The importance of a good edge…

A Good Edge

By: Tim Mackey - Skaters-Edge.com

Hopefully this article will enlighten and educate parents of hockey players about the importance of a good edge, as well as provide you with the concepts of what makes a good edge and what you should look for when selecting a skate sharpener for your child. Over the years as a player & sharpener I’ve experienced first hand what a good edge feels like and hopefully will be able to translate this information in a way that will bring out the best in your child. With this experience I’ve had many parents ask me …

· When should I get my son or daughters skate sharpen?

· How do I know when they are dull?

· Who does a good job sharpening skates?

To answer these questions, I found it helps to educate the parents about the basic concepts of a sharpened skate. First off “the edge” is actually no more than a portion of a circle carved along the bottom of the skate blade. This is often referred to as “the hollow”. The hollow is what actually grips the ice. Common sense might say, the deeper the hollow the better the “bite”. However, in the case of skate sharpening more is not always better, especially when it comes to smaller, first time hockey players (we will discuss this later). Secondly, the portion of the blade that contacts the ice is important too. This is where “the glide” comes into play. These two factors, the edge and the glide can either help or hurt your hockey play depending on whom and how your child skates was sharpened.

OK, you say “Then what should I expect from a good sharpening?” First and foremost let me say this. I believe Pro Shops attempt to do a good job when it comes to providing a good, consistent edge. However, I think what they are missing out on is the personal attention regarding the size of the player and details that will make a difference in your child. As an example, most Pro Shops cut or grind skates using a 3/8”- 7/16” radius. They dress the wheel over and over again and very rarely deviate from this. The sad part about this is a 3/8, 716 and even 1/2” hollow is too deep for most youth (and even adult) hockey players. It provides too much bite into the ice forces the skater to have to work harder to get on edge to make a stop and slows the skater down because it does not glide as well. I’ve seen it time and time again, especially in new hockey players that are learning to stop. They try and try to get on the edge but can’t because the skate has too much bite. They fall over, trip up, and in some cases try a different method like using the boards. When you take a look at a hockey stop, is it’s nothing more that a slide. The more pressure you put on the edge the shorter the distance to the stop. If you can’t roll onto your edge you can not stop. The ability to stop or “slide” is a critical part of the game. Ever notice a player that looks like they are skating in circles? More than likely the player either can’t stop or feels it wastes too much energy to stop so they just skate by the play and try to come back to it. To be a successful player changing directions is a must.

When you increase the radius two things happen.

1) Reduce the bite in the ice and

2) Generate more glide on top of the ice.

When you increase the radius, skaters use less energy when making stops and starts and can go faster because they have more glide. When you increase the radius, a skater learns how to use their edges, which in turn will make them better skaters.

One other factor that contributes to the glide is the coarseness of the stone or wheel that cuts the blade. Pro Shops typically use a fairly course wheel when sharpening skates. I understand this, it takes less time to get and edge and move on to the next pair. However, a course wheel will leave hatch marks on the glide portion of the hollow thereby reducing the glide. It might seem like a minute detail, but it really does make a difference. Think about it if a hockey puck had a rough surface do you think it would glide as easily the ice? Probably not, this same concept applies to skates as well. The smoother the contact surfaces the less friction, the fast the skater. In addition, make sure that the edges are square to the blade is important. If one edge is lower or higher than the other the player will have more bite on one edge and less bite on the other. A good sharpening will always make sure your edges are square.

Now that we’ve explained the basics, let move on to answering some of the common questions parents have.

How often should I have my son or daughters skates sharpened? Because an edge wears out the easiest answer is about every 2-4 hours of ice time. When an edge wears down, the skater has to work harder on the ice. In addition, if the edge is gone from a goal post, boards, misuse etc. the skates should be re-sharpened. Never have the sharpener sharpen just one skate. Have both skates done to insure that each blade maintains the same height. In addition, a sharpener should try to make the same number of passes when sharpening each skate.
How do I know when an edge is lost? In the old days, people would rub their finger nail along the edge. If it scraped your fingernail the blade is sharp. WRONG! I can run my finger nail along the backside of a butter knife and scrape my nail but that does not mean I’d skate on them. The proper way to check of a lost edge is to look at the side of the blade under a light. If you see a shiny spot along the edge then the skates should be re-sharpened. Use the Sweet-Stick to freshen your edges if you feel you need to. Do not use a stone unless you have burrs. A stone will not make your skates sharper, as a matter of fact since the stone is softer than the steel it will rollover the edge slightly and dull your edges. Once this happens you will need to have your skates re-sharpened.
Who does a good job sharpening skates? The person or shop that gives you want you want all the time every time. Here are some things I would ask for when you drop off your skates for sharpening.

Can you cut them with a 1/2” or 5/8” radius?
Do you use an 80+ grit or finer wheel for sharpening? If they can accommodate this, you’ve found yourself a sharpener that is willing to make the adjustments to fit your needs.
If you ask and it seems like a problem, take them back because I guarantee it won’t be what you asked for.
When your skates are sharpened do they have a clean edge? You should be able to run your finger along the edge and not cut yourself. If you do, your edge is not clean which means they used a course wheel and did not take their time sharpening your skates.

What else will help my son or daughter become a better skater? In addition to quality skate sharpening, having your hockey players skates “contoured” is the single most important thing you can have done to you child’s skates. Contouring is blade shaping, not sharpening. Skate contouring is a precision system of applying a radius along the length of the blade and a lie based on the individual specifications of each skater. Accurate positioning of the balance point of the skater to the blade provides maximum stability and maneuverability. Skates direct from the factory are inconsistent, and in a majority of cases have the incorrect radius and lie for the individual skater. Once contoured, your hockey player will have improvements in.

o Increased Lateral Stability

o Increased Lateral Movement

o Increased Straightway Speed

o Increased Shooting Accuracy

o Increased Passing Accuracy

o Quicker Stops and Starts

o Shorter Radius Turns

o Reduced Muscle Fatigue

o Increased Balance

o Improved Puck Control

For more information about contouring please visit: www.skaters-edge.com.

Tips:

Don’t wait to long to have your skates sharpened. Maintenance is always better than doing a full hard grind on the blade.
Keep your skater off of hard or dirty surfaces. Also, coming on and off the ice the skater should not step on the plastic portion under the door and watch out for those steel posts on the benches!
Throw out those rubber skates guards and buy soakers to keep your blade dry. Smaller skates do not come with stainless steel blades and will rust. In additional, the hard plastic guards can actually “dull” the edges when you walk on them.

Did you know?

ü That most Junior, College and NHL players have their skates sharpened with a ½” or larger radius. As a matter of fact most of the Red Wings skates are sharpened with a 5/8” or larger radius and I’ve been told that Paul Coffey had his sharpened using a ¾” radius. Maybe this is why it only takes him five strides to get from one end of the ice to the other?

So in conclusion, take the time to look at, and pay attention to your skates. Find a good sharpener and stick with them. It will make a difference.

This document may not be copy reproduced or duplicated without the consent of Tim Mackey – Skaters-Edge.com