Freeskates is a type of sports equipment made of two separate metal or wooden decks with two polyurethane in-line wheels attached to the underside by a pair of angled trucks. It is referred to as freeskating, freeline skating, or drift skating.[1][2][3][4]
Freeskates were developed in 2002 in San Francisco by Ryan Farrelly, and a patent was filed by Farrelly and Jason Galoob in 2003.[5][6] Farrelly founded a company called Freeline which sold freeskates starting in 2005.[7] Freeline Sports, Inc has since gone out of business.[citation needed] Freeskating is practiced around the world. In 2015, former members of the original brand (Freeline) came together to create JMKRIDE. Based in San Diego, California JMKRIDE aimed to revive the sport. The sport was rebranded to be called "freeskating" to reach worldwide riders. [8][9][10]
To ride, the freeskates rider is positioned sideways and move their feet back-and-forth in a motion called pumping to accelerate. Pumping acceleration is enhanced by swinging of arms and hips, providing a counterweight to push against the skates.
To move forward, the two feet move in a sinusoidal path with varying phase the rider can exert forces to move. When both feet are in phase, this variations is called "double pumping"
To turn left or right, the rider would part the feet of their toes outwards or inwards, creating an arc for the skates to turn.
Similar to skateboarding, the stance of the rider where the left foot on the forward skate and the right foot on the back skate is colloquially known as "regular.", the opposite of this stance is called "goofy" - the same as other boarded sports.
Different thickness and size of wheels can significant impact the stance and style of the motion, traditionally they range between 58mm to 72mm, classic wheels are flat while newer style wheels are curved - creating a different contact profile.
These can significantly affect the types of tricks that can be used, such as "throwbacks" are preferred on curved wheels, while flat wheels provide more stability on the horizontal axis.
Side view of the Freeline Skates
Freeskaters resting in Seoul.
