Editing Inline skates (section)

=== Ankle support ===

[[File:Ankle support in an inline skate-illustration-IMG 4591-FRD.png|thumb|right|320px|Rigid carbon-fiber quarter panels of this hockey boot prevents sideway wobbles of the foot while allowing the shin to flex forward]]

[[File:Ankle support in an inline skate-Dorsiflexion in a hokey skate-IMG 1334-IMG 1333-FRD.png|thumb|right|x180px|Dorsiflexion (left) vs leg extended straight (right)]]

Ankle support refers to the ability of a boot to prevent sideways movement of a skater's ankle and lower leg, while allowing the shin to flex forward into an athletic stance. In some skates, such as recreational and aggressive skates, this is achieved via a hinged cuff. In other skates, such as hockey skates, this is enabled by rigid, and anatomically-shaped quarter panels that lock both ankle bones in place, from two sides, leaving the shin to freely pivot forward.<ref name="powell-svensson-inline-skating"/>{{rp|5,15–18}}<ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/>

Proper ankle support allows a skater to keep a skate upright as a straight extension of their entire leg, when observed from the front. Without rigid support on both sides of the ankle, the foot may wobble within the boot, causing the skate to tilt inward or outward. This creates pronation, making it harder for a skater to glide on a single skate at best, and resulting in sprains and other injuries at worst.<ref name="xinhaidude-how-to-inline-skate"/>

A properly-designed boot does not hinder the mobility of the ankle joint, allowing a skater to pivot the lower leg (the shin) forward, adopting a squatting (athletic) stance. This '''forward flex''' (or '''forward leaning''') is known as '''dorsiflexion''' of the foot. It places the center of body mass atop the ball of the foot, a balancing skill crucial to most skating moves. Without such a squatting stance, the leg and the skate form a 90° angle, placing the entire body weight of a skater on the rear wheel of the skate. This is dangerous for a beginner because a small backward shift of the upper body will cause a skater to pivot their entire body on the rear wheel, and thus fall uncontrollably backward.<ref name="powell-svensson-inline-skating"/>{{rp|67–77}}<ref name="miller-get-rolling-2003"/>{{rp|57–59}}