Hans Gijsen - The rocker and the bend - A competition skate

In addition to the skater's own fitness and skills, the quality of the skate is of great importance. In this book, Hans Gijsen, the Dutch materials expert for the Austrian national team, provides an overview of the necessary properties of a competition skate, especially for long track skating.

Using color drawings and calculations, he shows what happens when skating and how this can be positively influenced to develop better technique and achieve sharper results. The curvature, bending, dimensions, material properties, deformation due to acting forces and the origin of these forces are just some of the many topics discussed in the book.

For every skater, from beginner to professional, it is always an important issue: the equipment. There is often some experimenting, trying out what others recommend and looking for the good feeling. The theoretical background has been difficult to find until now, but that is a thing of the past with the arrival of this book. For advanced skaters, the book could well be the holy grail.

Hans Gijsen conducts research into the properties of competitive skates with the aim of further improving them. He is also a materials expert for the Austrian national team. He sharpens, bends and polishes the skates of the top players, with the motto: “A good competition skate must be as precisely adjusted as a Formula 1 racing car.”