Skates Inquiry

[Micky-Fox]

Whenever I attend my training sessions down at the rink, I have to use the rentals... which are kind of like botched roller blades with blades on the bottom. They function the same way as a figure skate would, they have the toe pick and everything, but they aren't all too comfortable to skate in... actually, they're rather painful. I am hindering on my three jump landing and kick off in my toe loop, is this just because it needs work or because of the skates? I was told by Nancy Burley that once I get my skates things will get better... what do you think?

[EastonSkater]

Oh yeah....definitely. Rental skates ... the robocop molded monsters which I normally call them. I think they weigh a ton as well. They're ridiculously heavy. I remember when I went on a ice rink for the first time.....and they had real figure skate boots back then. Cheap maybe, but real ones. But ever since they developed robocop technology, they now use these bulky heavy things....it's like putting bricks on your feet. And if you strap them too tight, they don't even allow you to bend your knees properly, because it doesn't allow you to flex forward. Plus the rentals might not fit properly because they might be over-broken-in....or just plain broken. And they don't always sharpen the rental skates properly....and sometimes they're not even sharp at all.

Your real skates will be enormously better.

[Isk8NYC]

You'll be fine in your new skates, once you've broken them in a bit. Hope they come in soon. Patience will be rewarded.

In the meantime, take a look at the other posts on this site about breaking in skates and getting used to new skates.

Does "hindering" mean wobbling? If so, here's two drills that might help a bit:

First, practice backward stroking. Do a one-foot scull and lift the sculling foot in front. Your skating foot should be on an outside edge. Check the curve using your arms and shoulders, as you would for a landing. Bring the free foot through to the rear and h-o-l-d the outside edge. Being able to control that outside edge while moving your other body parts is an important skill.

Once you're comfortable with that, add a small jump; no rotation, just a POP up and back down with the free foot in front of you. Catch the toepick (which is probably really difficult in rentals) and bring your arms into check position while bringing the free leg through to pull onto an outside edge. Obviously, this is a landing maneuver, but you can use this drill to focus on that part of the jump without being distracted by the takeoff or jump.

Best of luck,

[Micky-Fox]

Wow, thanks for that. My new skates should arrive within the next week or so. Jackson R-4's, I think they are. Not too sure, my instructor arranged it all. And Isk8NYC, I will definitely give those drills a try the next time I am at the rink, which will either be tomorrow or Wednesday. Thanks again! ;)