Have you ever zipped around in a pair of hockey skates?

How was it? Harder? Easier? Weird without toe pickies? How was it when you returned to freestyle?

Every now and then I think about throwing on a pair of rentals and getting crazy.

Haha, once. And, only once...ever again.

I was just messing around after my boyfriend's hockey game once. Let me tell you, it was waaay harder than figure skating. No toepicks sucks. I managed to do crossovers forward and backward and stroke around pretty fast, but I definitely learned that after 13 years of figure skating, I'll take the toepicks any day!

Still, I think it's an experience every figure skater should try...

Yes...... it always takes a bit of time to transition between figure skates and hockey skates, especially when you're transitioning over for the very first time. The figure skates have high heel so your feet tend to be sloped a bit more than in hockey skates. No toe pick on the hockey skates, and hockey skates are rockered more.

Once you're adjusted to either skate, things are easy. The only thing you can't do in hockey skates are figure skate moves that use a toe pick. Everything else......virtually all other figure skating exercises that don't require toe pick....you can do in hockey skates, including one-foot spins. Just that you have to be a bit more careful sometimes, because hockey skates are more rockered.

About the only thing you can't really do in figure skates is to skate with one of the toes pointed downward and sliding along the ice......not that you'd want to do anything stupid like that anyway hahaha. Oh....and of course, can't really rock back much in figure skates because the blade extends toward the rear, instead of curved like at the rear of a hockey blade.

Figure skates can go just as fast as hockey skates too I believe......or even faster than hockey skates (top speed that is) since figures are less rockered, so tends to be more stable....a bit longer blade too when compared to a similar size hockey skate boot. But perhaps from a standing start, the hockey skater can get started and take off quicker because no toe picks allows the hockey skater to take off like in the way an athlete sprinter/runner takes off. With toe picks on figure skates.....yes, you can take off fairly quickly too, but the tip-toe won't be as good as the hockey/sprint start. Short distance event.....hockey skate would win. Long distance event....I would bet on the figure skate to win.

And even if you're good at using either of these skates...... it's not unusual to need to take some time to adjust when switching from one to the other, because the stance and feel (and everything) is quite different. And you have to remind yourself that you have toe picks or not hehe

I have used hockey skates, but not for some time now, and my coach at the time told me never to wear them again! I hadn't been skating for long and didn't overly know the difference, apart from the obvious, and I could not even move in them. Since then I just have not had the balls to try them again, it has been embedded into me by said coach!

I know at least three skaters who are free skaters, do some ice dance and play on a local ice-hockey team! So it obviously is possible to transition between the two, arguably on the same day, but I imagine you have to be totally used to doing it before it becomes second nature.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I learned to skate on Hockey skates starting at age 46. Even took lessons from a figure skating coach (town recreation department, group lesson). I learned forward 3-turns on them.

Switched to figure skates at age 50 (now 52).

I eventually sold the hockey skates.

I do switch to fitness inline skates in the off-season. There is an adjustment, but if you switch back and forth regularly, I imagine it would be easy.

My oldest sone does both ( hockey and figure ) and has literally taken one pair off, moved over one rink and put the other pair on. I imagine it's all what you are used to !

Years ago, my hockey-loving dad got me some hockey skates (previously had skated in figure skates but only recreationally). Clearly I had a toe-pushing habit, because I went BOOM!! the second I stepped out on the ice! So that habit was cured quickly. They were very comfy, and I played on an intramural team in college one year (not that any of us could actually handle a puck, much less stay upright on the skates). They have since gone to my sister, who captains a coed recreational team and is always recruiting and convinced someone else to put on my skates and play.

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"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

One season of women's no-check hockey was enough for me, thank you.
I'm terrible at any sport that involves beating a small object senseless.

As for the skates themselves: I kept rocking off the heels. lol

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A past coach of mine owned both types of skates. He could switch back and forth easily.

He had passed the eighth figure test (?), and often attempted figures (3's, rockers, etc.) in his hockey skates. You could tell it was more difficult for him, but he managed just fine.

He's now coaching in a distant rink. Because of his hockey-skate skills, he's been assigned to teach Learn To Skate hockey classes. Recently he complained about being pigeon-holed as the hockey instructor because it didn't lead to more lucrative private figure skating coaching.

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Bill Schneider

8th figure test and pigeon-holed as hockey instructor is really unfortunate!

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

I'm trying to get my hands on the size 5 hockey skates that belong to my boyfriend's brother just to see what it's like. But he's abroad so I'll have to wait lots longer before I can try them out.
I know I switch ice skates to quad rollers without problems at all, but rollers have a very distinct feel. I wonder if hockey skates do too.

yes... way too wide, and not comfortable at all! figure skates are much much better.

never again!

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I'm confused. What was too wide? Isn't that just an issue of shoe size fit?

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

My sons coach changes skates all the time too. Depending on the student he changes. Must be pretty good or just used to it to go back and forth all day in different skates

first time put hockeys on I fell flat on my face! It took a few laps of the rink before I got used to where my weight should be but I used to swap back and forth every so often. I didn't skate that much then though so it wasn't a big deal.

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Level one Field Moves......PASSED 05.06.08
Level one Free dance.....PASSED 02.10.08

GOALS FOR 2009

• Level One Compulsary dances.......PASSED 19.02.09
• Level One Elements.....................PASSED 10.07.09
• Level Two Free dance.................PASSED 19.02.09
• Level One Free...........................
• Level Two compulsory dances.......

Loving it, Loving it, Loving it!!!!!

yep......that's right. That'd simply be a boot issue.

I used to love putting on hockey skates! Loops and sit spins are fun to do in hockey skates a little tricky at first its also fun to glide on the toe of one skate and the heel of the other one foot in front of the other!

oh jeez! don't remind me! hockey skates are how I got my concussion!!!

I put them on to try them (my son's) and things were really going well, I had managed front crossovers and was skating backwards when I forgot there were no toepicks!!! SPLAT down I went forwards onto my chin and rattled my teeth and head...blacked out! The next day I was dizzy and throwing up. Went to the ER.

I've been BANNED from ever putting hockey skates back on at my rink!!!

(but now I'm cool with the hockey guys!!! They call me the daredevil hockey mom!)

but i didn't even bust my chin open so no cool scar to show off and start my "war story" with!!! but at least I didn't lose any teeth or break my nose!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I have two Silver dances and Intermediate MITF, and I've been playing pick-up hockey once or twice a week for a year and a half now. It's very different! I started with an adult clinic at the rink where I teach, and the second or third week, one of the coaches said to me, "So you've done some figure skating, huh?" I had never seen him there before, so he didn't know I figure-skated, but he could tell from watching me, even in the hockey skates. At the time I couldn't figure out how he could tell, but now that I'm more experienced I know how obvious it must have been. I don't really figure-skate anymore except to teach, but I play hockey once a week and I go to public skate twice just to work on my skating. I teach classes for both (at my rink, even the learn-to-skate classes specifically for hockey are taught by the figure-skating coaches; I'm one of two who wears hockey skates) and I have a couple of private hockey students, although most of my private students are figure skaters.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

oh hockey skates. i have worn them a couple of times--interesting. i got decent at going forwards, tried to go backwards...OOPS no toepick. i was able to do some jumps in them, but had to to be REALLY careful to not try to land too far forward.

my coach taught in hockey skates for a while. she could do an awesome sit spin in them. could even do a really good loop if she landed two-footed. she's back in figure skates, but she was great in her hockey skates.

also, Donna, who i used to take from on the side (she and my main coach were a coaching team) now teaches purely power skating and only in hockey skates.

aand a girl i used to skate with who was a good skater, decent doubles, working on a double axel, gave up fs for hockey! she may be coming back to fs part-time, but just thought i'd share

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