30 Must-Know Speed Skating Terms, Phrases and Slang

59 speed skating terms explained, from clap skate, crossover and drafting to bell lap and changeover, plus the slang skaters use.

Speed skating terminology depends on which version of the sport is on screen. Long track is a race against the clock in pairs, short track is a pack race with contact, and each brings its own words. The words related to speed skating cover the track, the technique and the blade, while the words associated with speed skating equipment come down to the clap skate and the suit. Every term used here is repeated in the speed skating glossary below.

New to the sport? Our guide to speed skating rules explains how a race is run and won, which makes most of the terms below fall into place.

👉 Think you know speed skating? Test yourself with our Speed Skating Quiz.

Must-Know Speed Skating Terms, Phrases and Slang:

Speed Skating Glossary: Every Term A to Z

Terms A to C

Term	What It Means
Advance	To move on from a heat into the next round, either by finishing high enough or on time.
Aerodynamic	Shaped to cut drag. At racing speed air resistance is the largest force a skater fights, which is why suits and body position matter so much.
Allround	A championship format scored across four distances, where the best combined result wins rather than a single race.
Apex	The tightest point of a turn, where the skater is closest to the inside and leaning hardest.
Bell lap	The final lap, announced by a bell. It usually turns the race into a sprint.
Bend	The slight curve set along a long-track blade to help it hold an arc through the turns.
Blade	The long steel runner under the boot. Straight and thin for long track, curved for short track corners.
Block	In short track, holding a line so a rival cannot pass. Legal until it becomes contact or impeding.
Changeover	In long track, the point on the back straight where the two skaters in a pair swap lanes each lap so both cover the same distance.
Clap skate	A skate whose blade is hinged at the front and lifts away from the heel, keeping the blade on the ice longer through each push.
Cornering	The technique of carrying speed through a turn without losing the edge or the line.
Crossover	The crossing step used through a turn, where one skate is placed over the other to keep pushing all the way round.

Terms D to L

Term	What It Means
Double push	An inline technique in which the skater pushes on the outward set-down as well as the outward stroke.
Drafting	Sitting close behind another skater to sit out of the air. Also called slipstreaming.
Elfstedentocht	The legendary 200-kilometer tour of eleven cities in Friesland, held on natural ice only when it is thick enough.
False start	Moving before the gun. A second one usually costs a skater the race.
Final A	The short-track final that decides the medals; Final B decides the places behind.
Final sprint	The last effort into the line, where positioning from the previous laps pays off.
Glide	The phase between pushes, when the skate simply runs. Longer glides mean fewer, better pushes.
Heat	A preliminary race that decides who goes through to the next round.
Ice resurfacer	The machine, often called by the brand name Zamboni, that smooths the ice between races.
Impeding	A short-track penalty for blocking, pushing or tripping another skater.
Inline	Speed skating on inline skates, with the wheels in a single row, raced on roads and tracks.
Inner lane	The shorter of the two long track lanes. The pairing and changeover rules exist so nobody keeps it.
Intermediate sprint	A points lap during a mass start, on laps 4, 8 and 12.
Interval start	Starting skaters at fixed gaps, usually thirty seconds, so they do not bunch up.
Lap	One full circuit of the track. Distances are given in meters and translated into laps by the skaters.
Lap board	The board at the finish line showing how many laps are left in a race.
Long track	Racing on a 400 meter oval, in pairs, against the clock.
Low position	The deeply bent knees and flat back that keep skaters aerodynamic.

Terms M to S

Term	What It Means
Marathon skating	Long-distance mass-start racing, on natural ice or on ovals, popular in the Netherlands.
Mass start	A race in which the whole field starts together and tactics decide the result.
Outer lane	The lane on the outside of the oval, the longer path in each turn.
Oval	The standard 400 meter long track shape, with two straights and two banked turns.
Pack style	Racing where all competitors share the ice and position matters as much as speed. The short track norm.
Pair	The two skaters who race together in a long track event, one in the inner and one in the outer lane.
Penalty	A ruling that removes a skater from the result, usually for impeding or an illegal pass.
Photo finish	The line camera used to separate skaters whose blades cross the line together.
Podium	The three places that finish with a medal, and the platform they are handed out on.
Qualifying	Skating for a time or a placing good enough to reach the next round or the final.
Relay	The short track team event, where a skater is pushed into the race by a teammate rather than tagged.
Rink	The ice surface. Short track runs on a hockey-sized rink, long track on a much larger oval.
Rocker	The slight curve ground into a blade along its length. It sets how easily the skate turns.
Seed	A ranking from earlier results that decides starting positions and pairings.
Short track	Racing on a 111 meter track marked on a hockey rink, in packs, with contact and passing.
Skinsuit	Another word for the one-piece racing suit.
Slide board	A smooth training board on which skaters mimic the push off-ice in socks or booties.
Speed suit	The skin-tight racing suit, cut and seamed to reduce drag.
Split time	An intermediate time taken during a race to show the pace lap by lap.
Sprint	The short distances, above all the 500 meters, where the start counts for almost everything.
Start line	The line the race begins from, with skaters held still behind it until the gun.
Stroke	One push and glide cycle. The unit technique is measured in.

Terms T to W

Term	What It Means
Team pursuit	A team event in which three skaters race in line against another three starting on the opposite side.
Throw the skate	Thrusting the front skate forward at the finish line to reach it first.
Time trial	Racing the clock alone rather than head to head.
Track	The marked racing surface, oval in both versions of the sport, with lanes in long track and blocks in short.
Transition	The change from one technique to another, above all from straight-line stroking into the crossovers of a turn.
Turn	The banked or marked curve at each end of the track, where races are usually decided.
Warm-up	The light skating and stretching done before racing so muscles are ready and injuries less likely.

What Is It Called When…? Speed Skating Terms by Situation

Know what happened but not the word for it? Find the situation on the left and the speed skating term on the right.

When…	It Is Called
The outside foot crosses over the inside foot in a turn	Crossover
Long-track skaters swap lanes on the back straight	Changeover
A skater follows another to save energy	Drafting
The blade is hinged at the front	Clap skate
The final lap is signaled	Bell lap
All skaters start at once	Mass start
Skaters race against the clock in pairs	Pair (time trial)
A skater leaves before the gun	False start
A short-track skater pushes or blocks another illegally	Impeding
A fouled skater is moved into the next round	Advance
Three skaters from one team ride together against another team	Team pursuit
The result is decided by camera	Photo finish
A skater pushes the front skate forward at the line	Throw the skate
Skaters race four distances in one championship	Allround
A race through eleven Frisian cities takes place on natural ice	Elfstedentocht
A skater times each lap to check pace	Split time

#1 Apex

The innermost point of a turn, where the skater passes closest to the inside line. Hitting the apex late lets a skater come out of the turn with more speed onto the straight. In short track the apex is marked by rubber blocks set on the ice.

In a sentence: “She took the apex too early and drifted wide on the exit.”

#2 Block

In short track, holding the inside line to stop a rival from passing, within the limits of the impeding rule. The word also names the soft rubber markers that define the inside of each turn. Knocking a block out of place can lead to a penalty if it gains an advantage.

In a sentence: “He’s blocking the inside lane perfectly, nobody can get past.”

#3 Clap skate

A long-track skate whose blade is hinged under the front of the boot, so it stays on the ice while the heel lifts at the end of the push. The blade snaps back with the clap that gives it its name. After Dutch skaters adopted it in the 1996-97 season, it was in general use by the 1998 Nagano Olympics, where world records fell in many events.

In a sentence: “Since the clap skate came in, the old records were gone within two seasons.”

#4 Cornering

Skating the turns, where long-track skaters lean low and use crossovers to keep speed. Good cornering means building speed in the turn rather than only holding it. Turns are where most falls happen, especially in short track.

In a sentence: “His cornering is the best in the field, he gains a tenth every lap.”

#5 Drafting

Skating closely behind another skater to stay out of the air resistance, which saves energy. It decides tactics in short track, mass start and team pursuit. In long-track pair races drafting is limited because the skaters are in different lanes.

In a sentence: “She’s drafting behind the leader and waiting for the last lap.”

#6 Heat

A preliminary race in short track. The top finishers, usually the first two, move on to the next round, sometimes with the fastest third-placed skaters. Heats are run with four to six skaters depending on distance.

In a sentence: “He needs to finish top two in the heat to make the quarterfinal.”

#7 Inline

Speed skating on inline roller skates with four or five wheels in a row, on road circuits or banked tracks. Many long-track champions started on inline skates, and skaters often switch between the two sports.

In a sentence: “He came from inline, which is why his double push is so good.”

#8 Lap

One full circuit of the track: 400 meters in long track and 111.12 meters in short track. Long-track races are counted in laps on a board at the finish line, which shows how many are left.

In a sentence: “Five laps to go, and he’s still holding a 30-lap pace.”

#9 Mass start

A long-track race where all skaters start together and skate 16 laps. Points are awarded for intermediate sprints on laps 4, 8 and 12 and for the final sprint, with the final sprint points deciding the top places. It became an Olympic event in 2018.

In a sentence: “In the mass start it’s all about timing, nobody wants to lead too early.”

#10 Oval

The 400-meter long-track rink with two straights and two turns. Most international ovals are now indoors, which gives faster and more consistent ice. Ovals at altitude, like Calgary and Salt Lake City, have the thinner air that produces fast times.

In a sentence: “The Salt Lake oval is fast, records always fall there.”

#11 Pair

In long track, the two skaters who race at the same time in separate lanes. They are timed individually, so each pair is effectively racing the clock. One starts in the inner lane and the other in the outer lane, wearing different colored armbands.

In a sentence: “She’s in the last pair with the world record holder.”

#12 Qualifying

The rounds or events that decide who goes to the next stage, from heats in short track to qualifying times and World Cup rankings for championships and Olympics. Skaters who miss the cut go home or race in a B final.

In a sentence: “That time is good enough for Olympic qualifying.”

#13 Rink

The ice surface for skating. A short-track rink is the size of an ice hockey rink, about 60 by 30 meters, and the track is marked inside it. Long-track rinks are full ovals.

In a sentence: “The short-track rink also hosts hockey games, so the ice changes every day.”

#14 Seed

A starting ranking based on earlier results, used to place skaters in heats or pairs. Top seeds race in the last pairs in long track and get the inside start positions in short track.

In a sentence: “As the top seed she starts on the inside.”

#15 Split time

An intermediate time taken at set points, such as every lap or the first 100 meters of a 500. Splits show whether a skater is on pace. Long-track scoreboards show them live.

In a sentence: “His 100-meter split was the fastest of the day.”

#16 Time trial

A race against the clock, the format of nearly all long-track events. Skaters do not need to beat the other skater in their pair, only the times of the whole field.

In a sentence: “It’s a time trial, so the result isn’t final until the last pair is done.”

#17 Track

The marked course on the ice. Long track has two 4-meter-wide lanes on a 400-meter oval. Short track is a 111.12-meter oval marked with blocks inside a hockey-size rink.

In a sentence: “The track was resurfaced between every pair.”

#18 Transition

The change between straight-line strokes and crossovers in the turns, or between the start and the full stroke. Losing speed in the transition costs time on every lap.

In a sentence: “Her transition into the turn is so smooth, there’s no lost speed.”

#19 Turn

Each of the two curved ends of the track. Long-track skaters use crossovers through the turns, leaning heavily inward. Short-track skaters lean so far that they touch the ice with the left hand, often wearing gloves with fingertip protectors.

In a sentence: “She came out of the last turn with a huge lead.”

#20 Aerodynamic

Describes how a skater’s body and suit reduce air resistance. Skaters keep a low position with the back flat and the knees deeply bent, and suits are made of smooth fabrics. Air resistance is the largest force a skater fights at top speed.

In a sentence: “That’s such an aerodynamic position, his back is flat as a table.”

#21 Bell lap

The last lap of a race, announced by ringing a bell as the leader passes the finish line. It is used in short track, mass start and other races with several laps.

In a sentence: “The bell rings, final lap, and the pack is all together.”

#22 Double push

An inline technique where each push starts with the wheels rolling inward under the body before the full outward push. It was developed in inline racing in the 1990s and gives more power per stroke. It does not work on ice because a blade cannot roll sideways like a wheel.

In a sentence: “His double push is so clean, he’s flying on the straights.”

#23 Final sprint

The closing part of a race when skaters go all out to the line. In mass start the final sprint carries the most points. Skaters throw a skate forward on the line to gain a few centimeters.

In a sentence: “It’s going to come down to the final sprint.”

#24 Interval Start

A start format where skaters set off one after another rather than all together. Long-track races work this way: one pair after another, each against the clock. The opposite is the mass start.

In a sentence: “With interval starts, the later pairs know exactly what time they need.”

#25 Photo Finish

A finish so close that the result is decided by a high-speed camera at the line. In short track the finish is judged on the front of the first skate blade to cross. Results can come down to thousandths of a second.

In a sentence: “It’s a photo finish, they both threw the skate at the same time.”

#26 Podium

The top three places in a race, and the platform where the medal ceremony takes place. Getting on the podium means a medal at a championship.

In a sentence: “Three Dutch skaters on the podium, a clean sweep.”

#27 Crossover

The turning technique where the outside foot crosses over in front of the inside foot on every stride, so the skater keeps pushing through the turn instead of gliding. Speed skaters turn counterclockwise, so the right foot crosses over the left.

In a sentence: “Her crossovers in the turn are so quick, she’s accelerating out of it.”

#28 Speed Suit

The one-piece, hooded skinsuit worn for racing. Long-track suits use textured fabrics to reduce drag, while short-track suits must be cut-resistant to protect against blades in a crash.

In a sentence: “They tested three new speed suits in the wind tunnel this summer.”

#29 Start Line

The line where skaters stand ready for the gun. Long-track skaters start from a standing position after the commands “Go to the start” and “Ready”. A skater who moves before the gun commits a false start.

In a sentence: “He broke early from the start line, false start.”

#30 Warm-up

The routine before a race: cycling, running, stretching and laps on the ice. Many speed skaters warm up on stationary bikes beside the rink. Warm-up laps also test the ice.

In a sentence: “She’s been on the warm-up bike for half an hour.”

Speed Skating Slang Players and Fans Actually Use

Slang	What It Means
Clappers	Clap skates.
Long blades	Long-track speed skates, as opposed to hockey or figure skates.
Skinsuit	The one-piece racing suit.
Fast ice	Hard, cold, well-kept ice that produces quick times, especially at altitude ovals.
Sitting in	Drafting behind another skater in a pack.
Duck walk	The quick, running steps on the toes in the first meters after the start.
Throwing the skate	Kicking the front blade forward at the line to win a close finish.
The pads	The crash mats around the short-track rink, where skaters end up after a fall.
DQ	A disqualification, frequent in short track.
Short-tracker	A short-track specialist, as opposed to a long-tracker.

Speed Skating Expressions and Sayings in Everyday English

Skating on thin ice: Taking a risk or being close to trouble. From the danger of skating on ice that may break.
Get your skates on: Hurry up. Mostly British, from putting on skates to move faster.
Skate over: To deal with a problem only briefly, passing over it as a skater glides over the ice.
It giet oan: Frisian for “it is on”, the famous announcement that an Elfstedentocht will be held.

FAQ

What is the difference between short track and long track speed skating?

Long track is raced on a 400-meter oval in pairs against the clock. Short track is raced on a 111.12-meter track inside a hockey rink, in packs of four to six skaters, and the order across the line counts, not the time.

What do you call a skate with a hinged blade?

A clap skate. The blade is hinged at the front and springs away from the heel at the end of the push, then claps back into place.

What is it called when a skater tucks in behind another to save energy?

Drafting, also called slipstreaming. The skater behind is out of the air and spends less energy to hold the same speed.

What is the last lap of a speed skating race called?

The bell lap, announced by ringing a bell as the leader comes past. It signals the final effort in short track and mass start.

What is it called when long track skaters change lanes?

The changeover. The two skaters in a pair swap between the inner and outer lane once each lap on the back straight, so both cover the same distance.

What is a crossover in speed skating?

The turning technique where the right foot crosses over the left on every stride through the counterclockwise turns, so the skater keeps pushing instead of gliding.

Why do speed skaters put one hand behind their back?

On the straights of longer races, skaters keep one or both arms on their back to stay low and save energy. In sprints and turns they swing the arms for more power.

What are some words related to speed skating?

They group into the track (oval, apex, turn, inner lane, changeover), the technique (stroke, glide, crossover, double push) and the races (pair, mass start, team pursuit, relay). The speed skating glossary above lists them all.

What are some speed skating terms for beginners?

Learn long track and short track first, then oval, lap, pair and changeover for long track, and heat, pack and bell lap for short track. Crossover and drafting are the two technique words that come up in every broadcast.

What are some speed skating slang terms?

Clappers for clap skates, long blades for speed skates, fast ice for quick conditions, sitting in for drafting and throwing the skate for the lunge at the line. The slang table above has more.