Why did one simple hinge completely revolutionize speed skating? How the clap skate actually works, and what sets it apart from short track blades.
The short answer: a hinge at the ball of the foot is what makes the clap skate so fast — not more strength, more range of motion. With regular, fixed blades, the blade is rigidly attached to the boot. That sounds stable, but it costs you valuable propulsive force.
The problem: at the end of your push, you want to lift your heel and fully extend your ankle — exactly the motion that gives you your final push when walking or running. With fixed blades you have to suppress that extension, or the tip of the blade cuts into the ice or you lose balance. Dutch sports scientist Gerrit Jan van Ingen Schenau recognized this back in 1981 in his doctoral thesis on the power balance in speed skating.
His solution: a blade hinged at the front of the boot that can drop down at the back, with a spring pulling it back after liftoff. That keeps the blade in contact with the ice longer along its full length while your foot is already extending. In exactly the final roughly 50 milliseconds of the push — faster than you can blink — the hinge extracts extra force from your ankle that would otherwise be completely lost with fixed blades.
How big the effect was shows in the 1997/98 season: practically overnight, nine of ten world records fell for both men and women. As if the entire field had gotten a new bike at once that noticeably runs lighter — except here almost everyone switched at the same time.
Train Smart. Play Hard. — with the clap skate that means: the gear only helps you once the technique behind it is already there.
The blade is hinged at the front, can detach at the back from the boot, and is pulled back by a spring. That lets you fully extend your ankle at the end of the push without the blade tip cutting into the ice.
Short track skaters use rigidly fixed, shorter blades (roughly 30 to 45 centimeters), because the tight corners of the 111-meter track demand maximum control rather than maximum extension. A clap skate would be more of a hindrance there than a help.
Speed skating blades, at 40 to 55 centimeters, are noticeably longer than short track blades — roughly the length of your forearm plus hand. The length spreads your weight over more ice surface and allows longer, more efficient gliding on the straights.
Because the heel now detaches from the boot, your first step on clap skates feels different — not worse, just unfamiliar. Experienced coaches therefore only let you switch once basic technique on fixed blades has become automatic.
A worn-out spring or a dusty hinge blunts exactly the effect you're wearing the gear for in the first place. A quick check before every intense session belongs in the routine.
Switching to clap skates briefly changes your sense of balance, because the heel detaches and the blade feels different. Plan the first sessions deliberately slower and on a wide, open part of the oval.
Check the hinge and spring for a firm fit before every session — a faulty hinge can unexpectedly give way during a push and throw you off balance. Have the initial adjustment done by experienced coaches or a specialty shop, not on your own.
Listen closely during training: a properly adjusted hinge makes a characteristic, even "clap" sound on every push — which, incidentally, is where the name comes from. If it sounds uneven or rattly, it's worth a check before your next session.
A trick almost nobody considers early on: borrow a second pair for your first clap skate sessions to compare through your club — fit and spring stiffness vary more between models than you'd expect.
Because it lets you fully extend your ankle at the end of the push instead of suppressing that extension. In exactly the final roughly 50 milliseconds of the push, the hinge extracts extra force that would otherwise be lost with fixed blades.
No, practically not. Short track needs shorter, rigidly fixed blades for maximum control in tight corners — a clap skate is built for the wide radii and long straights of the 400-meter oval.
Only once basic technique and cornering confidence are automatic on fixed blades. This order protects you from grooving in mistakes with gear too advanced for your level.
Between 40 and 55 centimeters — roughly the length of your forearm plus hand. That length spreads your weight over more ice surface and makes gliding on the straights noticeably more efficient than with shorter blades.
Speed Skating: The Deep Crouch and the Sideways Push