Ice skates – Basics
So you think an ice skate is a simple thing? Wrong!!! An ice skate is quite a complicated thing with the blade coming in two main forms, a hockey blade and figure skating blade. You have probably guessed a figure skating blade is used when a skater wants to perform on the ice with style and grace performing ‘figure of 8′s for example. These days people tend to think of figure skating as freestyle skating with jumps and funky music they see on TV. Hockey skates are funnily enough used in ice hockey and are designed to be fast also allowing quick changes of direction.
Figure skating blades
Figure skating blades are generally longer and have a toe pick at the front and a short tail at the back.
Hockey Skates
Hockey skates don’t have a toe pick or tail, they simply curve the blade at both ends and are usually thinner than figure skating blades.
Ice Skates – Blade technical bits
So now you know a bit about the ice skates, onto the blade itself. A term you will probably here quite often is the ‘Rocker’. The rocker is the main part of the blade, the slight curve along the bottom. The bigger the curve the easier it is for a skater to turn however the less stable they will be going forward or back. With hockey skates the curve is usually a lot more shallow as the grace in turning isn’t as high a priority. The front part of the blade just beneath your toes is called the ‘spin rocker’, this is because, as the name suggests this is the point on which you would balance to spin.
Another term you will here in relation to the Rocker is ROH or Radius of Hollow. This is the very bottom edge of the blade which will be concave in appearance. The process to get the edge curved involves using a spinning wheel and grinding the curve into the blade. The measurement of the groove is what is known as the radius of hollow.
