Puzzlement/Blade Set at Wrong Angle

[Raine]

Greetings everyone!

I'm a lefty (CW skater) who has difficulty with outside edges on the left foot. On the pre-pre Waltz 8, I have an incredibly difficult time holding the LBO edge after the drop 3-turn. This should be my GOOD side, but it's just about impossible for me to line up hips, shoulders, free leg, etc. over the tracing. It's not just impossible, it's scary. For this reason, it's difficult for me to do a long LBO edge before a waltz jump or salchow takeoff. I've found workarounds for my jump setups, but I want to be able to do the standard setups.

I'm investigating this problem and my findings thus far: If I skate in a straight line on my left foot, I pitch slightly to the inside edge, so it would seem that the blade is set too far to the outside, and should be moved inside a bit. However, it looks like the left blade is set further inside than the right blade! But I did notice that the left blade is at an ever-so-slightly different angle than the right.

I'm a long-time sporadic recreational skater who started taking regular private lessons in April 2002. In my earlier years, I don't remember having these problems. For instance, I used to able to do a straight-line Ina Bauer from one corner of the rink to the other. I've been working on regaining this skill for years, and I know that I have the flexibility to do it, but am fighting the LFO edge. Also, the back spin is just about impossible. I've made thousands of attempts with 2-3 fluky successes. My technique can't be THAT awful :) On the other hand, I don't see anyone else at the rink struggling with the back edge before a waltz jump.

I'm really puzzled. Is it the blade? Is it my anatomy? Faulty technique?

Has anyone else had this problem?

Happy Skating,
Raine

[Elsy2]

Hi Raine! You've done very well for yourself being a "sporadic long time recreational skater..." ;)

Both my daughter and I have our landing foot blades positioned farther inside than the other foot. Our non-landing foot blade is centered nicely, but not the landing foot blade......This counters a slight pronation we both have with the landing foot.

If you can actually visually see that the left blade is at an odd angle on the boot, that sound likely as a problem. I'm afraid a good skate technician's opinion is in order. Your blade could be torqued and causing problems, or you could need a slight adjustment in it's position. It's amazing how a very small adjustment can make a huge difference.

On daughter's current skates, we had the blade removed, all the holes plugged and started over from scratch to mount the blade. We used the slotted holes only until we were sure we had it right. When I got new blades last time, I swear we fiddled with the position of the right blade 5-6 times until we got it right. In fact I had the blade moved the night before my bronze test as I was struggling so badly with the backspin. Luckily we did it right and I had a good backspin back....it was a miracle, lol!

[Raine]

Thanks Elsy2 for your post! Lots of interesting info there. I guess I need to make a trip to the skate shop soon. I've been taking extreme positions on my back edges, backspin and Ina Bauer, and I'm still struggling, so it's time to blame the equipment ;).

I'm encouraged by your response because now I realize that it might take a few tries to get the setting right.

Happy Skating,
Raine

[skaternum]

Incorrect blade positioning could be the problem, but as Elys2 mentioned, there are other possibilities:

pronation on that foot
hip or pelvic torque or misalignment
boot broken down or incorrectly broken in

Lots of things to check out! I had the same problem on my right foot. Before we realized it was a pelvic torque / sacroiliac issue, we tried all kinds of blade repositioning. I don't want to try to scare you, but moving the blade actually made the physical problems worse. If moving the blade doesn't help, go see a doctor. I'd recommend someone who specializes in orthopedics or sports medicine, or even a physical therapist.

Good luck!

[Debbie S]

As skaternum said, your leaning could be the result of pronation. It could also be that something is wrong with your boot. I had problems with my current (soon to be former) boots and figured it was just b/c I wasn't leaning properly. Well, it turns out that the heels and soles are uneven and are thicker on one side. What was happening was that when I thought I was standing flat, I was really leaning on an inside edge on my left foot and my outside edge on my right. Make sure you check the soles - b/c they're leather, they can easily be out of alignment - this could happen over time or be a construction defect. If this is the problem, the skates should be sent back to the manufacturer for re-working.

[icenut84]

I had a problem similar to this with my first pair of skates. I was learning everything fine, but I couldn't get a right outside edge to save my life. I just couldn't do it. I noticed something might be wrong when I was trying to skate backwards on the right foot on a flat, and I couldn't stop falling to the inside edge no matter how hard I tried. Eventually I asked an older skater about it, and she got her coach to look at my skate for me, and he told me that my right blade was set too far to the outside and that's why I was having problems getting an outside edge on that foot. I got the blade moved and it was fine after that :) You should get a professional to look at your skates.

[Raine]

Thanks, guys! I plan to have the blade moved this weekend. If this doesn't work, I'll probably see a sports medicine specialist. Getting the blade moved will be a cheaper and more convenient option. ;)

Fingers crossed,
Raine

[Raine]

On Saturday, I got my left blade moved to the inside. Yesterday was my first practice with the new setting, and I have to say that I now have an easier time keeping my weight over my left side in my backspins. They're still not on a proper back edge, but it might be because I tend to curl my toes upward in my boot. :roll: The ina bauer is slightly straighter, too. At least now I feel that I'm starting at ground zero and have a better chance of executing these moves than I did before. Time, and lots of repetition, will tell.

Cheers,
Raine

[Elsy2]

Good! We always knew it was an equipment issue and not related to skating technique ;) I found that it might take a few sessions to completely adjust and give the new blade position a chance, but usually by the end of one session I was used to it.