All quad skates are roller skates, but not all roller skates are quad skates. "Roller skate" refers to both kinds of skates: in-line and quad. Both kinds of skates have existed since the 1700s, each with its own design styles, techniques and following. Despite stylistic and structural differences, the different styles of roller skates are highly similar.
History
The first roller skate was patented in 1760 by Joseph Merlin of Belgium, according to an article distributed by the National Association Skate Museum. These skates couldn't steer, and in fact were in-line skates built to imitate an ice skating shoe. The first turning skates arrived in 1863. Until the 1900s, most skates were wheeled frames a user would attach to a shoe. As roller skating grew more popular, shoes with the skating wheels integrated became widely available.
Structure
Roller skates consist of a shoe or boot with a structural plate at the bottom. This plate includes rigid holes to support an axle, to which small wheels are attached. Quad roller skates have two axles, each with two wheels on either side of the shoe. This structure is much like the axles and four wheels on a car. In-line skates place a single wheel in a groove, with the axle extending into holes on either side of the wheel. This is much like the wheel and axle structure of a motorcycle, although most in-line skates have three or four wheels.
Rocking
A major development in roller skates took place in 1863, when a Massachusetts inventor designed quad skates that allowed the structural plate to rock in relation to the wheels. This made it possible to steer the skates. In-line skates, because of their central positioning, don't require a rocking plate. The overlap of the foot over the central line of wheels allows this motion naturally. Again, this is much like leaning into a turn on a motorcycle.
Exercise
Participating in 30 minutes of skating will burn about 200 calories for a 180-pound person, according to HealthStatus.com. Besides the cardiovascular exercise, skating also enhances balance, coordination and leg strength. Although there are subtle differences in technique, exercise calculators make no distinction between quad and in-line skating workouts.
Culture
According to Buzz White, manager of Skate World in Hillboro, Ore., the cultures of quad skating and in-line skating are quite different. For the most part, quad skaters skate recreationally, and often limit their skating to facilities with a skating rink. In-line skaters skate more often for exercise, or practice and do tricks on their skates in various outdoor locations. White noted that the design of in-line skates may make this easier, but also suspects the similarity to motorcycles has an influence on this cultural difference.
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