Panick!!!

[Sessy]

Ok here's the story. First I bent a pair of MK21 blades, that is, only the left foot blade. The skateshop guy said this was because it wasn't mounted on straight.

Now, I've got coronation ace. I mean those should stand up for doubles right?

Yesterday I noticed my scratch spin is growing harder to get in to - just like I had on the mk21 blades - and that the left foot is ever so slightly "dragging" on the 3-turns.

PANICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked at them myself, they don't look bent, the skateshop helping guy (who doesn't know anything about figure skates, only hockey skates) checked them too (seing as the skateshop owner wasn't there) and said they weren't bent. But seriously. PANICK!? :?? :?? :?? :?? :?? :??


Is it possible an incorrect toe-loop technique is bending my blades? Because I can't do a toe-loop from a waltz jump, my toe simply slips out of the ice, but the teachers at our club are like... "Well just pick it harder" but seriously, I take chunks of over an inch out of the ice, if I pick any harder they can go patch it up afterwards.

Though it wouldn't make sense cuz I've got my toe pointed down but facing slightly outwards when I'm picking and the MK21 blades were bent to the inside - the opposite side as you'd expect if they were bending from the toeloop... So I'm thinking what else could be messing with it... I mean I doubt the loop or flip or lutz could be exerting such forces on the left (non-landing) foot anywhere in the jump since I am taking off off the right foot (at least it feels like I am) so the alternative is that my crappy salchow is bending it? I always seem to scratch the ice before I leave it on the salchow (again, our teachers suggest to "practice it more" but that's what group sessions are like anyway).


Or maybe they're not bent but just need sharpening? The front and back of the blades is still sharp, only around the middle they've dullened a bit.

[skatingdoris]

Is it possible an incorrect toe-loop technique is bending my blades? Because I can't do a toe-loop from a waltz jump, my toe simply slips out of the ice, but the teachers at our club are like... "Well just pick it harder" but seriously, I take chunks of over an inch out of the ice, if I pick any harder they can go patch it up afterwards.


I don't claim to know anything about blades but find it seriously unlikely that you could bend a coronation ace blade doing a single toe-loop, all the same I would get someone who knows what they are talking about to look at your blades and check they are algined right for YOU, not just that they are straight.

The main point I wanted to make is that if you are having trouble with your toe-loop the only reason that the pick will slip out of the ice is if your foot is turning to foward before you pick. This is a massively common mistake people make, not because they don't know how it is supposed to be done but because when doing the jump you don't realise by how much you are turning to foward before picking. Try this while just skating along, going fowards you can lightly tap your toe pick into the ice and it will slide out and you can keep skating foward but if you do it going backward, well probably not the best idea :halo:

On the landing edge of the waltz jump you really have to concentrate on pulling your right arm hard backwards and keeping it there while you pick.

Oh and contary to what some rather silly movies about ice skating and physics might say (cough!):roll: whacking your pick harder into the ice does not result in a bigger jump it simply sends all the energy into digging a hole in the ice (as you can see) and leaves you with no height on the jump.

Anyway don't know if any of this is of any use to you but good luck getting your blades sorted out.

[Sessy]

I'm pretty sure I'm checking - I lost my toeloop a while ago because I wasn't checking it and I've been very mindful on that since. It still slips out of the ice anyway. That is, on a small waltz jump, it doesn't. But on a big and fast one it does - by the way from a fast approach it slips out too. I should get it filmed I guess but well... dunno whom to make film it lol. Ohwell.

What do you mean that the blades should be aligned for me?


Oh and something else I'm wondering. He attached the blades with all screws he could, but I've read you should leave some screws out to allow to blade to take the impact of the jumps or something? Could this be the problem?

[skatingdoris]

Hi sessy,

When I said the blades should be aligned for you I meant that just because they are in the centre of your boot does not mean they are in the right place for you, if you have feet that rotate in or out instead of falling flat then your blade may need to be aligned more to the inside or outside of your boot - I don't know much about this but there are plenty of people around here who do so maybe ask around.

You are right that generally not all the holes in the blade are used when they are attached the idea behind this is that if the blades need to be remounted in a different position this can easily be done, or if one of the screw holes becomes rotten and the screw falls out it can be replaced securely with a screw in a different hole.

hope this makes sense - typed it in a mad rush!

[Sessy]

I think it does. My outside edges are so much more secure and I think it might have something to do with my flatfootedness. I'm almost unable to stand on the inside of my feet actually, I stand on the outside...

I'll talk about it with the skate shop guy! thanks for the tip.


Although right now, I think they're fine... I dunno maybe it was the ice or the lacing wasn't right or whatever. I just panick easily after bending 1 pair of blades... :lol: