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ASK MR. EDGE
March 2004
Mr. Edge is a qualified skate technician with years and years of experience. He can answer your questions on boots, blades and foot problems related to your equipment. Questions will be answered in SKATING magazine and later posted on the web site.
Tis the season to be jolly — spring and warmer weather are on our doorstep! Not so long ago Joe Armstrong from Westminster, Colo., wrote in with some questions that he thought would make for an interesting article. I had to agree with him, so this month I'm changing the format a bit.
His e-mail read like this:
- I recently ran across a posting on a message board that seems to imply that as a new pair of boots is broken in and the boots begin to break down, the blade position needs to be changed.
I asked my daughter's coach about this, and she has never heard of this.
The posting was, ‘As the boot breaks down under one particular blade setting, the place where the body is over the skate or over the blade's sweet spot changes and so the blade has to be moved accordingly, usually slightly closer to the boot's instep.'
Can you comment on this and the possible need to reposition the blade as the boot is broken in or breaks down?
- We have been told that as the blade is repeatedly resharpened, it moves the skater farther back toward the tail of the blade and that this impacts performance, particularly in jumps and spins. Since this is a gradual change to the skater, they don't notice it, but when they get a new pair of blades they move up and have to
readjust. How much impact do several resharpenings of the blade have on
performance?
How do we know when it's time to get new blades to facilitate performance, even though there may be ‘some blade left' to resharpen?
- This whole area of blade life and performance seems to be somewhat of a mystery. I have not been able to find information or reference material on the subject. This might be a worthy article topic for SKATING magazine.”
Starting with your last question/ comment. You are correct in that there is little or no information with regards to your questions. The reason is that most skate sharpeners who really do know the answers won't divulge this type of info for many reasons. Some may not want their competition to gain more knowledge and take business away from them. Or perhaps they themselves just don't know either.
Not much to say about your second question. Everything stated is true! Even if you have a good sharpener, expect to get about 18 months of good usage from a pair of blades (just imagine how long you get from an inexperienced skate sharpener). If in doubt, replace your blades every year. This way you'll be optimizing your performance.
Imagine how much money is wasted in ice and lesson time trying to land that one jump that just won't come, only to find out that the problem was not with you or your technique, but that you needed a new pair of blades.
Now, moving right up top to your first question. To this I say, HOGWASH! If a skater has no pronation (feet and lower legs in straight alignment) and the boots have been properly leveled for the blade that is going on them, then a centerline mounting will do well, and there is no need to move the blades.
Many years ago, 25 or more to be exact, it was common to move blades slightly inside because of the lack of support that the boots had compared to present-day boots.
This is not the case today. Boots have too much support in them for most skaters. Unless all considerations are taken into account before the blades are mounted, you can expect problems once the boots have broken in.
The past and still most widely used method to test if the blades are properly centered involves the skater skating across the ice in a straight line while balancing on one foot, then the next. If the skater veers to the left or right, then supposedly the blades need to be moved until they are able to skate in a straight line with no trouble. So compensation is afforded the skater because the boots are too stiff and the skater has little or no control while trying to balance on one foot.
Years ago when boots were much softer and the skater was able to bend in them they could press the blade edges into the ice and control their movement. If they weren't able to control themselves while balancing on either foot, then I have to agree that the blades needed to be moved.
Those mounting blades in this way haven't a clue as to the problems they are helping to create once the boots break in, if they ever do. To create proper ankle, foot and leg alignment, it may be necessary to use arch supports, heel wedges or even custom orthotics.
So the question remains — How do you know where to place the blades on the boots?
Answer: Years of experience and having made all the mistakes and learning from them.
Having said that, I bid you all Happy Skating!
Mr. Edge and all related elements are property of Arena Sports & Consulting Services, Inc. ©2013. Send your questions to Mr. Edge via mail (Ask Mr. Edge, SKATING magazine, 20 First Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80906); FAX (719) 635-9548 or e-mail them online.
The opinions of Mr. Edge are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Figure Skating or SKATING magazine. Remember, if you have problems with your feet, check with a doctor – the problem may very well be with your boot, but it could be more serious. Check with your local pro shop for more information about boots and blades.
