Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 October 2014 14:04
By Diane Ness
When examining skating, one needs to understand how a skate blade works, as well as the blade positioning. If I were to ask any skater how much blade is in contact with the ice, most would answer “the whole blade.”
If you look at the photos, you will notice at any point in time maybe only an inch or so would be in contact with the ice. Notice also that the way a skate is contoured that the blade is shaped this way. This is why we need to understand the difference between the “middle front” part of the blade as well as the “middle back” part of the blade.
When I ask kids what part of the blade they were on if they were to do a basic forward swizzle, most would answer “the front.” Common sense would say the front, but that would actually be incorrect. If you were to do a basic forward swizzle, you would notice that you would be pushing from the “middle back” part of the blade. Imagine how a motor in a boat propels the boat forward. This is the same concept and the same idea applies if you are doing a backward swizzle. The push would come from the “middle front” part of the blade.
The main thing to remember is the “middle back” part of the blade is different than kicking back on your heels. Once a skater puts pressure on the heel of the skate, the skater will most certainly cut or “rut” too deeply into the ice. Once this happens, the skater causes friction and usually slows down or comes to a stop all together. This is why it is important for each skater to know and understand the difference of where he or she needs to apply pressure.
You can try this by putting your skate on a flat surface such as in the photo. Only then will you get the idea of how a skate blade should work. The best way to try this with younger kids is trying skating skills slowly and concentrating on where the force is being applied. What happens if you get too far back on your heels? Where is the sweet spot on my blade when executing a forward stride? Knowing and understanding this will most certainly lead to better skating. Good luck.
Diane Ness has been a full-time professional skating coach for over 35 years. She has coached both figure skaters and hockey players alike and is a former U.S. gold medalist in figure skating. She is the Director for the Pro Edge Power hockey camps and the Learn to Skate program at Highland Park Arena. Ness is the skating coach for the New Jersey Devils, the University of Minnesota men’s and women’s hockey teams and the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. She has trained players in the NHL, AHL, NCAA, USHL and NAHL.
