laced up boot and once I got the ice skates laced very tight I was good to go and ended up going backwards immediately. Felt right at home.

[HarmonicaMustang]

I skate every weekend, but I don't get to ice skate too often so learning ice-specific techniques (such as the hockey stop) is difficult. The T-stop on ice may be less effective than on inlines, but it still works and I find it to be a commonly shared technique I can practise and use safely in both situations.

[skamidan]

I enjoyed it, thx for the good work! :)
Keep it up!

[ericlindal]

Nice video, thanks for posting. I am pretty good with inline, and now my ice skating is getting better.

[paulkerry]

Your t stop doesn't work because your doing it wrong. You use the OUTSIDE edge of the trailing skate not the inside. That's why your sliding!

[xskywakerx]

wow, I liked it, I've been often thinking about the difference, thank you, now I know

[gamefan]

This video was very helpful thank you for posting :D

[nyrgaming]

I’ve noticed that rollerblading does help with ice skating for some aspects. Like if you rollerblade for longer periods of time, some things on ice will become easier to do.

[quantumsoul]

Résumé:
Hockey: quicker, hockey stop, fall less painfully
Inline: more stable, drag stop, skate everywhere

[haydenbenninghofen]

I have both and love to play hockey in the winter and use inlines in the summer to practice since you can use a lot of the techniques in both sports

[TiagoInlineSkater]

very cool! keep up the good work man :)