Concept in Definition ABC

As bipedal animals, humans can walk or run to get around. However, if we incorporate footwear with wheels or blades, we will be skating. When the movement on a surface is done with movements propelled with skates, skating is practiced.

This activity presents a wide range of possibilities, since with skates it is possible to practice hockey (on wheels or in line), dance, race and all kinds of shows. Most of these activities are practiced for entertainment playful in open spaces or in different sports modalities in facilities.

Figure skating on wheels and ice

Both modalities are characterized by their elegant movements, as well as the Balance and the coordination of the skaters. From a physical point of view, figure skating requires strength and a correct inclination of the body. As is logical, it is essential to direct the skates with an adequate skill.

Roller skating has four variants: figures, free skating, dance and pairs. In general, the skaters' wardrobe is in line with the type of music that accompanies the movements.

In its version on ice, figure skating is a sport Olympic. In this sense, this discipline was initially part of the Olympic Games of Summer, but from 1924 it was gotten up to the Olympic Winter Games. Regarding its modalities, there is male and female skating and it can be individual or in pairs.

A historical brushstroke

The first roller skates came into use in the late 18th century in Great Britain.

Initially the wheels were made of metal, ivory or wood. In just a few years skating schools were founded all over Europe and quickly spread across the globe. At the end of the 19th century it was already a fashionable sport and this circumstance prompted the invention of a new sport, roller hockey.

Ice skating began to be practiced long before roller skating. In fact, in the territory People in present-day Finland were ice skating 5000 years ago. Keep in mind that in Finland there are thousands of lakes and when they freeze it is possible to slide on them. To do this, ancient Finns used sharp animal bones. As early as the seventeenth century some European aristocrats began to practice an ice ballet as a form of entertainment.

Photos: Fotolia - inaki62 / fractu