July 1, 2003
Compiled by Ang Tian Teck.

Crossovers, a necessary skill that every skater needs to master to get that speed advantage around those tight corners and at times, on strightaways. Crossover steps on the straightaway had allowed TWINCAM/Salomon racer Eddy Matzger to simultaneously navigate around and accelerate past his opponent in the 1994 New York race.

Over the years, Eddy has noticeably improved his crossover technique. "Practicing crossovers has helped cut my losses and turned me into a more complete skater."

According to Eddy, the best practice for crossover technique may be the turn circle. "You take some string and chalk with you to a parking lot and draw a circle on the ground, then skate around it as long as your legs are willing. Experiment with the size of the circle and the speed at which you go around it."

In his article titled "How to Become a Better Crossover Artist", published in the Inline Magazine, Oct/Nov. 1994, Eddy tells us how he took advantage of his crossovers to lead in the races in New York City and Maine.

To make you go faster, Eddy offers the following. Think about just one thing every time you go practice, otherwise you'll get crossed-up!

• Lean back. If a boat's nose is pointed under water, it won't go fast either.

• Reach into the turn with your hip first, knee second, and skate third. This will help counteract the centrifugal force which wants to pull you out of the turn.

• Keep those shoulders parallel to the ground, and don't let them twist into the turns. If anything, think about opening your torso towards the outside.

• Make your crossover one continuous, fluid motion. Each leg should do equal work.

• Body weight must be centered over supporting leg so that no pronation occurs. Pronating will slow you down by creating unnecessary friction against the pavement.

• Minimize any hopping, dipping, bobbing, or weaving, because the faster you go the more this extra motion will throw you off - like what a pottery wheel does to an uncentered lump of clay.

Content of this article was extracted from "How to Become a Better Crossover Artist" by Eddy Matzger with permission from Eddy Matzger. For the complete and other intersting articles, please visit www.skatecentral.com.