The edges are what cuts into the ice to give your skates a grip so you can push and move. Besides pushing, the other purpose of the edge is to help you glide on a curve. When your skates dig into the ice with your edge, you can make curves and/or turns. The deeper the edge, the sharper your curves and turns are.
What depth should I get my skates sharpened?
Typically, most skate sharpeners will use a hollow of 7/16, 1/2 or 5/8 as a default if they aren't given any specific instructions. Generally, younger and more inexperience players utilize a deeper hollow of 3/8 to ½.
How do I check my skate edges?
We recommend testing 3-5 spots up and down the blade on both the inside and outside edges. If you feel a little bite to your nail as you drag it across the edge – the edge is sharp.
How do skate edges work?
When the edge (either inside or outside) of the pushing skate digs into the ice properly, it provides a grip against which the skater can push to generate motion. To glide a curved path. When the edge (either inside or outside) of the gliding skate digs into the ice properly, the skater can travel a curved path.
What skate edge do NHL players use?
A hockey skate doesn't have a single edge, like a knife. It's a 3-millimeter-wide piece of steel hollowed out down the middle in an inverted U to create two edges. An NHL player uses both edges on both skates, like a skier shifting weight from side to side during turns.
42 related questions foundWhat skate cut do pros use?
What skate sharpening Do pros use? The majority of pros use something with a shallower hollow, but preference does widely vary. I used a 5/8ths hollow, but as I got older and heavier, I switched to the less sharp 3/4ths.
What skate sharpening does Patrick Kane use?
With the Sparx Sharpener, elite players such as Patrick Kane, as well as players from all levels, are able to elevate their performance and gain an edge over their competition.
Why do skates have two edges?
Racing skates have a completely flat bottom. There is no hollow, only a squared off bottom with two edges. This improves glide time, by not cutting into the ice.
How do you trust your edges?
You need to trust your edges and let them grip into the ice while you make sharp turns. When you are stopping you are also using one inside edge and one outside edge, you achieve this by bending your knees, getting lower and having your skates at an angle.
How do you use outdoor edge skating?
To skate and balance on the outside of the right foot, it is necessary for a player to lean his or her right skate, knee and thigh strongly towards the outside of his or her body so that the outside blade edge cuts into the ice at a strong angle about 45 degrees.
Can I skate with rusty skates?
Is it OK to skate with rusty skates? Rusted ice skate blades prevent you from enjoying your time on the ice and may even make it impossible to skate. Left untreated, rust continues to damage the blades, forcing you to invest in a new pair.
What is the sharpest skate sharpening?
You can get your skates sharpened anywhere from 1/8th of an inch to one inch. 1/8th would be the sharpest, and one inch would be the least sharp. The majority of pros use something with a shallower hollow, but preference does widely vary.
How do you tell if my skates are sharp?
When your figure skates are freshly sharpened there are several qualities that make them feel good to skate on.
Is 5/8 a good skate sharpening?
5/8 (Shallow) grind is what most figure skaters skate on. This gives you a good flowing edge and has little friction on the ice.
What radius do speed skaters use?
The radius of a skate blade will typically range between 1/4″ to 1¼”.
What radius should I sharpen my skates?
A Guide to the Recommended Skate Sharpening Radius
The 1/2″ radius would be our typical recommendation because it is the perfect blend of “glide” and “bite.” Some players opt for the 3/8″ cut, but you are definitely sacrificing some “glide,” which can in turn affect your overall speed on the ice.
How do I stop my skating on the inside edge?
If you want to stop facing to the right, you need to initiate the stopping movement by turning right shoulder back. Rotate the left hip to the same side as the left shoulder, and the right hip to the same side as the right shoulder. Reduce weight on the front skate and turn it 90° to the direction of travel.
How do you strengthen your outside edges?
A simple drill to practice more advanced edge skills is to practice c-cuts on the outside edge. While skating up ice, players skate on their right foot's outside edge, carving the letter C into the ice. Once complete, they immediately switch to their left leg's outside edge, carving a backward C into the ice.
What country started ice skating?
Ice skating probably developed in Scandinavia as early as 1000 bce, the first skates being made from shank or rib bones of elk, oxen, reindeer, and other animals. It is not known when the metal runner was introduced, but early Dutch prints depict skates with metal blades.
Which came first roller skates or ice skates?
Q: Which came first, ice skating or roller skating? A: Ice skating began many centuries before the roller skate was invented. A 2018 article on ice skates by Laura Poppick for Smithsonian Magazine says “our ancestors have been hustling around on ice for at least 3,000 years.”
How often should you sharpen skates?
Generally skates should be sharpened every 20-40 skating hours. This depends on a few different factors such as how many times a week a skater is on the ice, which elements the skater is working on, and the build of the skater.
What Hollow Does Sidney Crosby have?
Around 3:44, he mentions that Crosby used to prefer a deeper hollow, but now uses a 1/2" hollow.
What skate blades do NHL players use?
More than two-thirds of NHL players wear Bauer skates. Some of those players may use aftermarket blades (more on those in a bit), but when Bauer introduces a new runner, it's usually a big deal. The LIGHTSPEED 5 Carbon EDGE, new for 2018, is no exception.
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