Good Jammin' News

Apr/May 2003

THE HOCKEY STOP In order to skate the Jammin style, you’ve got to know how to stop.  If you don’t know how to stop you've got a big problem...You have to know how to stop in a hurry, going backwards to front, to the side - all these different ways and you don’t use toe stops.  HOCKEY STOP is first, so don’t even think about Jammin until you learn how to do it.  The stop is so named because ice hockey players use the move to come to a stop on ice. In order to do the HOCKEY STOP you must remember the following: balance, concentration, and constructive placement of your feet and body. The imaginary line is most important because it is the one that controls direction, you straddle it either left side-right side or top-bottom.  It is always there between your legs so you can bend it any way you want, you can curve it or make it jagged looking. In order to process the HOCKEY STOP, you have to be sure at all times that you are FOCUSED.  The wheels must always be flat on the floor, which means you must have proper adjustment of each truck. Adjusting the trucks requires know-how, so make sure you know how to do it. The reason for the adjustment of your trucks is to assure that you make contact with the surface at all times. That means, if you turn, if you spin, you must have the flat of the wheel on the floor. You have 23 millimeters of space, times eight, under your body. That is why it is necessary to make sure of this process. - More next issue - Read follow up article Hockey Stop Part 2, dated September 2004. Do you have a specific question on the above information or the Jammin technique?  Ask Bill

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Q.  At first Mr. Butler, I thought you were a little hard on the skaters and the skate scene today but I must admit you couldn’t tell the truth any more if you had two mouths.  I would really like to see you in action.  Sometimes it’s hard to take skating to the next level if you see and hear the same things week in and out at your home rink. My time is limited due to my work schedule, how do you suggest I broaden my skate horizons?  What do you think about switching skates to perform different styles, for example, changing from Fomac [wheels] to Bones in order to go from Open House Detroit style to some Chicago footwork? A.  It depends on what you want.  It’s hard for me to answer that at a distance but you have to decide what you want to do and pursue information to get yourself on the right track and go from there.  If you are interested in the Jammin technique, you can connect with me for more information.  The technique [versus other styles of skating] is like water and oil, apples and oranges, anything different.  It is all roller skating but it’s different types of skating. Q.  Do you have video lesson tapes available? A.  Not at the moment but I plan to have them in the future.     Q.  Hi, I am from Pennsylvania and would like to know how important wheel bearings are and which ones are considered to be the best. A.  Bearings are very important but I don’t think there is a bearing that has to do with my style.  What you want is a bearing that works well and I use a Bones bearing.  The information I have is that, at the moment, they are the best. (Skate pro-shops or bearing retailers are good resources for additional information on bearing prices, brands, function, etc.  Also, visit the RST Skater’s Clinic article Skate Bearings and Wheels.) Thank you for your questions.