Roller sports words · Beginner

The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.

B · Beginner · 88 words · Step 1 of 2

Artistic roller skating

The sport

Artistic roller skating

Skating to music on roller skates, judged on technical elements and artistry, much like figure skating on ice. World Championships are held in free skating, pairs, couples dance, solo dance, inline, show and precision, with separate men's and women's events in free skating, solo dance and inline. Figures have a yearly World Cup.

Also called: Artistic skating

Artistic disciplines

Free skating (singles), pairs, couples dance, solo dance, inline (free skating on inline skates), figures (tracing set patterns on circles), show and quartet (themed group routines) and precision (synchronised teams).

Also called: Disciplines
See also: Free skating (artistic)

Age categories (artistic)

By the age turned in the competition year: Tots 8 to 9, Minis 10 to 11, Espoir 12 to 13, Cadet 14 to 15, Youth 16, Junior 17 to 18 and Senior 19 and over. At World Championships, juniors are 12 to 18 and seniors 12 and over. For pairs and couples the older partner decides.

Scoring

Quality of the element

A judge's grade from +3 to -3 for how well each element is done, which raises or lowers its value; a landing on the toe stop or a step-out brings a minus.

Also called: QOE

Artistic components

The judges' marks for artistry, from 0.25 to 10 in steps of 0.25. Together they form the artistic impression score, which decides ties in the long program.

Also called: Artistic impression

Placement (artistic)

Decided by the highest total score. Ties in the short program go to the higher technical score, in the long program to the higher artistic impression; an overall tie goes to the higher long-program total.

Rules for every discipline

Fall (artistic)

When more than half the body's weight is held by anything but the skates. In free skating the first and second falls cost 1.0 each and every later fall 0.5 more than the last (0.3 for Tots and Minis): 3.5 after three, 5.5 after four.

Free skating programs

Free skating (artistic)

The singles event, in two parts: a short program and a long program, each scored on technical content and artistic components. Elements are jumps, spins, footwork sequences and the choreographic sequence.

Also called: Singles
See also: Artistic components, Technical content score, Choreographic sequence

Short program (artistic)

2:45 for juniors and seniors (2:30 for cadets and youth, 2:00 for espoir), 5 seconds either way. Seniors must show an Axel, a combination of two or three jumps, a solo jump that is not an Axel, a one-position spin, a combination spin (one of the spins a sit spin) and a footwork sequence of up to 40 seconds.

Long program (artistic)

4:00 for youth, juniors and seniors (shorter for younger groups), 10 seconds either way. Seniors may show up to eight jumps with up to three combinations, must include an Axel, may repeat a jump only twice (once in a combination), and show two different spins (one a combination including a sit) and a choreographic sequence.

Jumps, spins and footwork

Solo jump and combination jump

A solo jump stands alone, with its own entry, flight and landing. A combination is two or more jumps in a row where the landing edge of one is the take-off edge of the next; a clear change of foot breaks it into separate elements. Combinations without connecting jumps earn a bonus of 20 per cent (double with triple) or 30 per cent (triple with triple).

Also called: Combo jump

Spin (artistic)

Counted once the skater completes three rotations in a solo spin or two in a combination spin. Basic positions are upright, sit (hips no higher than the skating knee) and camel (free leg at hip height), plus heel, broken and inverted spins. The same spin may appear at most twice in a program.

Also called: Solo spin, Combination spin

Footwork sequence

A run of turns and steps across the floor, timed (up to 40 seconds for seniors) and given a level by its features; any jump of more than one rotation, or more than one jump, inside it costs 1.0.

Inline hockey

The game

Inline hockey

A team game on inline skates in which two teams use sticks to shoot a puck into the opponents' goal. Each team has four skaters and a goalkeeper on the floor. There is no offside and no icing: the only line needed is the centre red line.

Team (inline hockey)

A roster of 6 to 14 floor players and two goalkeepers. A team must have four skaters and a goalkeeper on the floor to start, and never more than five players on the floor during play.

Game time (inline hockey)

Two periods of 20 minutes with a 5-minute break, after which the teams change ends. Each team has one one-minute timeout per period, called by the captain at a stoppage, and none in overtime.

Also called: Periods

Overtime (inline hockey)

A tied game goes to a five-minute sudden-death overtime (10 minutes in play-offs) after a 3-minute break, with three skaters and a goalkeeper each in the preliminary round. If no one scores, a shootout decides it.

Shootout (inline hockey)

Three shooters a side take alternate penalty shots, and the side with more goals wins. If still level, one shooter each goes in turn until one scores and the other does not.

Face-off (inline hockey)

The referee drops the puck between two players, each on their own side of the spot, with the other players at least 3 m away. It starts each period and follows each goal at the centre; after stoppages it is held at the nearest spot, or at centre when the attackers caused it.

Also called: Face-off spots
See also: Puck

Goal (inline hockey)

Scored when the puck, put in from the front by an attacker's stick, crosses the goal line between the posts and under the bar. It does not count if kicked, thrown or directed in by other means, from a stick above the bar, off an official or after a charge on the goalkeeper in the crease. Kicking the puck is allowed elsewhere.

The rink and equipment

Rink (inline hockey)

Ideally 50 by 25 m, and between 40 and 60 m long and 20 and 30 m wide, inside boards 101 to 122 cm high with rounded corners. From 2027 international games must be on plastic tiles.

Goal crease

The area in front of each goal, 1.2 m deep, marked in red. A goalkeeper may freeze the puck while touching it, or within the wider privileged area out to the end face-off spots.

Also called: Crease, Goalkeeper's privileged area
See also: Face-off (inline hockey), Puck

Puck

A black plastic disc 77 mm across, 22 to 30 mm thick and 120 to 130 g, approved by the commission.

Stick (inline hockey)

Wood or other approved material with no projections, at most 1.57 m from heel to end and 32 cm from heel to blade tip, the blade 5 to 9 cm wide; the goalkeeper's blade may be wider.

Skates (inline hockey)

Inline skates with three or four wheels (goalkeepers may use five smaller ones), with axles recessed or covered. Quad skates are not allowed internationally.

Protective equipment (inline hockey)

Shin guards, elbow pads, gloves, a helmet with face protection and a cup or pelvic protector for every skater. Under-19s and all juniors need full-face protection; older players at least a visor, which must not be tilted up. Ice-hockey shoulder pads are banned.

Goalkeeper (inline hockey)

The one player equipped to defend the goal, with chest protector, gloves, mask and pads of limited size. A team may replace the goalkeeper with a skater, who then has no goalkeeper's privileges.

Penalties

Minor penalty (inline hockey)

90 seconds in the penalty box with no substitute. A goalkeeper's minor is served by a teammate. A bench minor is served by any player the coach names.

Also called: Bench minor

Major penalty (inline hockey)

Four minutes in the penalty box, often given with a game misconduct, which removes the player for the rest of the game.

Penalty shot (inline hockey)

A free shot from the centre spot against the goalkeeper alone, given when a player in control of the puck, past the centre line with only the goalkeeper to beat, is fouled from behind. No goal may be scored from a rebound.

Short-handed and power play

A team with a player in the box is short-handed and the other has a power play. If the power-play team scores, the first minor penalty ends. Penalties never leave a team with fewer than three on the floor; further penalties wait until one ends.

Results and officials

Points (inline hockey)

Three for a win in regulation time, two for a win in overtime or a shootout, one for a loss in overtime or a shootout, none for a regulation loss and minus three for a forfeit. Two tied teams are split by their head-to-head game; three or more by wins, then goal differences, then goals against and goals for.

Also called: Standings

Referees (inline hockey)

Two referees run each game; the lead referee has the final word on disputed decisions and goals. A scorekeeper, timekeeper, penalty timekeeper and goal judges assist.

Also called: Lead referee

Rink hockey

The game

Rink hockey

A team game on roller skates in which two teams use sticks to hit a ball into the opponents' goal, on a smooth, flat rink surrounded by a barrier. Players usually wear quad skates, though inline skates that cover the whole foot are allowed.

Also called: Roller hockey, Quad hockey
See also: Skates (rink hockey)

The ruleWhat is rink hockey?

World Skate

The international federation for roller sports. Its Rink Hockey Technical Commission (RHTC) writes the rules and decides tie-breaks the rules do not settle.

Also called: RHTC
See also: Rink hockey

Team (rink hockey)

Ten players, eight rink players and two goalkeepers, plus up to six technical representatives: a delegate, a head coach, an assistant or fitness trainer, a doctor, a therapist and a mechanic. On the rink a team has one goalkeeper and four rink players. A match can start with three rink players and two goalkeepers.

Playing time

Senior, under-23 and under-19 matches are two halves of 25 minutes, under-17 two of 20 and under-15 two of 15, with a 10-minute break. National and continental bodies may shorten some youth matches.

Possession time limits

A team has 10 seconds to move the ball from its defensive half into its attacking half, 5 seconds to return it there if it goes back, and 45 seconds in all to finish an attack. The 45-second count resets after a direct free hit or penalty to the attacking side, a touch on the goal frame or goalkeeper, a clear change of possession or a faceoff.

Also called: 45-second rule
See also: Faceoff, Direct free hit

Centre pass

The start of each half, of extra time and play after a goal: the ball is placed in the centre circle and a player passes it at the whistle, with only two of that team in the circle and everyone in their own half. A goal scored straight from it with no other touch does not count.

Also called: Centre circle

Playing the ball

The ball is played with the stick, and also with the skates or legs from the waist down. It may not go above 1.50 m except from a goalkeeper in their area, and only the flat of the stick may be used, though the edge may be used to shoot inside the opponents' penalty area.

Goal (rink hockey)

Scored when the whole ball crosses the goal line between the posts and under the bar while in play. It is not valid from a deflection off an attacker's skates or body, straight from an indirect free hit or centre pass, or from a ball deliberately lifted over the goal. Own goals by a defender count.

Substitutions (rink hockey)

Unlimited, through the gate by the team's bench, with the player leaving before the replacement enters. A team may never have six or more players on the rink. An irregular substitution is a serious misconduct and brings a blue card.

The rink and equipment

Rink (rink hockey)

A flat, smooth rectangle twice as long as it is wide, from 34 by 17 m to 44 by 22 m, inside a 1 m barrier with rounded corners and protective nets 4 m high. International national-team matches use a standard 40 by 20 m rink with corners of 3 m radius.

Penalty area

A rectangle in front of each goal, 9 m across and 5.40 m deep. The penalty spot is 5.40 m and the direct free hit spot 7.40 m from the centre of the goal line.

Also called: Penalty spot
See also: Direct free hit

Ball (rink hockey)

A cork-filled ball of pressed rubber or plastic, 72 mm across and 150 g, black or yellow to contrast with the floor.

Stick (rink hockey)

A handle and curved blade of wood or fibre, no heavier than 550 g, at most 115 cm overall, that must pass through a ring 5 cm across along its whole length.

Goalkeeper (rink hockey)

The player who defends the goal. They play on skates but may kneel, sit or lie to stop a shot and may stop the ball with any part of the body, keeping hold of the stick. A rink player can replace them at any time.

Fouls and cards

Team foul

A minor foul, such as pushing, holding, an illegal block or obstruction, recorded against the team. It gives an indirect free hit; the 10th team foul and every 5th after it give a direct free hit.

Also called: Team fault
See also: Indirect free hit, Direct free hit

Yellow card (rink hockey)

A warning for faults such as simulating an injury, jumping the barrier, disagreeing with a referee, playing without a stick or moving before the whistle at a direct free hit or penalty. A second yellow card brings a blue card for a player on the rink or a red card for someone on the bench.

Also called: Warning
See also: Blue card, Direct free hit

Blue card

A two-minute suspension for serious misconduct, such as insults, a dangerous push or charge into the barrier, hooking a skate, tripping, a goalkeeper throwing the stick or an irregular substitution. The player sits on the bench and the team plays a man short for two minutes. Three blue cards bring a red card.

Red card (rink hockey)

Expulsion for a very serious offence, such as violence, threats or obscene gestures, skating into an opponent with force, hitting an opponent outside the shin pads with violence, a deliberate own goal or interfering from the bench. The player goes to the dressing room and, if they were on the rink, their team plays a man short for four minutes.

Playing in inferiority

The time a team plays short after a blue card (two minutes) or red card (four minutes) to a player on the rink: four rink players with no goalkeeper, or three and a goalkeeper. A second card to the same team starts a second period when the first ends.

Also called: Power play, Man short
See also: Blue card

Free hits and penalties

Indirect free hit

The usual restart after a foul, taken with the ball still, by one touch, with opponents at least 3 m away; it may be taken without a whistle. The taker may not touch the ball again until someone else does, and a goal cannot be scored straight from it.

Direct free hit

A shot from the spot 7.40 m from goal, awarded for the 10th, 15th and later team fouls and for serious fouls that stop a clear goal chance outside the penalty area. The taker may shoot or skate at the goalkeeper, starting from up to 3 m behind the ball.

Penalty (rink hockey)

A shot from the spot 5.40 m from goal for a foul inside the offender's penalty area, taken from a standing start next to the ball. The goalkeeper must stand still on the goal line until the whistle; moving early brings a yellow card and a retake if no goal is scored.

Also called: Penalty shot
See also: Penalty area

Results and officials

Extra time (rink hockey)

Two halves of 5 minutes (3 for under-15 and under-17), after a 3-minute break, played in full, with no timeouts. A player still suspended may not join in until the suspension ends.

Points (rink hockey)

Three for a win, one for a draw, none for a defeat or a no-show. Ties in the table go first to the head-to-head result, then goal difference, then the ratio of goals scored to conceded.

Also called: Standings
See also: No-show

Main referees

One or two referees who run the match on the rink, backed by an auxiliary referee at the official table who keeps the time, records team fouls and handles timeout requests.

Roller speed skating

General terms

Roller speed skating

Racing on inline skates, on either a banked oval track or a road circuit, over distances from 100 m to the marathon. The rulebook uses the word skater for any woman or man who races. The World Championships are held on track and on the road.

World Skate

The international federation that governs roller sports. Its Speed Technical Commission writes the rulebook, selects the judges and referees for world events and settles any matter the rulebook does not cover.

Short distance and long distance

The two types of race. Short distance is the 200 m dual time trial, 300 m time trial, team time trial, 100 m sprint, 500 m plus distance sprint, one lap sprint, 1,000 m sprint and individual pursuit. Long distance is the elimination, points, points-elimination, relay, endurance and team pursuit races.

Senior and junior

The two championship divisions, each for men and women and on track and road: juniors are 15 to 18 and seniors 19 and over, at 31 December of the year of the competition, which is also the minimum age (15) for a World Championship. From 2026 masters race in five-year groups from Master30 (30 to 34) to Master75 (75 and over), with at least six skaters a group or groups are merged.

Pack

The most important group of skaters in a race, also called the peloton.

Race courses and equipment

Track (speed skating)

A banked oval with two straights of the same length and two symmetrical bends of the same radius, outdoors or indoors. Its standard length is 175 to 200 m measured on the inner edge, and its width is 5.5 to 6 m. The bends are raised along the outer edge, by at least 80 cm on a 175 m track and 100 cm on a 200 m track.

Road circuit

A road course that is either closed or open. A closed circuit is run over several laps and is 350 to 500 m long, at least 6 m wide (better 8 m) and has a flat, smooth surface. An open road course is run once and its gradients never exceed 5 per cent (with exceptions for up to a quarter of the course).

Direction of the race

Races on a track or closed road circuit go counter-clockwise. A skater who ignores this to gain an advantage is disqualified for a sports fault.

Start line and finish line

Each is a white line 5 cm wide. The start is never on a bend, and on a road circuit it is 20 to 30 m before the first bend. The edge of the finish line on the side of arrival is the geometric line, and arrival is judged on the inner edge of the line.

Transponder

The timing device worn on the skate or ankle. At the World Championships each skater wears two, one on each skate.

Photo finish

The electronic system that photographs the finish with a time scale. When it or a video scanner is used its result is final, and it must be set up on the inner edge of the finish line.

Helmet (speed skating)

A hard helmet with international certification, fastened at all times on the course. In short and long-distance races it must have a regular shape with no protrusions, while a profiled shape is allowed in time trials. Removing or unfastening it is a technical fault.

Skates (speed skating)

Inline skates with up to five wheels, or two pairs of wheels side by side, at most 50 cm long, with no brakes and no axle sticking out. Wheels are at most 110 mm across (125 mm for the marathon), and 90 mm for skaters under 13 and 100 mm for those under 15.

Types of races

Time trial

A race against the clock where finish time gives the ranking. The individual time trial is the 300 m and the team time trial is run by a team of three, with the time taken when the second skater crosses the line.

100 m sprint

A road sprint in lanes of 2.60 m on a straight of at least 130 m, run in heats of two to four skaters, with only the best times going through in every qualifying round. A skater who touches a lane line is out of the lane and is disqualified for a technical fault, or is reported as did not finish when it happened in a fall.

500 m plus distance sprint

A track sprint of 2.5 laps (500 m) plus the distance to the middle of the straight, where the start line is. The best 16 times go to the quarter-finals and the first two in each heat go on. From 2026 there is no Final B.

One lap sprint

The road version of the 500 m plus distance: one lap of the circuit with the same start and finish line, with the qualification system set by the Chief Judge and Technical Commission.

The ruleHow do sprint races work in roller speed skating?

1,000 m sprint

A sprint of at most three rounds. Only the best times go through from the qualifying round; the final has eight skaters, the semi-final winners and the best times. The start is two commands, ATTENTION and a shot.

Elimination race

A race where the last skater, or the last two, are removed at a fixed point on set laps. There is none in the first 1,000 m, the bell rings a lap before each elimination, and a skater who leaves the race for any reason counts as eliminated. An eliminated skater who does not leave the track after the third announcement is disqualified. From 2026 the track 10,000 m final keeps five skaters after the last elimination, with 30 to 36 starters.

Points race

A race that scores points at fixed sprints, with the highest total winning. There are no sprints in the first 1,000 m, except the 5,000 m. A skater who is lapped or does not finish loses their points, and a tie goes to whoever was first over the line on the last lap.

Marathon

The 42.195 km road race, run only on the road, on a circuit of at least 3 km, with wheels up to 125 mm. Transponder checkpoints must show every skater covers the course.

Official distances

100, 200, 300, 500, 1,000, 3,000, 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000 m, and the marathon on the road. At the World Championships the track has the 200 m dual time trial, 500 m plus distance, 1,000 m, 5,000 m points, 10,000 m elimination and 3,000 m relay, and the road has the 100 m, one lap, 10,000 m points, 15,000 m elimination and the marathon.

The race

Call area

Where skaters report when the official speaker calls them or 15 minutes before the race, with full equipment and numbers. A skater who does not answer two calls a minute apart is marked as did not start (DNS).

Warm-up

Six minutes before each race at the World Championships, with the last minute announced by the speaker.

Faults, sanctions and discipline

Technical fault (DQ-TF)

A breach of the technical rules: two false starts, a wrong relay, leaving the lane in the 100 m, skating outside the course to gain advantage, unfastening the helmet, wrong equipment or uniform. The skater is ranked at the end of the heat or round.

False start (FS)

Shown with a yellow card, a red card for a second one in the same race. The kinds are getting ahead of the command, moving, touching lines, momentum, slow movement, ignoring the starter's order, not going back at once and delaying. Only one is allowed per race, with the 300 m time trial allowing one in the heat and one in the final.

Sports fault (DQ-SF)

A voluntary fault against fair play, such as leaving or shortcutting the course, going the wrong way, a fault at the start or a voluntary and dangerous act. Three warnings in a race mean disqualification, and the skater is unranked and placed at the end as disqualified.

Official remarks and result codes

The abbreviations on the results: W1 and W2 for warnings, FS1, RR, DQ-TF, DQ-SF, DQ-DF, DNS (did not start), DNS2 (did not start 2) and DNF (did not finish).

Fair play

Respect for the opponent, the judge, the rules and the spirit of the sport: competing without cheating, tricks or simulation, and not offending or mistreating anyone. Skaters who show a negative attitude or clear inability may be excluded.

Officials, ranking and protests

Chief Judge

Directs the competition and answers to the Technical Commission. Decides technical problems, assigns the judges' tasks, applies sanctions, orders repeats of an irregular race, prepares start lists and rankings, and decides the Disciplinary fault question.