Analysis of fulcrum skate performance

• Published in: Sports engineering Vol. 9; no. 4; pp. 229 - 249
• Main Authors: Blair, Kim B, Culligan, Kieran F, Walfisch, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2006
• ISSN: 1369-7072; 1460-2687

The winning and losing times in long-track speed skating competitions can differ by only a few hundredths of a second, so even marginal improvements in technology can give skaters a significant advantage. The fulcrum skate incorporates a new hinge mechanism for use in long-track speed skating. Klapskates, used by virtually all skaters today, provide only rotational motion at the hinge, but the fulcrum skate's hinge mechanism introduces both translational and rotational motion. Previous skating research shows that increases in ankle-opening angle, hinge-opening angle and blade-to-ice contact time enabled by the klapskates can be correlated to faster skating speeds. Using a slide-board, the skating motion while using both fulcrum and klapskates was analyzed in an off-ice laboratory setting. Nine test skaters were used for the experiment. Each skater performed eight runs each on the fulcrum skate and klapskate. High-speed video recorded the skating motion. Maximum ankle-opening angle, maximum hinge-opening angle, and blade-to-ice contact time were measured from the highspeed video. Our results showed that, on average, compared to the klapskate, the fulcrum skate offers over 12% increase in ankle-opening angle, 33% increase in hinge-opening angle, and 23% increase in blade-to-ice contact time. These results show that using the fulcrum skate offers skaters increased contact time with the ice, which could equate to faster on-track skating performances. The klap-trap: a device to monitor dynamics of the kiap mechanism in speed skating Sean Maw, Clifton R. Johnston and Allen Yuen University of Calgary, Canada An electromechanical system has been designed and built to measure the kinematics of the klapskate mechanics in speed skating. A string potentiometer was used to determine the opening and closing dynamics of a kiap mechanism during actual speed skating at the Calgary Olympic Oval. Custom designed and fabricated clamps were used to attach the potentiometer to the klapskate mechanism. A preliminary study was conducted on four speed skaters. Map dynamics were distinguishable based on skater fatigue levels, the location of the skater on the track and effort level of the subject. Parameters analyzed were maximum kiap opening, stride frequency, and kiap opening and closing timing. The opening angle of the kiap mechanism was found to increase with increased effort and was higher in straights than corners. The result indicated that the concept proposed can measure the dynamics of the klapskate and may be an important training tool.