Exploring the Detroit Skate Style: Origins and Techniques

Exploring the Detroit Skate Style: Origins and Techniques

by | Sep 10, 2022 | Dunbar Productions, Jam Skating, Rhythm Skating, Roller Skating, Skate History

Detroit is also arguably the home of Rhythm Skating. Skeptical? Did you know Bill Butler, the Godfather of Roller disco, practiced his skating in Detroit before leaving for New York and making history?

 

A man and a woman holding each other ands and skating

 

Did you know trains and trios were started in Detroit and refined in New York?

Well if you don’t know, now you know. Buckle up, because today we talking about Detroit, home to the most dedicated skaters west of the Mississippi.

 

I remember my first time seeing someone skate the Detroit style. I was in high school skating at the Golden Glide. A man who had never came to the family session was there, probably warming up for adult night.

He skated with Brain aka ‘Killa B’ all session, so I knew he was about business. The wildest part were the skates. He skated in rhythm skating boots, but he wore rubber toe stops that he used to help with stops and pivots.

At the Golden Glide, everyone wore jam plugs. I didn’t know that people style skated in toe stops.

Additionally, he was sliding all over the place. I wouldn’t find out until later, Detroit skaters use harder slicker wheels to aid with slides.

 

How Did The Detroit Style Start?

 

Rhythm Skating history is tied closely to African American history. In fact, a large and thriving population of African Americans is one of the predictors of a strong skate culture. The spread of roller skating is tied directly to the expansion of the African diaspora in the United states.

The rise of many of the great skate styles in the Mid-West follow this pattern. In the 1910s to the 1970s, during the Great Migration, many Black families fled the South seeking better lives in the Midwest and northern regions of the USA.

The auto industry in Detroit also brought many families to the area.

 

The Basics

 

To learn about the foundations of the Detroit roller skating style, specifically the moves people do in the rink, I spoke with Nolan Edwards the founder of Motown Roller Club.

He helped me find the some specific steps in the styles. The Detroit style also has one well defined vocabulary of moves, turns, and sequences. Some of these moves include the Kenny Mike, and the Pepsi. Another foundation Detroit style move is the “Half Turn”. Ed Reese, a Detroit skating master, describes the “Half Turn” as a 180-degree pivot.

The “Half Turn” is a common transition that goes by many names. It’s a similar concept as what modern skaters describe as ‘The Book’ but with momentum. Another popular move is the “Pontiac”.  I put examples of the moves below if you want to see them.

What is Open House?

After speaking to Nolan, I want to learn even more about Detroit.  Skate history can be difficult to confirm, so I wanted to go to the source. That’s why I decided to read all of the volumes  The Evolution of Skating, a roller skating anthology dedicated to sharing skater stories. I learned more about the long history of sliding in Detroit in the second volume of the antholgy.

There is even a special time in the session called “Open House” where skaters slide from the middle of the floor to the wall. “Open House” has developed a lot over time.

 

Back in the day, as Kevin Williams describes, “Open House” used to be a ‘no holds barred’ skating session where skaters were liable to get injured.

 

The first time Williams skated during “Open House”, he remembers seeing a skater “turn sideways, put his elbows up and smash into a skater twenty feet from” him. Kevin recounts in he “knocked two people out and [has] broken someone’s jaw vertically” skating during Open House (64).

 

Evolution of Skating Volume 2 Cover

Kevin Williams speaks about the rules of “Open House” in the 80’s in the second volume of  The Evolution of Skating. The Evolution of Skating is a collection of skater biographies that I used to learn more about skate history. 

Back in the day, as Kevin describes, the time used to be a ‘no holds barred’ skating session where skaters were liable to get injured. The first time Williams skated during “Open House”, he remembers seeing a skater “turn sideways, put his elbows up and smash into a skater twenty feet from” him. Kevin recounts in he “knocked two people out and [has] broken someone’s jaw vertically” skating during Open House (64).

 

An excerpt from the Evolution of Skating
An excerpt from the evolution of skating

Conclusion

 Now “Open House” runs like every other special skate. To learn more about the Detroit Style and see these unique skaters yourself, you can read The Evolution of Skating. Until next time, see you BOSS Twizzy.  

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Why Is The DMV Called Snapcity? | What Is Snapping?

Why Is The DMV Called Snapcity? | What Is Snapping?

by | Aug 4, 2022 | Jam Skating, Rhythm Skating, Roller Skating, Skate History, Skate tips

Have you ever seen skaters gliding across the floor with their arms hooked while a skater twist, pivots, and turns in the front?  That’s a roller skating routine known as “Snapping”.

I saw skaters “Snapping” for the first time as a freshman at Howard University located in the heart of Washington, DC. Temple Hills Skate Palace was closed down at the time, so I took the metro from Howard to Lanaham Skate Center.

The trip takes about 1hr and 30 min – 47 min, if you do not miss any busses. I needed to skate though.

When I arrived, I had time to at the warm up before formally being introduced to Snapping. As I rounded the corner of the large smooth, slick  floor at Lanham, the DJ bellowed “Trains and Trios”, a call I had never heard before, so I skated off the floor to watch and take notes. It seemed like everyone had their friends to roller skate with the second the DJ breathed on the mic to stop the track.

 

Group of men snapping on rhythm skates<br />

“Trains and trios” are a rhythm skating routine in which skaters lock hands and perform different maneuvers. Skaters use the terms interchangeably in the modern era, but in the past the distinctions between trains, trios, and quads were more pronounced in the language.

When skaters “Snap” together, they link arms while the skater in the front uses the line of skaters for leverage to perform different maneuvers. As the skaters go around the rink, the line of skaters alternates leaders. There are different routines and timings, but that’s the general idea.

What Is A Snapping?

“Snapping” is a roller skating style developed in DC, Maryland, and Virginia aka, the DMV.  “Snapping” is a combination of pivots, turns, and routines. Snapping is a skate style with a history and technique system that began developing in the 70s and 80s.

A”Snap”,  is a one-foot pivot. Snaps are the building blocks of “Snapping”, the style. In fact, the first piece of advice master snappers give learn the Snap on both legs, front to back and back to front. That’s why I can make a tutorial about how to do a single Snap ethically. If you’re looking to try “snapping” for yourself, this tutorial can help you start.  

a chart describing the basics of snapping the roller skate style

“Snapping” can be done alone or in a group. In the modern age, skaters snap on trains or trios, a group of skaters linking arms. Sometimes skaters create snap routines with unlinked arms. 

The name  “Snapping” was given to the style over time. According to Derrick Craddock of the RSSC of Baltimore, a group of skaters from Baltimore, people started to call the style snapping because of the smooth ‘snap’ that the skaters in the area turned with.

I was able to get some exclusive pictures of the RSSC from back in the day. If you want to learn more about the “RSSC of Baltimore” check out their Instagram for all of the OG footage.

 

Conclusion

“Snapping” is a skate style from the DMV, known for it’s fast intricate footwork and athletic acrobatic movements around the outside of the rink. In Snapcity, skaters use stiff high top boots with jam plugs and hard wheels. The hard wheels make it easier to pivot at high speeds. Without being so slick that they impede maneuverability.

 The legacy of Snapping continues to grow and develop. I’m currently living in Washington D.C and I’m using the time to experience Snapping first hand.  I like to make Snapping show cases on my roller skating channel Rhythm Skating .  Groups like The Link Up through events around the DMV and when they do I come out. 

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Rolling Through History: The Origin of Atlanta Skate Style

Rolling Through History: The Origin of Atlanta Skate Style

by | Jul 21, 2022 | Blog, Jam Skating, Rhythm Skating, Roller Skating, Skate History

I grew up skating in Atlanta and the first style I learned was the Atlanta style; however, I never got the whole story behind the style until now, and now I want to share it with the world. To learn more about the Atlanta style, I talked with Tony Sailor of the “Sick on Skates Crew”.

The Origins of The ATL Style

Tony taught me that in the past, different groups of skaters would form crews and the teams would strut their stuff as they skate around the rink. Roller skaters in the ATL influenced the cities dance culture as well. 

The roots of the Atlanta skate culture go back to FDC “Fresh Dance Crew” of the late 70’s early 80’s during the Jellybean Era and Late Sharron Showcase Era. Jellybean was a roller-skating rink and home for artists and performers in the Atlanta area. As Roller Sk8 Berlin points out “Jellybean was once located in the Ben Hill community in the southwestern part of Atlanta. Jellybean is remembered as “The Master of All Roller Rinks” in Atlanta.” You can learn more about the origins of the Atlanta skate style in my rhythm skating history recap.

I grew up roller skating in Atlanta practicing elements of all of the moves in the Atlanta style, but I never knew the name. I was so cool getting a chance to sit down with Tony and identify different move names and origins.

a chart describing the basics of the atlanta roller skate style

  Atlanta skaters skate like TI and them in the movie. That’s why many Atlanta skaters skate in modified speed skater set ups.

The Carrera’s have the ATL in a strangle hold. The first step to being an Atlanta skater is getting a pair of Carrera’s or Carrera type jam skates and learning to ryde TO THIS DAY! In fact, my first skate was a Riedell R3 with jam plugs.

As Atlanta skaters mature and begin skating different styles, they eventually adopt more traditional Rhythm Skating set ups. Many Atlanta skaters skate their whole lives in the modified speed set ups as well.

 

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ATL Routines

“The Stab”

“The Stab” a move created during the Jellybean Era, was originally called the “Al Toe” after the creator of the movement.  The name was changed to “The Stab” to describe the motion and execution of the movement. Skaters pick their feet up to 90 and then stab it across their leg.

“The Prep”

“The Prep” is a routine made by a crew called “The Preps”. Known for their distinctive style and precise skate moves, these skaters dress in preppy clothing i.e. their name the “Preps”. 

 

 

“Ryding”

“Ryding” is a routine that has been shortened but still widely practiced. The strides are a lunge like moves on quad skates. Different stride-like moves have different names depending on the style. For example, skaters’ stride in Ohio, Cali, and New York, but the definition and application changes between these moves.  RYDING was “designed to hit hard” according to Tony Sailor the leader of the @sickonsickcrew.  

As time passed, skaters developed routines and new names emerged.  The current era’s routines have the same elements as the original routines, but changed slightly due to limited information on the original routines. 

Dunbeezytv demonstrating atl ryding on roller skates

Learn RYDE ON SKATES

If you want to try the ATL style, I made a tutorial on How to Ryde. I am also working with the “Sick on Skates” crew to create more ATL style tutorials. 

Stay Tuned!

Watch Now

Conclusion 

The Atlanta skate scene goes way back to the late 70s and 80s when rollerskating was all the rage. The ATL stylgrew the style origeinated inside roller rinks and on dance floors. What makes the ATL style unique is its development alongside the Yeek dance movement. Skaters in Atlanta form crews, and they represent their crews with routines around the rink.

Nowadays, skaters still rock the rink, forming crews and showing off their routines. The Bad Boys Skate Crew and  S.Q.U.A.D are still keeping it real and inspiring the next generation of skaters. Wanna know more? Check out the creators mentioned in this blog, they know their stuff!

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The Roller Skating Paradise You Never Knew About: Memphis, Tennessee

The Roller Skating Paradise You Never Knew About: Memphis, Tennessee

by | Feb 12, 2022 | Blog, Jam Skating, Rhythm Skating, Roller Skating, Skate History

Memphis, Tennessee is famous for it’s dancing, BBQ, and as we are going to learn today, their skate community too.

If you’re anything like me, you didn’t know about all of the amazing things that come out of the city of Memphis. I learned about the city’s deep skate history when I started studying to create a Rhythm Skating Map, a graphic that summarizes the origins of different skate styles.

 

When I made my first draft, I asked my roller skating friends from around the world for input. My friend Ebony aka Coach E introduced me to the world of Memphis Skating and I’ve been running down the rabbit hole ever since.

Ebony is the branding manger for Southern Roll Memphis, movement started in Memphis Tennessee.  She introduced me to our teacher for the day,  Lukki aka Mr. Southern Roll.

 

A roller skating woman posing on a flier for beginner lessons
Lukki standing with Ms. Kaskille

Lukki, born in Chicago, learned to skate from Michael Winfield. As a jit Lukki delivered papers by skateboard and skates. 

Back in the day, he was a speed and style skater, but when he went to Memphis, he fell in love with the roll and saw how great the roller skate community is down south. So, he moved.

 

 

After living in Memphis for sometime, Lukki began to organize events in Memphis and even eventually started the Southern Roll Memphis National skate jam.

Memphis Skate Techniques

a chart describing the basics of the Memphis<br /> roller skate style

Lukki told me he saw the culture in Memphis change throughout the years. Historically, Memphis is known for strong ‘outside’ skating. The “outside” is skater talk for the space outside the middle of the rink.

Memphis also has its own unique skating techniques like ‘Memphis Wall Riding’ and ‘Memphis Slow Walking’. ‘Wall Riding’ is when you do this cool footwork style along the outside rink that’s slow and mellow. Sometimes skaters ‘Wall Ride’ alone, but most times skaters ‘Wall Ride’ in groups.

 

To learn the history of Jookin and Jookin on skates, I spoke to Eli Boyce aka @EliSkateGod901.

 Eli taught me that historically, middle work wasn’t a big part of the Memphis style, but it’s becoming more popular now. In the 2000s, different styles and parties helped middle work become more prominent. Another roller skate culture was formed in Memphis around middle and battle skaters.

The next skate style we are going to learn about is Memphis Jookin’ on skates. Before we can talk about that, we need to learn a little about jookin.  Memphis Jookin is a style of dance that originated in Memphis, Tennessee. It is characterized by fluid footwork, gliding, and popping and locking movements. It is often danced to hip-hop or rap music and has gained popularity in recent years.

Eli Skate God rhythm skating in a soul train line

Conclusion

Memphis skaters are amazing. To prepare for my history video on Memphis, I made a reaction video using clips from the skaters I mention in the history video. Each skater I mentioned in the reaction taught me about a piece of Memphis history that helped make the video and blog special.

That’s why I want to shout them out and say thank you. This video and blog will help you get started on your journey through Memphis Skate culture.  Please comment down below if you have any questions or anything to add !

 

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What Is The Difference Between Jam Skating and Rhythm Skating?

What Is The Difference Between Jam Skating and Rhythm Skating?

by | Jan 11, 2022 | Jam Skating, Rhythm Skating, Roller Skating, Skate History, Skate tips, Skate tutorials

You’ve heard about rhythm and jam skating, but what do they even mean.

When I first started skating, I did not know the difference either. Today, I want to define rhythm and jam skating and discuss 3 differences between the two.

I made a video to break this down to, so if you are more visual, check out my whole video on the topic after you finish reading. Let’s start by defining both styles.

The TL;DR

 

The definition of jam skating changes depending on who you ask. That’s why today, I’m going to be speaking about the definition of  jam skating and rhythm skating consistently presented on the web. Basically, what type of skates will you find and what do people use those skates for if you Googled it and clicked on some links.  Here’s a graphic to sum everything up for you. 

 

Table explaining the difference between jam skating and rhythm skating
A picture of jam skate on side representing jam skating and Usher on the right side representing rhythm skating

The Equipement

We can do moves on any skates, but different skates allow us to do different moves more effectively. Style skating boots are high on the ankle. The plates are stiffer and the wheels are hard and small. These skates are optimized to roller skating doing quick turns and pivots while you’re moving.

Alternatively, jam skating boots are low. The plates are more flexible and the wheels are wide and softer. This makes it easier to do ground work and turn corners at higher speed. The lack of ankle support makes it more difficult to pivot while moving.

The equipment rhythm skaters use works best on the outside, while jam skating skates are optimized for groundwork, something you do on the inside. Admittedly a lot of jam skating is “shuffling” or “trucking”, the thing that makes jam skating special is its focus on the inside.  Jam skaters compete in break dance style battles, like the battles at Heartbreak.  Alternatively, most rhythm skating techniques focus on the outside.

One of the most popular of these techniques is trains and trios. Trains and trios are techniques where you link hands and use the momentum of the skaters on the line to perform different patterns while skating around the skate floor.

A picture of a rhythm skate and a jam skate with a versus symbol in the middle

The Sales pitch 

 

Jam skating is a piece of Style Skating with a new direction. The original sales pitch for jam skating was break dancing on skates. This lasted from the late 90s to the mid 2010s. When the pandemic boom hit, the jam skating sales pitch changed.

Man jam skating doing a break dancing windmill on skates

Until recently, jam skating is a phrase generally used to describe low cut boot skates, with wide wheels, and jam plugs. Jam skaters use these skates to perform various dance moves on skates that incorporate hip hop dancing, break dancing, and gymnastics. At the start of the pandemic, jam skating became synonymous with any dancing on skates that’s not artistic skating. 

James Wilson tells a piece of this story in his chapter in the The Evolution of Skating, a collection of skater stories. James aka Mr. Jam Skate is a sales rep for Anabolix, a rink owner, performer and much more. He used to be the Vice President of United Jam Skate Teams of America (UJSTA), the official jam skating governing body.  According to his chapter in The Evolution of Skating,  James, former artistic skating champion, started jam skating after he became an adult.

He points out In his chapter, when he and his friends started jam skating in the late 1990’s it wasn’t know as jam skating. People called it “shuffling” or “toe jamming”. This was in the late 90s meaning the popular use of the term jam skating is 30-40 years old. Wilson, is a person who sells skates and an authority by the nature of his titles, but he wasn’t calling it jam skating until the late 90s.

Rhythm skating describes almost a hundred years of roller skating history and techniques.  The roots of some regional style go back as early as the 1930s.  As Reggie Brown, a JB skating legend, DJ, event organizer and father featured in United Skates, told me out the roots of JB go back to the Lindy Hop era and Savoy Ballroom. I Googled it and it all checked out. I made a video about Chicago history. You can watch it below.

Rhythm Skating has a similar origin but the marketing campaign is different. In fact, the term “rhythm skating” is around the same age as “jam skating”. Rhythm Skating is a marketing term to describe roller skates with a high top boot, hard wheels, and jam plugs. These skates are meant to be used inside of the rink. Ironically, it is used more frequently on the internet than IRL.

Before the internet, people skated with their homies and only saw skaters from other cities during skate jams or road trips.  That’s why, if you ask a skater “what type of skater are you ?”, 99% will say their regional style. Skaters have pride in our regional identities and styles.  Each style has a history of contributors, organizers, and skaters. That’s why the accepted term among historians is “style skating”.

Conclusion

 

In a nutshell, the main differences between jam skating and rhythm skating can be summed up like this:

 

  1. Origin: Jam skating and rhythm skating were both created to sell skates, but they emerged at different times. Jam skating became popular in the late 90s, while rhythm skating has a long history that goes back hundreds of years.
  2. Marketing and Commodification: Jam skating has been heavily marketed and turned into a product. The term itself is used to sell skates and related stuff. Rhythm skating, though also a marketing term, has a stronger connection to the diverse skating styles developed and used by African-Americans across the United States.
  3. Equipment: Jam skating usually involves low boots for easier ground work and wide, soft wheels for stability and high-speed cornering. Rhythm skating, on the other hand, often uses high ankle boots optimized for quick turns and pivots, along with hard and small wheels for maneuverability. The equipment changes how these skates are used. Jam skating is all about skating on the inside of the circle, with a focus on breakdance-style battles and shuffling techniques. On the other hand, rhythm skating is more about skating on the outside of the circle and learning different skate styles like JB, Detroit, Up Top, and Snapping.

These differences highlight the cultural, historical, and marketing aspects that set jam skating apart from rhythm skating.

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What Is Fastbackwards Skating: Speed and Thrills Wheels

What Is Fastbackwards Skating: Speed and Thrills Wheels

by | Jan 2, 2022 | Blog, Jam Skating, Rhythm Skating, Roller Skating, Skate History, Skate tips, Skate tutorials

what is fast backwards?

Fast backwards is a pretty straight forward style, but there are some details that are easy to miss. Fun fact 1 is there is more than one fast backwards routine.

When skaters create routines in rinks, they have to create them flexibly to account for turns and traffic. For example, skaters always use footwork variations to optimize speed while turning.  In addition to this inherent variance, clubs, friends, and teams also create their own routines.

Who Created Fastbackwards ?

Fast Backwards is a roller skating routine credited and popularized in rinks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which henceforth shall the city be addressed by its colloquial title Philly.

According to Ice From Philly, like the artist formally known as Prince,  yes you gotta say the whole thing,

Fast backwards was founded at the following rinks: Elmwood Street, St. Charles, Chevous (69th), Lancaster, Carmen Gardens in Philly and Skateland, Garden State, and Franksville in South Jersey.

Today, I want to point out 3 things you might not have known about fast backwards, because I didn’t know until I did some research.

When do I fast backwards?

Fast backwards skating is a common call like “trains and trios”.  ‘Call’ is a term some skaters use to describe when the DJ announces a special type of skating. For example, the DJ might say “guys skate”, gals skate”, or “backwards skate” and everyone on the floor follows the DJ’s  instructions. There is even special music for the fast backwards.

Generally, fast backwards is accompanied by up tempo funk, hip hop, or house music.

Conclusion

Where and how people do “fast backwards” changes, but the desire to skate backwards fast does not. Skates move well in similar patterns, so it’s natural we would create similar techniques.  I will get into the specifics of fast backwards in different countries in a later video.

Today’s history lesson is the start of a deep dive in to Philly roller skating history. I just finished all four books in The Evolution of Skating.  I’m working on more rhythm skating history videos now. Subscribe on Youtube, so if you want more skate history content, tap into Rhythm Skating on Instagram and Youtube.

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