FAQ’s

What is skatography?

Skatography is a commercial inline speed skating Team. Contrary to clubs (verenigingen) we do not have a board, giving us alot more freedom when it comes to decision making. The downside is that we have less financial support.

We function like a development team; skaters from all levels are welcome, but eventually we aspire to train skaters so that they can seriously participate to competitions, wether it be local youth competitions, senior marathon cups or even nationals and international competitions.

there are 2 answers to that question. In the Netherlands, there are 2 official seasons, the inline skate season and the ice skating season. the inline skating season starts the first week of april and ends the last week of september. then the ice skating season kicks in from octobre to the end of march. Many clubs do only one discipline per season.

We at Skatography do it differently; we do inline speed skating all year round, outdoor and indoor depending on the weather. and in the winter we also do ice speed skating. Sometimes in the summer, we do some ice speed skating at Thialf.

Helemt and Wrist gard are mandatory! NO HELMET, NO SKATING!

The rule is even that “once you stand on the skates, you must already wear a helmet!”

We advise to put on the knee and elbow protection when you just start with skating.

Once a skater gets comfortable, and especially indoor, they tend to take off the elbow and knee gard since the valcrow gets itchy. Theb est we advise is to use soft protection indoor.

 

That all depends on the level you train at.

We advise, wether summer or winter, to always wear light breathable skate dedicated cloths! It is very commun in the winter to come to the location in winter cloths, put on skate cloths while changing in the locker room, go skate and when going home change again.

Skating can be intens so do not wear cloths restricting movement or cloth that are so warm that the skater is sweating all the time.

We advise Lycra/stretch fabric.

All our speed skaters wear a skin suit. those are comfortable, breathable and thermo-adaptable

There are many different kind of skating disciplines;

  • fitness; for when you just want to skate distances on the open road
  • agressive/urban skating; what is mostly done on ramps in skating parks.
  • roller skating: has different disciplines like dancing, slalom and breaking. Often done on quadskates.
  • Speed Skating; where the goal is to go fast on a certain track or road.

Although we like to vary and do different disciplines for adaptablility, Skatography is a Speed Skating Team.

yes!

It is a privilege to be able to use the indoor courts. Indoor skates should only be used indoor. If not, they should be thouroughly cleaned to not bring dirt inside.

Moreover, when wheels are used outside, they are worn faster and lose their grip inside. That is why pro skaters have dedicated indoor wheels.

Most importantly, breaking pads should be either removed, either covered as not to leave skidmarks.

We do INLINE speed skating, meaning all the wheels are in one line. it takes time to master it but we have the knowledge and experience guiding the skater. Quad skates give balans right from the start, but that is not the discipline we do. All skaters are welcome however our trainers will not be able to give advise to skaters on quad skates; so quadskaters are on a solo discovering journey.

Every discipline has a dedicated skate.

Almost all skaters joining Skatography start on Fitness skates. these are the most common skates available; they have hight support and are comfortable on the inside. they are perfect allround skates.

However, we at skatography do inline speed skating. So, as soon as a skater is comfrotable on fitness skates and want to participate on a certain level, they transition to speed skates. the shoes are very stiff, the wheels are bigger and the frame is longer. It does take time to get used to but once the skaters masters it, speed comes easy and longer distances can be achieved with less effort.

Fitness skates
Speed skates

Only one thing is important when buying skates, especially as a beginner; the shoe should fit the foot!

Do not be tempted to buy a bigger size because ” the kids foot will grow in it”. If the shoe size is to big, than the skater will float in the skates and will never be able to find balance.

The shoe should be as tight as possible without hurting.

Fortunatly you can buy adjustable skates. talk to the dealer or ask one of our trainers for advise.

Skatography is growing by the year. 2 years ago we only gave classes once a week in Amstelveen. Now we have classes and training in Amstelveen, Amsterdam, Almere, Hoofddorp, Uithoorn, Purmerend and soon on other locations in Noord Holland. please check our agenda to find a location that suits you best.

If you are unable to find a location near you, then you have 2 options left;

  1. book one-on-one classes
  2. start a new group near you

Skatography is willing to start a new group location as long as the number of skaters and the location permits it.

the head coach is an inline and ice speed skating trainer and coach meaning we do have the knowledge. However the ice skating world is structured as such that it is very difficult for private trainers and commercial clubs to give training on ice skating rinks. So, put differently, Skatography focusses on inline skating whilst with training on ice, we seek to work together with dedicated ice skating clubs like Ijs en-inline skating club Purmerend and/or de Poelster.

First, we invite you to participate at one of our classes in the trial week (see agenda). During this week you can visite any of our locations for free.

Once you have decided to join the team, you can start a subscription on the website. You will then be added to one or multiple groups depending on your package.

If you have any questions or issues enrolling, do not hesitate to contact us.

all new skaters will also be added to the community whatsapp group where all the latest information will be shared

Yes and No

At skatography, we make groups based on levels, not age, because skating is mostly an individual focussed sport. So we do have beginners classes where parents and kids alike learn the basics together and then, based on their learning curve, transition to an other group.

Where is does however make a difference is the learning ability. Skating is 70% mental and falling is a big part of it. Adults tend to be more afraid of falling making the learning process a little slower.

Everyone!

We have kids as young as 3 years old to adults over 50. We have beginners, recreational skaters and athletes. That’s the beauty about skating, it is first of all a personal challenge. At skatography, everyone is welcome. We are proud to be the most mixed Team in the Netherlands; different nationalities, gender, ages, fisical abilities, backgrounds, religions…

Tuesdays the track is only open for competition skaters! Our fastest skaters are able to do a 100m lap at around 10-11 seconds. This said, safety, discipline and full focus are a MUST!

If you

  • are not able to match the speeds
  • do not know/follow the track rules
  • have difficulties concentrating
  • are unable to be corrected, disciplined or coached
  • do not want to suffer and be pushed

then this is not the group for you and we advise you to train some more as an aspirant with the recreational skaters until you posses all the needed skills.

At Skatography we have classes and train on all levels.

Beginner: he/she with no or little experience. the biggest challenge is to be comfortable on the skates, learn how to fall and stand up and do the first strides in a safe manner.

Recreational: either a beginner of advanced. Recreational skaters is the biggest group we have. The goal of the trainer is to build up skating skills, have fun and socialize. most of the time, the trainer will have the skaters do exercises, challenges and/or play skate related games.

Aspirant: some recreational skaters have good skills and are going quite fast already. in that case they will be given exercises from the trainer in order to acquire speed skating skills and be able to do laps at a certain speed. Aspirantst train mostly with recreational skaters but are, under certain circumstances, allowed to join the competition skaters on the Tuesdays.

Competition: the crown juwel of Skatography. This group of skaters have the precise goal of competing. In the winter periode we have netional level speed skaters training for the next summer season. they train for national and international level competitions.

That depends on the day and the location. What is impotant however tis that you come well ahaid of time. skaters need to change, put on skates and time should be taken into account when a question needs to be asked. As writen in the rulepage, a skater might be denied access when late.

We value no only respect towards the trainer and other skaters, but we definitly keep safety standards high!

This question is the main reason why all skaters should come well ahaid of time! Puting on the skates goes in 2 parts;

Part 1: before skating

take of the socks. skating is done bearfoot. open the skates wide. put your foot in. work from toes to heal; tighten the laces, then the strap and finally the upper buckle. the higher you go, the tighter is should be. The tighter the better!

Part 2: when skating

skate for 10 minutes (during warming up). The foot will settle in the shoe. laces and straps might loosen a little. depending on the exercises the skater might want to tighten the skates again. competition skaters will often keep the skates deliberatly loos during agility exercises but tighten them when doing speed.

Taken skates off is just as important as puting them on!
After every training, the skater should fully open the skates when taking them off; loosen the belts and untie the laces. The skates should breath. If not, the skates will quickly start stinking

That all depends on how you treat the skates!

When skating indoor, wheel are bearely wearing out. they retain their grip. As soon as one goes outside, the road surface wears out the wheels, so when one comes back inside, there is a loss of grip.

many competition skaters have different set of wheels; one for training (old worn out wheels), one for races (expensive new wheels) and one for indoor (a new set only used for this purpous).

Whatever you do, never use your indoor skates outside when it rains!

Usually not but it depends on the level and experience.

with beginners we never skate outside when it rains or even when the surface is wet. Not only because of the level, but mostly because water will get in the wheel bearing and rust if not treated right after.
The more the skater is experienced, the more we tend to skate outside. skating in the wet is an excellent training. but we only do this if the skaters does a full clean of the skates right after the session.

Wheel size has a big influence on how you skate.

To put it simple; the bigger the wheel the faster you can go, but also, the heavier the skate, the bigger the frame, the less agile you are and the higher you stand from the ground. The higher you are and the faster you go, the more agility and balans plays an important role.

For beginners we always advise to go with small wheels to master the movement. the more agile and confident one gets, the bigger size you can go.

the biggest size is 4x110mm and 3x125mm. this is the standard used by senior speedskaters during track and road races. Kids are limited to 4x90mm during races.

There are multiple options for kids who want to start racing. in the winter, Skatography organizes several indoor competitions called the AMSTERDAM LEAGUE. These are great entry level races for kids to get used to the rules and compete in a friendly atmosphere.
During the summer, there are several entry level competitions and individual races one can attend. Every year we are used to participate to the JST in Purmerend, but there are more to chose from. ask one of our trainers and they will provide you with the necessary information.

Skatography is built to help kids train and participate to these entry level competitions.

Skaters who want to compete on a serious level will need to follow a few simple steps

  1. show they are dedicated and serious about the training; during the recreational classes they will have to show their trainer they know and respect the rules and can do a lap in a certain time.
  2. have a dedicated race subscription; we will then make sure the skater is registered at the KNSB, the national skating bond. The skater will then be provided with an official race number
  3. Buy a transponder, a good pair of speed skates, a Team skin suit and the proper safety gear (soft shelled protection)

Togethr with the parents and the trainer/coach, we will then decide what races are best to participate in.

note; competition skating is a time consuming and financial investment as races are often in other cities.

We would love all of our skaters to wear the same uniform. Skin suits do not only give a sense of identity but is also comfortable to wear; it is not hot, not cold and does not hold swet. Since it is a skin suit, it also makes the skater faster. But as a beginner we understand that wearing a skin may feel awkward.

our advice: as a beginner, start wearing comfortable non restricting sportswear. visit our webshop for pants, T-shirt and hoodey.

Once you get faster you can start thinking about wearing a skinsuit.

if however you are part of the competition skaters, then a skinsuit is almost a must-have item.

The /KNSB, the official Dutch Skating Bond, issues trainer/coach level licences. We are fortunate to have a team of 6 trainers with an official level 1 licence. The head coach, Raymond, has a level 3 and will soon start the highest level 4.

The head coach has also followed a long term intern with the biggest speed skating club in the Netherlands, Radboud, where he had the privilege to work with athlete on national and international level.

A big part of skating is what you feel and being comfortable on the wheels. Skating 2 or 3 times a week gives the festest progress. Does this mean you need to always train with us? no, not persee.
You can chose to train once a week with us and then find some free time on your own to rehearse what you learned during the training.

This can be done ina park or at home. Skatography offers an access pack. this allows you to just come on the field and skate on your own.

Skating is building confidence and feeling the strides. If you skate once a week, everytime you put on the skates you are left with the feeling you need to pick up courage and confidence again. It then takes 10 to 20 minutes before you are ready to “finally” start skating. doing 2 to 3 sessions a week drastically diminishes that adaptation time.

That depends on your level.

As a beginners, stability, coordination and timing are the most important skills. Stability is the way you stand on the skates, coordination is getting used to the movement and timing is the way you apply force on the skates to propel yourself forwards.

Recreational skaters are learning the most important skill; agility and adaptability. This allowes the skaters take fast decisions when something unexpected happens. the quick footwork makes skating a second nature. Speed is nice, but at skatography agility has a far more important place as it helps reduce accidents and injuries.

For novice speed skater the most important skills are efficient skating, technique and tactics all while building strenght and endurance. Skatography also prepares skaters beyond just the skating track. We help skaters with food advice, mental support and building caracter

Every now and then Skatography invites a famous skater to give clinics. We had world champion Bart Swings, national champions Sofia Schilder, Lataesha Narain and Rick Schipper and olympic skater Bente Kerkhof. This year we hope to be able to invite Indian world Champion Anandkumar Velkumar.

Depending on the skaters level and package, the clinics will be accessible to our skaters. follow the news for more information.

All parents and skaters are welcome in the WhatsApp community. As long as name is shared, everyone can add a new user. When first joining you will be part of one of the location groups, but please do not hesitate to enter other groups.

The Gear and Skates group is all about information about buying, renting and maintaining your equipment.

The parent committee group is for parents who would like to contribute by organizing get togethers, events, field trips or celebrations.

the race group is everything related to competitions, race events and race trainings.

We strongly advise parents to not distract the skaters. When skating all focus is needed to feel the stride. As a parent we therefor invite you to do the following:

  • sit or stand on a discreet place behind the glass
  • enjoy the training from the stands
  • help the cafeteria by having a drink and work on your laptop

Your kids are safe with us

Yes you can. However, always be reachable by phone in case something happens

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