How do different blades effect skating?

[twokidsskatemom]

My daughter just inherited/bought a used pair of sp terris with a comet blade. Its the same boot she has now, but she has always had a MK pro blade. I understand this is an 8 1/2, not a 7.
Will this effect her skating? What does she need to get used to?Any tips or ideas ?
Thanks !!!

[beachbabe]

those blades might be a pretty big adjustment for her and will probably make spinning a nightmare. Some people love comets but I warn you now that you may have to switch back to the mk pros.

On the plus side those blades will be more stable because of the flat rocker and I would assume give better stability on jumps and MIF.

[DallasSkater]

I have switched skates with different blades a few times now....it was a major adjustment each time. I think adding 1 1/2 inches will be an even bigger adjustment. But each time it helped me to take an hour or two to just skate without expectation and then they eventually felt my own.

I always have a lot of difficulty for a session or two after just sharpening skates too. You just get so use to the feel of the progressive dullness that going back to good edges feels so different as the change is sudden.

She will likely do fine with a few sessions of basics. Good luck to her!

[Skate@Delaware]

I can input here, having skated on the Comets for the past 3 years.

Since she is a kid, she should adapt pretty well (kids adapt fast to changes). The change in the rocker will be the biggest adjustment. She may notice the flatness.

How far along has she progressed in her spins? If she is just learning the one-foot spin, then the flat blade will force her to learn proper technique. It is difficult to get right on the sweet-spot on this blade. Once she gets her technique down, she will have some really fast spins!

She will have a flatter blade for landing jumps; it is a fast blade for stroking also. She may notice some toepick scratching on back-crossovers if she gets sloppy (or tired).

Feel free to ask me any question.

[ouijaouija]

does it matter if hte outside side of the blade sticks out more? I got my new skates sharpened and that is how the guy did them?

After less than a weeks usage, they already got nicks in them?

thanks

[twokidsskatemom]

I can input here, having skated on the Comets for the past 3 years.

Since she is a kid, she should adapt pretty well (kids adapt fast to changes). The change in the rocker will be the biggest adjustment. She may notice the flatness.

How far along has she progressed in her spins? If she is just learning the one-foot spin, then the flat blade will force her to learn proper technique. It is difficult to get right on the sweet-spot on this blade. Once she gets her technique down, she will have some really fast spins!

She will have a flatter blade for landing jumps; it is a fast blade for stroking also. She may notice some toepick scratching on back-crossovers if she gets sloppy (or tired).

Feel free to ask me any question.
She has her sit , camel,layback,changefoot,backsit, backspin.
Working on flying camel.
She SAID she likes it alot.She has a good amount of speed already. She did said it helped with her jumps. Her spins looked the same this week, but her sit was kinda off.Im not sure if it was the blade or just her:)

[Skate@Delaware]

She has her sit , camel,layback,changefoot,backsit, backspin.
Working on flying camel.
She SAID she likes it alot.She has a good amount of speed already. She did said it helped with her jumps. Her spins looked the same this week, but her sit was kinda off.Im not sure if it was the blade or just her:)

She might be having a time finding her sweet spot....after all, the blade is a lot flatter!!!! She will just have to fiddle around with it a bit more. She is way further than I am so that is a good thing. I switched from comets (8.5) to aces (7) because i felt i wasn't making ANY progress on my spins...after 3 years I felt as though i should have been a bit further along (the frustration was killing me).

She will get her sit after a bit more of working with the blade. They are fast blades tho'

[NickiT]

does it matter if hte outside side of the blade sticks out more? I got my new skates sharpened and that is how the guy did them?

After less than a weeks usage, they already got nicks in them?

thanks

The outside edge shouldn't stick out at all. Both edges should be even with a hollow in between. I'd recommend you speak with other regular skaters and find out who they use to sharpen their blades. If your rink is anything like ours, then don't, whatever you do, leave it for the rink staff to do.

Nicki

[vesperholly]

I went from 8' (Gold Seal) to 7' (Phantom) blades. Consistent spinning was a nightmare for the first few months, even though I did a really great layback on the very first day. Jumps were OK - I noticed an immediate improvement in my double sal, but that may have been from the new boots as well.

What actually gave me the most trouble was isolated turns in moves. My rockers were a mess until I figured out the right balance.

[Skate@Delaware]

I forgot to mention moves....doh!

I noticed an improvement in my 3-turns right away (going from comets 8.5 to aces 7.0). AND---NO TOEPICK SCRATCHING ON BACK CROSSOVERS!!!! That was the biggest improvement I noticed!!!

Jump landings were wonky but the tip I received via this board was to push down through my heel and that helped a lot. Going from 7 to 8.5 you won't have to do that, as comets are very flat.

I've been skating in my aces for a few sessions now and am sooooo close to actually single-foot landing my loop! I wasn't even close in the comets (it was a 2-footed clunk landing which was frusrating or even a 1/2 loop which was maddening!!!)

I haven't tried my sitspin, been too much of a chicken. I did try a camel last session but since I had just learned it....:roll: