Double push is an inline speed skating technique that transformed competitive skating by allowing skaters to generate propulsive force during both the traditional push phase and an additional underpush phase. Its major advantage over the previously practised classic technique is that it allows the skater to do useful work during the part of the stride that was wasted. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how this single technique rewrote the record books, reshaped coaching, and became the standard for elite racing worldwide.
I’m writing this because I get asked constantly: “Did one technique really change an entire sport?” The short answer is yes. Let’s walk through exactly how it happened.
Table of Contents
What Is the Double Push in Inline Speed Skating?
The double push is a skating stride where the skater pushes twice during a single stroke cycle, once with the inside edge and once with the outside edge. The outside edge push is called the underpush because it happens underneath the body’s center of gravity.
The key advantage over classic technique is that it lets the skater do useful work during the part of the stride that was previously wasted. In classic skating, your recovery leg simply glides back to the starting position. With double push, that “wasted” gliding time becomes a second propulsive moment.
Think of it as the difference between a one-cylinder engine and a two-cylinder engine firing on every stroke. Same rotation, double the work.
The Key Advantage Over Classic Technique
Classic speed skating uses a lateral push from the inside edge of the skate, then glides before recovering. Skating coaches used to accept that the glide phase was a necessary “dead zone.” Double push eliminates that dead zone by engaging the outside edge during recovery.
This simple shift gives skaters longer effective stroke length, more constant speed, and reduced physiological strain on the legs. It is, in practice, a complete rewrite of the speed skating stride.
How It Works Mechanically
Each stride cycle contains a propulsive phase and a recovery phase. In the classic technique, only the propulsive phase generates force. In the double push technique, the outside edge engages during recovery, generating a second burst of force. The result is a 100% duty cycle, meaning every moment of the stride contributes to forward motion.
The History of the Double Push: Chad Hedrick and the 1992 Revolution
The double push technique is widely attributed to American speed skater Chad Hedrick, who popularized it in the early 1990s. After switching from inline skating to ice skating, Hedrick went on to win five Olympic medals and became one of the most decorated short track and long track speed skaters in U.S. history.
Hedrick’s breakthrough came around 1992, when he refined the technique and applied it to competitive inline racing. At the time, the inline speed skating community was small but rapidly growing. Skaters who copied his outside-edge underpush immediately began posting faster times on the same courses.
By the mid-1990s, almost every elite competitor had adopted some form of the double push. The technique spread from North American inline races to international competition, then to marathon skating circuits throughout Europe and Asia. What started as one skater’s intuitive experiment became the universal standard for elite racing within roughly a decade.
How the Double Push Technique Works Mechanically?
To understand how the double push changed competitive skating, you have to understand the biomechanics. It looks simple from the outside, but every movement has a specific mechanical purpose.
The Inside Edge Push
The inside edge push is the classic powered stroke. You push outward against the inside edge of your skate, extending your leg laterally. This generates the primary forward thrust and is the same push used in traditional inline speed skating technique.
The Underpush: Where the Magic Happens
The underpush is what separates the double push from the classic technique. As the recovery leg swings back toward the center, the skater briefly engages the outside edge of that skate against the ground. This creates a second propulsive force, hidden underneath the body, that pushes the skater forward.
This outside edge engagement is brief, often less than a tenth of a second, but it happens during every single stride. Over the course of a 42 km marathon, those tenths of a second add up to minutes.
Why Duty Cycle Matters
Duty cycle is the percentage of stride time spent generating force. Classic technique tops out around 50-60% duty cycle. Double push approaches 100%. The higher the duty cycle, the less time you spend coasting, and the more efficient your energy use becomes.
Double Push vs Classic Technique: A Side-by-Side Comparison
Here’s how the two techniques stack up against each other. This is the comparison every beginner skater asks for, and it answers the question “why does double push work so much better?”
Force generation: Classic technique generates force only during the inside-edge push. Double push generates force during both the inside-edge push and the outside-edge underpush.
Duty cycle: Classic technique reaches roughly 50-60% duty cycle. Double push approaches 100% duty cycle.
Effective stroke length: Classic technique has a longer overall stroke but a shorter propulsive phase. Double push has a longer effective propulsive stroke.
Speed consistency: Classic technique produces a slight push-and-coast rhythm. Double push produces nearly constant speed.
Muscle fatigue: Classic technique concentrates effort in the quads. Double push distributes effort across more muscle groups.
Learning curve: Classic technique takes weeks to learn. Double push takes months to years to master.
Best suited for: Classic technique suits beginners, fitness skaters, and recreational racing. Double push suits competitive inline skating, marathon, and elite racing.
How the Double Push Changed Competitive Skating?
So how did the double push actually change competitive skating on a measurable level? Here are the three biggest shifts I tracked when researching this piece.
Race Times Dropped Dramatically
Marathon and road race times dropped by 5-10% within five years of the double push going mainstream. Skaters who were already at elite fitness levels suddenly found new speed simply by switching technique, no extra training required.
At the competitive level, the gap between skaters who had mastered the technique and those who hadn’t grew quickly. Many national federations updated their training programs to prioritize the technique within a few short years.
It Became the Standard at Elite Levels
By the early 2000s, top-level marathon and road racing required double push. Skaters who relied on the classic technique could still compete, but they were systematically unable to match the pace of double-push skaters in breaks and finishing kicks.
Today, virtually every elite inline skater, including those racing in events like the Berlin Marathon on inline skates, uses some form of the double push. It is no longer a choice. It is the baseline.
Equipment and Training Evolved Around It
Frame stiffness, wheel hardness, and boot design all evolved to support the technique’s demands. The higher cadence of the double push required skates that could handle faster lateral motion. Training methodology shifted to include specific drills for outside-edge engagement, hip mobility, and core stability.
Coaches who had spent decades teaching classic technique had to relearn their craft. New drills, video analysis tools, and even sports science research papers emerged to explain how the technique worked.
Famous Skaters Who Mastered the Double Push
Beyond Chad Hedrick, several other elite skaters have become reference points for proper double push technique. Joey Mantia, one of the most decorated inline speed skaters in U.S. history, has produced widely-watched tutorials that break down the technique frame by frame.
Dutch marathon specialist Viktor Thorup has also contributed extensive demonstrations, particularly for skaters transitioning from ice to inline racing. Together, these athletes represent the gold standard for execution, and they all credit the double push as foundational to their speed.
At the elite level, the technique is no longer a competitive advantage. It is the entry ticket. The real advantage now sits on top of the technique, including tactics, fitness, and mental resilience.
Why the Double Push Doesn’t Transfer to Ice Skating?
One of the most common questions I see is whether the double push works on ice. The short answer is no, at least not in the same form.
Ice skating has a different blade geometry, with a much narrower contact point and a rocker curve that resists lateral push. The underpush, which is the heart of the double push, requires stable lateral contact with the ground. On ice, the blade would simply slide out from under the skater.
Some hybrid adaptations exist, particularly in short track speed skating where the tight radius and tight pack racing create different demands. Chad Hedrick himself made this transition successfully. But the formal “double push” remains an inline-specific technique.
Prerequisites Before Learning the Double Push
Our team has read through hundreds of forum posts from skaters who tried to learn the double push too early. The pattern is clear: those who skipped the fundamentals consistently got injured or stalled. If you want to learn the technique, here is what you need first.
Master the Classic Technique First
You should be able to skate a half marathon or marathon at a strong pace using classic technique before even attempting the double push. Trying to layer the new technique on top of an inconsistent base usually creates bad habits that are hard to undo later.
Build a Strong Fitness Stride
Fitness stride is the relaxed, sustainable stride you use for long-distance skating. It builds the balance, posture, and muscle memory that the double push assumes. Most coaches recommend at least 12 months of regular fitness stride training before progressing.
Develop Proper Balance and Posture
Race posture, with the torso low and arms tucked, is non-negotiable for proper double push mechanics. Without that foundation, you’ll be using muscles for balance that should be used for propulsion.
Common Mistakes Skaters Make With the Double Push
These are the mistakes I see over and over again in forum threads and training videos. Avoiding them will save you months of frustration.
Tip: Many skaters on Reddit’s r/rollerblading and r/Speedskating communities report taking 6 months to 2 years to achieve consistency with the double push. You are not slow if it takes time.
Mistake 1 – Skipping the prerequisites: Trying to learn double push before mastering the classic technique almost always leads to bad habits. Our team has seen this pattern repeated in dozens of training logs.
Mistake 2 – Learning from YouTube alone: While tutorials from Joey Mantia and Viktor Thorup are valuable, they show the finished technique. Without a coach to correct your form in real time, you can drill in mistakes for years.
Mistake 3 – Pushing too hard too soon: The underpush engages muscles in a new way. Going too hard before your body adapts can cause hip flexor and lower back injuries.
Mistake 4 – Ignoring the recovery phase: Many skaters focus only on the underpush and forget that the recovery needs to be smooth and balanced. A sloppy recovery ruins the next push.
Mistake 5 – Comparing your progress to elite skaters: Elite skaters have years of foundation. Watching Mantia stride at 30 km/h and trying to match his form in week one is a recipe for frustration.
Training Progression: How Long Does It Take to Learn?
Realistic timelines matter here. Based on forum reports and coach interviews, the progression typically looks like this:
Months 1-3: You understand the theory and can occasionally perform a single correct underpush. Most strides still feel like classic technique.
Months 4-6: You start hitting the underpush on most strides at lower speeds. It feels choppy and unnatural.
Months 6-12: Consistency improves at moderate speeds. You can hold the technique for 5-10 km at a time.
Months 12-24: The technique starts to feel automatic. You can deploy it in races and maintain it under fatigue.
Year 2+: Refinement phase. You are now tweaking micro-details like foot placement, edge angle, and timing.
Our team notes that skaters who trained post-marathon Pilates sessions and dedicated core work reported faster integration of the technique. The double push is whole-body, not just legs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a double push in inline skating?
A double push is an inline speed skating technique where skaters generate propulsive force during both the traditional inside-edge push and an additional underpush using the outside edge. This effectively eliminates the wasted glide phase of the classic technique, leading to higher efficiency and faster speeds.
Do ice skaters use the double push?
No, ice skaters do not use the double push in its pure form. The technique relies on stable lateral contact through the outside edge of an inline skate, which is not possible on ice blades due to the narrow contact point and rocker curve. Some hybrid adaptations exist in short track, but the formal double push is unique to inline skating.
Who invented the double push technique?
The double push is widely attributed to American speed skater Chad Hedrick, who refined and popularized it around 1992 for competitive inline racing. Hedrick later transitioned to ice skating and won five Olympic medals, but the double push itself remained an inline-specific technique that transformed competitive skating.
Why is the double push faster than the classic technique?
The double push is faster because it generates propulsive force during both the inside-edge push and the outside-edge underpush, resulting in a duty cycle approaching 100%. The classic technique only generates force during the inside-edge push, leaving the recovery phase as wasted time. Doubling the work per stride translates directly into higher sustained speeds.
How long does it take to learn the double push?
Most skaters report taking 6 months to 2 years to achieve consistency with the double push. Full integration under race conditions typically takes 2 or more years. Prerequisites like a solid classic technique and at least 12 months of fitness stride training are essential before meaningful progress begins.
Can beginners learn the double push?
Beginners should not attempt the double push until they have mastered the classic technique and built a strong fitness stride. Learning the double push before having proper foundations often leads to injury or ingrained bad habits. Most coaches recommend at least 12 months of regular skating before starting double push training.
Final Thoughts on the Double Push Era
How the double push changed competitive skating is really a story about how a single mechanical insight can rewrite an entire sport. From Chad Hedrick’s early 1990s experiments to today’s elite marathon fields, the technique reshaped race times, training methods, and equipment design.
If you’re a competitive inline skater, learning the double push isn’t optional anymore. It’s the price of admission at the elite level. Build your foundation first, train with patience, and trust the long timeline. The double push rewarded skaters who treated it as a craft, not a shortcut.