Forces Applied on the Ground in Roller Skating

Abstract

Walking, running, cycling, skating are just some examples of the many possibilities available to man for his own motion. Most of these activities have been widely studied both from a physiological as well as biomechanic viewpoint. On the contrary, few researches and experiments are available as regards skating, particularly roller-skating. In this sport the athlete wears a special pair of shoes fitted with four little wheels, each one of which is able to spin freely on a axis of its own. The analysis of the techniques used in roller-skating (as to how, when and where the propulsive force is applied and of the most appropriate length and frequency of each step) can provide some valuable information for a more thorough development of this sport activity. In order to have the opportunity to study and evaluate at least some of these parameters, some special force transducers were built and applied to each of the wheel fitted on a pair of skates. Furthermore, front and back weight-force detectors were also installed.