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From: uwe@pobox.com (Uwe Brockmann)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.skating.inline
Subject: Re: Heel Braking: What is wrong with me?
Date: 2 Mar 2001 23:22:26 -0500

person with unknown name using pseudonym "BennnyZ15":
> I've been rollerblading for close two years. I have this problem with
> the heel brake that I can't figure. I've read many books, have taken
> IISA lessons, etc so I know how to heel brake(i.e scissor skates,
> lift toe, shift more of the weight to the brake). When I use the heel
> brake, the front muscles in my lower legs (not the calves) tighten
> up. As a result I can't heel brake because of the intense pain.
> Suggestions? This fear that I can't stop when I need to is ruining my
> rollerblading experience.

I assume that you are skating on 4-wheel recreational skates. If I were
you I would try the following suggestions in roughly this order:

    1. When braking straighten out the braking leg in the knee joint as
       much as possible, put it as far forward as possible and push back
       and down against the rear of the cuff of your braking skate if it
       has one.

    2. Move the heel brake to the other skate and see whether that
       makes a difference.

    3. Use a brake pad that is worn about halfway to the wear limit
       instead of a brand new pad.

    4. Rent or borrow a different make and model of skates and see
       whether that makes any difference. If possible choose skates
       where the rearmost wheel of each skate is mounted further forward
       relative to the boots than on your current skates. To identify
       such skates, hold your current skates next to any skates that you
       are considering, line up the boots and note the relative position
       of the rearmost wheel on both skates. If possible choose skates
       that have boots with high supportive cuffs.

    5. If your skates allow you to take the boots off the frames and
       reattach them in a different position, with the boots further
       back relative to the frames, do that.

    6. Buy a second heel brake and try to use two heel brakes
       simultaneously. There is some information on using two heel
       brakes simultaneously at my web site, http://brakes.ipfox.com.

    7. Build a brake leverage device as described at my web site at
       http://brakes.ipfox.com. Brake leverage devices were designed
       to improve stopping power on 5-wheel skates where heel brakes
       are usually less effective than on 4-wheel skates. I believe
       that brake leverage devices are generally not needed on 4-wheel
       skates. However, in your special case they may be beneficial.

    8. Strengthen the muscles that pull up the front of your feet
       through weight training.

    9. If your skates do not allow you to take the boots off the frames
       and reattach them in a different position, with the boots further
       back relative to the frames, do it anyway. This may require you
       to mechanically modify the skates, get someone else to do it
       for you, buy different frames, buy different boots, buy both
       different frames and boots, or buy a complete set of new skates.

    10. Combine suggestions (6.) and (7.) and use two heel brakes and
        two brake leverage devices simultaneously.

    11. Consult at least one doctor to try to figure out what is wrong
        with your legs.

Suggestions (1.), (3.), (4.) (if you choose skates where the rearmost
wheels are mounted further forward relative to the boots than on your
current skates), (5.), (6.), (7.), (9.), and (10.), some of which can
be combined for greater effect, are all methods for improving the
effectiveness of heel brakes. Using any of these methods you should be
able to achieve more stopping power without having to pull up the front
of your braking foot/feet as hard as now. Hopefully this will prevent
the muscles that pull up the front of your foot/feet from locking up and
causing pain.

Most importantly, after you try some or all of the methods that I
suggested, come back to this newsgroup and tell us your experiences so
that we can all learn from them. I would be very surprised if the first
ten suggestions did not solve your problem.

-- 
Uwe Brockmann, uwe@pobox.com

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Uwe Brockmann, uwe@pobox.com, http://www.panix.com/~uwe/brakelev/