ROLLER SKATES (Quads) OR BLADES (Aggressive Inlines): Which One Is Best For You?

Hi I'm Shorty and welcome back to my YouTube channel Shorty Skate Series. Today I'm going to go over a question that a lot of skaters have which is roller skates or blades? So just a little bit of skating background on me. I started skating in 2009. I played roller derby for about nine years. Then I moved to Seoul, South Korea where roller derby wasn't really big so I decided to skate more at the skate park. It was about a year ago that I wanted to give blading a go. I had seen some skaters at the skate park doing flips, doing spins, doing glides and it all looked fun and I pretty much loved everything on wheels. So I bought some blades. It was a little bit of adjustment going from roller skates to blades but I did have a good friend and coach Kevin from Seoul Skaters who was able to show me the basics. Being able to switch between my roller skates and my blades has actually made me a better park skater in general because there are things that are easier to learn on blades and then you can convert them into quads and vice versa. So yeah I'm really lucky that I am able to do both skate disciplines. So here are my thoughts on quads versus blades. If you have any questions please comment below and I'll try and get back to you. I did have some people contact me with questions so I'll try and get through all of them in this video but I don't want it to be too long so. What are blades or aggressive inline skates? Blades or aggressive inline skates are designed to perform jumps, slides and grinds. The skate consists of a boot, sole plate, frame, H block, wheels, bearings and axles. The high boot allows for maximum ankle support which is needed for the types of tricks bladers do. The sole plate, frame and H block are used to perform different slides and grinds. What are aggressive quads or roller skates? There are different types of quads or roller skates that get modified to perform aggressive skating tricks. This is my Bond Parkstar setup and it consists of a boot, a plate with a toe stop, wide trucks, slide block, wheels and bearings. The high top boot and strap support the ankle but not as much as a blading boot. Similar to a skateboard some aggressive roller skaters prefer skating on wide trucks for extra stability and the ability to perform track grinds. The slide block is similar to an H block on a blading frame but wider to suit a roller skate. Stability. How does the balance differ between roller skates and blades? When you look at an aggressive inline skate from the front you notice the wheels are all in a line. Since you are standing on something narrower than your foot it can be difficult to balance at first. You only need to shift your weight a little to one side to get on an edge but it also means if you lean too much you can also slip out. Now compare it to a roller skate that has a 2-2 wheel configuration. You have a much more stable base from side to side. It's similar width to standing in shoes so there is less risk of falling over when you shift your weight from left to right. Turn 90 degrees and it's a different story. Blades have four wheels in a row which results in a long base. This means you have great front to back stability. There is less risk of falling forwards or slipping backwards and you can roll around with straight legs pretty easily. However when roller skating I always recommend keeping slightly bent knees and a split stance. This is because roller skates have a short base with the back axle typically in line with your ankle bone and the front axle in line with the ball of your foot. If you end up putting too much weight behind or in front of these points you can slip out and fall. This is why some skaters prefer a longer plate on their setup for more front to back stability. So in summary side to side stability is better in roller skates and front to back stability is better in blades. Differences in turning and stopping. So let's talk about edges. Leaning into an edge is what will make you turn. For blades you only need to shift your weight a little to lean into an edge but for roller skates since they are wider you need to lean further over your skates to get on an edge to turn. So turning can feel harder on roller skates than blades. However when you're talking about turning circles roller skates can turn tighter as they have a shorter base than blades. Tip. You can lift your heel or your toe to turn tighter circles in your roller skates or blades. Besides the turnaround toe stop you can perform the same basic roller skating stops on blades but they will feel slightly different when executing them. I tend to default to a t-stop or a stutter stop when i'm on my blades. What's the hardest thing about swapping from roller skates to blades? As a roller skater you're used to using your toe stops for all kinds of situations. From stopping, catching yourself from falling and toe stop tricks. When skating blades you don't have this option so it will take a little time to get used to. What's the hardest thing about swapping from blades to roller skates? For me it's getting used to the shorter plate length again because you're not as stable when landing flips and jumps. You have to remember to keep your feet staggered in roller skate so you don't slip out. Is it weird to have less ankle movement in blades compared to roller skates? You need a lot of ankle support for blading tricks so i understand the reason for the stiff high boot. It can feel weird at first and even a bit painful but that has more to do with bending your knees to lock onto the coping. For example royal grinds are a lot easier in blades than roller skates due to the ankle support. Is it possible to do the same grinds on roller skates and in blades? I know quite a few blading grinds can be done on roller skates but with some modification. For example roller skaters use the 50-50 stance on one foot to equal the sole plate stance on blades. However due to the different foot positioning i can't get as low. What's the difference in terms of drop ins? Dropping in on blades is a lot easier than dropping in on roller skates. Due to the longer base there is less risk of slipping backwards if you lean too far back. If you need tips on dropping in you can check out my tutorial which i'll link below. Does skating both help unlock tricks? I found my fundamentals like pumping and airing have gotten a lot better on roller skates. Also having a longer base on blades i have been able to attempt riskier tricks like backflips to then try and convert them onto roller skates. Also practicing 50-50 grinds on roller skates has made me better at landing on top of coping and rails. So when i switch back to blades for topside grinds it's a lot easier. To what extent can an inline skater follow roller skating tutorials? For my tutorials inline skaters should be able to follow them quite closely except for the breakdown parts that might suggest a toe stop. But if there are any tutorials you're after please let me know. Which one is easier? It all comes down to personal preference. I find some tricks easier on roller skates and other easier on blades. So hopefully this video will help you decide what is best for you. Thank you for watching and please like and share this video if you found it helpful. Also don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more skating tips and tricks.