Contents
Profile
Clap skate (klapskate)
- Sport
- Speed skating
- Dutch
- klapschaats
- Developed
- Netherlands
- Breakthrough
- 1997/98 season
- Principle
- Blade detaches at the back, hinge at the front
How does a clap skate work?
On a conventional speed skate, the blade is firmly attached to the boot. When the skater pushes off, the boot tips forward and the tip of the blade digs into the ice. The push-off ends abruptly.
On a clap skate, there is a hinge at the front under the ball of the foot, and at the back the blade isn't fixed to the boot. During the push-off the heel lifts while the blade stays flat on the ice. A spring then pulls the blade back against the boot, with the characteristic clack.
Why it is faster
- The blade stays on the ice longer during the push-off, lengthening the power stroke.
- The calf muscles can also be used, as in running.
- The blade tip doesn't "stab" into the ice, so there is less braking effect.
The result: significantly faster times over all distances, especially the long distances, where hundreds of push-offs add up per race.
Development and breakthrough
The idea of a skate with a moving blade is more than a hundred years old. The modern klapskate was developed scientifically in the Netherlands, including in research projects at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
The breakthrough came in the 1997/98 season: Dutch skaters set one personal best after another with it, and within months almost all nations had switched. At the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, numerous Olympic and world records fell.
Switching wasn't easy
For many top skaters, the switch meant changing their technique, including getting used to the different push-off and rhythm. Some athletes temporarily fell behind; others benefited enormously. Today young skaters learn directly on clap skates.
Only in speed skating
In short track and ice hockey, clap skates play no role. Tight corners, quick changes of direction and body contact require a fixed connection between boot and blade.
Anatomy of a clap skate
- Boot: a low, tight-fitting carbon boot, often custom-moulded to the foot.
- Blade: around 40–45 cm long, very thin and flat, slightly curved. It is sharpened by hand and must be perfectly straight.
- Hinge: under the ball of the foot. Its position can be adjusted, and skaters experiment with a few millimetres.
- Spring: pulls the blade back to the heel after the push-off.
Getting the hinge position and blade set up correctly is a science in itself. Professionals and their technicians adjust the skates before every race.
Frequently asked questions
+Why is the clap skate faster?
The blade stays on the ice longer during the push-off because the heel can lift away from the blade. The skater uses the power of the calf muscles and has a longer, more effective push-off.
+Since when have clap skates existed?
The idea is old; the klapskate had its breakthrough in elite sport in the 1997/98 season, and at the Nagano Olympics almost all skaters used it.
+Is the clap skate used in short track?
No. Short track uses fixed blades because tight corners and body contact make different demands.
Sources & further links
Editorially researched and checked against association and rulebook information. Found a mistake? Write to us via the Contact page.
Read more in the encyclopedia
Sport
Speed skating
Speed skating is an endurance and sprint sport on the 400-metre oval. Two skaters start against each other each time, but the time skated is what counts. Distances range from 500 to 10,000 metres, plus team pursuit and mass start.
Sport
Short track
Short track is speed skating on a short, 111.12-metre track that fits into a normal ice rink. Four to six skaters start together and battle for position in tight corners. Placing counts, not time.
Background
Making ice & ice temperature by sport
Artificial ice is made by applying water in many thin layers to a chilled concrete slab containing cooling pipes. The finished ice is usually only a few centimetres thick. The ice is tempered differently depending on the sport: colder and harder for ice hockey and speed skating, slightly warmer and softer for figure skating.
League & competition
Speed Skating World Cup (ISU)
The Speed Skating World Cup is the most important race series in speed skating. The ISU has held it every winter since 1985 at several venues. Standings are kept separately by distance, with overall winners for each distance at the end.