That is such a great comment thank you! Having coached nearly a thousand beginners I've been agonising over a clear distinction between skate 1 and 3 for a long time. I'm glad this has helped you and hopefully more videos in the future will do the same.
I still cannot make sense out of V2, it feels busy to me and I can gain and keep the same speed with my V1, occasionally changing from right side to left?
Scott Thanks so much for making these videos. Just trying to get skating skiing ... but my technique (or complete lack of really) is a major stumbling point... this Stole n Lamp video I think will really help. Look forward to new uploads!!
Is there any literature out there that talks about skate 1 and skate 3? How about V1 and 2? I have no idea what any of that means. I really just want to roller ski here in South Carolina. I don’t plan on seeing snow ever again!
I will be making a video on these very soon to clarify. There's resources out there on RU-vid which covers the distinction, but put simply, V1 - V3 is the same as Skate 1 - Skate 3: Just different terms. Skate 1 (canadians call it 'offset' = going up hill, or accelerating from a stop start. Skate 2 is the most versitile. This is used on flats and up hills if it isn't too steep and the athlete isn't too tired. It's when you pole on both sides equally. Skate 3 is the fastest and is used along flats and down hills. If you're really good there is a technique between skate three and a tuck (tuck is when you're going fast down hill). It's called free skate. The idea is to get low and just use the legs. The arms swing, but you're not using your poles to generate forward momentum. I will be making videos soon to cover all of these distinctions and will use the language of Skate 1, Skate 2, Skate 3, Free Skate, Tuck... to keep it simple. Skate 1 - 3 can be thought of like the gears of a car. The lowest is the slowest. Hope that helps :)
