OK. I'll buy that.
So it follows that if a person wants to do advanced moves that require a lot of torque, but isn't very strong, they would want a higher blade, because they can use the leverage to create the torque. Whereas a very strong person wouldn't need as much height, and could take better advantage of a lower blade to give better balance and quicker response - yes? (Just like Evan Lysacek preferred heavy boots because he has the strength and control that allows him to take advantage of the greater momentum they carry, but many other skaters want lighter boots to tire themselves out less, when jumping high off the ice...)
I don't buy that, or the other common claim that the length of your blade should be at or at most 1/8" less than the length of your outsole.
One of the boot fitters - I think it was Phil of Harlick - told me that for fully custom boots, Harlick positions the front of the outsole, so doing what you say works well for your particular anatomy and the type of blade you are using, and it is possible that is true for other boot makers - but not everyone gets fully custom boots.
Otherwise, there is no direct connection between the front of the outsole, and the shape of your particular blades, or your personal anatomy. Presumably most people perform best when the sweet spot (the transition point along the length between the main rocker, and the spin rocker) somewhere near or slightly forward of the ball of their foot, so they can balance on and easily control transitions across the sweet spot.
Mike Cunningham, a high end fitter/sharpener in our area, says he follows those contraints anyway (unless a customer requests otherwise) - but he frequently reshapes the blade to move the sweet spot to work well for the specific skater in spite of those constraints. That's because if he didn't follow the usual guidelines, many other fitters would claim he didn't know what he was doing.
If the goal of pick placement and height is to maximize how high or long the skater is launched into the air during a jump, it would depend on the individual skater's power curve (vs each point along his ankle range of motion), as well as the rocker profile.
If so, it might make sense for the pick to mount separately to the chasis, so that a skater could choose from a selection of picks with a selection of pick heights and placements. That would increase the weight (e.g., you need an extra staunchion to keep the same structural strength) a little, but it would let skaters adapt the equipment to their needs. (Incidentally, at least one blade designer, Sid Broadbent, has proposed adjustable height picks, but not adjustable forward placement. Regretfully, those blades are not yet generally available.)
Studies have been done and no specific pick type has been proven to offer any clear advantages over another in jumping. They exist largely due to preference and skaters/coaches preferring/asking for them. Jackson Ultima created their intermediate blade with cross cut picks because Coaches asked for it, not because they thought it was superior to the straight cut picks...
This is why skaters who wear Pattern 99s (Gracie Gold), Phantoms (Patrick Chan), Gold Seals (Adelina Sotnikova) can do all the Triple Jumps, and skaters can even do triples on Coronation Ace, MK Professional, and Eclipse Mist Blades. That also includes Cross Cut and Straight Cut Teeth. At the lower levels where technique may not be as great it may seem to matter, but with proper training it isn't that big of a deal. Same with spinning. There are great spinners who wear all types of blades. I thought the Picks on my blades were too small, until I got properly fitting boots and tried a Pinnacle. I didn't keep it, because the benefits of the blade weren't worth the cost over the almost brand new Pros I already have.
The bigger advantage on the higher end blades is not the pick profiles, but the construction of the blades and the materials used. Side Honing, Tapering, Stanchion Heights, Hardened Edges, Heel Length, Rocker Size (Most Intermediate Blades are 7', which is less stable than 8' Rockers... though MK Blades are all 7' - but Elite Skaters
generally use 8' Rockered blades), Rocker Profile. Some do have hardened toe pick spikes that don't dull as much as lower level skates, which can effect security in jump take-offs (less slippage). The higher end blades also tend to be stronger, use higher quality metals, some have solid sold plates (Phantom Special, Gold Seal/Star), some are lighter in weight due to design/construction (Paramount, Eclipse Titanium, Revolution blades).
If the skater prefers a bigger or more aggressive pick, they're often better off just getting a different blade with a different pick than putting in so much work to modify one with a smaller pick to work like it. You'd have to destroy Gold Seals/Stars to give you a Pick that remotely feels like a Pattern 99/Phantom. Much of that comes down to preference and not simply one being superior to the other.
I am of the *opinion* that proper boot fit and blade mounting matter TON more than the pick profile on the blade, or even the type of blade the skater is wearing once you move past the recreational blades. I would still upgrade past Ace/Pro/Mist/Legacy once the skater starts working on Double Axel (which is usually right around or right before they start working on triples) because the higher blades DO have advantages. I just think the Pick Profiles/Sizes are over-valued by a lot of people when choosing blades.
I get over 0.60 sec air time on my double toe/flip jumps. More than enough for a triple and almost enough for a quad (maybe quadable for the Toe with technical improvements) using MK Professionals and that was in terribly fitting boots, as an Adult Male of not insubstantial weight and power. I'm not afraid that the blades aren't high enough level for the triple, I'm more afraid that it will snap off one day from all the heavy landings - something I probably wouldn't worry about with a permanent mount on a physically stronger blade.
As for the heavier skates. You're right. But I wouldn't put a smaller, weaker, and especially not a growing skater in heavy boots if I had the choice; given my personal experience with them.
The stuff about changing the sweet spot or whatever has nothing to do with what I was talking about. I'd buy a different blade that worked better for me before I did that. And if I can find the sweet spot with my Problem Foot/Leg Anatomy and Bad [for Figure Skating] Habits carried forward from other sports, the number of people who would require such modifications (which you can get done in the factory by companies like Paramount, IIRC) is extremely minimal/niche.
Topic: Effects of blade height?; toe pick position? (Read 10134 times)