B test -- for Heel-brake stopping with inline skates -- Roberts

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what's here

intro: objective of this test
Is this test necessary?
performing the test
questions + hints
outcomes + implications
more

intro

This test is intended to answer:

Is trying to put your body-weight directly over the heel-brake working against you or for you in your stopping?

Is this test necessary?

If your skate + brake work well with method C, and you don't have any interest in using method B sometimes, then No this test is not necessary -- provided that you follow these:

Do not try to shift your body weight forward to more over the braking skate.
Apply force to the front braking skate only by pressing your leg back against the rear of the cuff of the front boot, by using your leg bone structure and muscles (but not by weight-shift). Or it's OK focus the distribution of force within the foot more to the brake pad by using the muscular force of method A.

If you're using the mechanical assistance of a leash (and never intend to use B as a backup method), or if you have amazing special-muscle strength to make your method A stopping strong enough without assistance, then No this test is not necessary -- provided that you follow this:

Do not try to shift your body weight forward to more over the braking skate.

If you want to try to use method B as a primary or back-up or supplemental method, then Yes you should do this test.
If you want to feel free to shift more weight forward over the braking skate (perhaps for balance while stopping?), then Yes you should do this test.
If you're using a speedskate boot or frame with a heel-brake, then it's pretty likely that you should be doing this test.

Performing the test

Find an instructor to help.

Mark the ankle joint axis on both sides of the skate with say a small piece of removable tape.

Third question is tricky to measure: take the brake pad off, put your finger . . .

measuring

Finding the ankle joint axis: quick+dirty versus accurate.

pad-to-ground gap: what measurement ranges count as "big" or "small"?

?? [ more to be added ]

questions

Is your current skate + boot + body-weight configuration "positive" or "neutral" or "negative"?
When the brake pad is new, is your skate + boot + body-weight configuration "positive" or "neutral" or "negative"?

Does your skate + boot + body-weight configuration ever get into "positive"?

?? [ more to be added ]

hints

with a new brake pad, most brake designs and skate boot + frame + brake configurations (of any major skate category) are not "positive" on the Big B Test. Some might be "neutral", and many (most?) are actually "negative" on the Big B Test.
with the brake-pad well-worn down, many normal (non-ABT) "general recreational" skates get to at least slightly "positive" on the Big B Test.
most speedskate boot + frame + brake configurations do not get to "positive" during most of their brake-pad-wear-down life -- so are not suitable for method B.

outcomes + implications

most skate boot + frame + brake configurations have one of these results for suitability:

boot-cuff suitable for method C. Big B Test suitable for limited contribution from method B with a well-worn-down brake pad, but not with a new pad. Suitable for method A.

Typical result for many normal "general recreational" skates.

Possible strategies: Primary focus on method C, with some supplement from method A.

suitable only for method A.

Typical result for most speedskates.

Possible strategies: Think strongly about getting a leash and/or a new brake pad design. Or develop very very strong specialized muscle support for method A.

Big B Test show suitable sometimes "positive" for limited contribution from method B, but also sometimes not. Also suitable for method A.

A result for some speedskates with a "big pad-to-ground gap" heel-brake design.

Possible strategies: Think strongly about getting a leash. Or develop very very strong specialized muscle support for method A. Consider some equipment modification strategies such as are described under key steps. Work out an approach for how to get effective stopping when starting to use a new brake pad.