Sfot boot w/hockey blade vs. Figure skate (balance, etc.)

[guberbot]

Hi all,
i have a pair of soft boot skates with a hockey blade on them and would like to learn skating (i am a beginner). i have gone on them a few times and find it hard to skate vs. a pair of rentals i once had. i am thinking of switching to figure skates, as i just want to learn skating and basics but the balance on the ones i have is very hard for me it seems.

is there a big. noticeable difference in balance feel between those two blades? thanks in advance.

[eillie]

Did the rentals have figure skate blades or hockey blades?  If they were figure skating rentals, I think figure skate blades and hockey blades are very differently shaped, so that may be why you are finding that it feels more difficult (just because it is new and different).

[JSM]

Figure skating blades are flatter than hockey blades, and therefore are easier to balance on for a lot of beginners, it's very normal!

I see a lot of forward falls by beginner skaters in hockey skates.  The balance point can be hard to find, plus there are no toe picks to stop you from moving too far forward.  The curvy blade also allows for easy falls on your backside when people try to put their weight in their heels.

Figure skating blades, I like to say, are easy to learn on but impossible to master. 

[sarahspins]

My experience teaching LTS is that everyone does better on figure skates to start with - like JSM said, because of the smaller rocker radius and curved toe/heel the balance on the blade is much trickier on hockey skates, since there's literally nothing to stop you rocking forward or backward, so most beginning skaters in hockey skates fall a LOT as they are figuring it out.  It's generally easier to switch to hockey skates after some skating proficiency is achieved wearing figure skates.

[sampaguita]

I hated hockey skates when I was starting out. I felt the blade was too thin, but based on what JSM said, it seems it's a rocker issue.

Loved figure blades though. Balance was a lot easier.

[blue111moon]

My experience teaching LTS is that everyone does better on figure skates to start with - like JSM said, because of the smaller rocker radius and curved toe/heel the balance on the blade is much trickier on hockey skates, since there's literally nothing to stop you rocking forward or backward, so most beginning skaters in hockey skates fall a LOT as they are figuring it out.  It's generally easier to switch to hockey skates after some skating proficiency is achieved wearing figure skates.

That's my experience as well, but try telling that to the rabid hockey dad who insists that Little Bobby take his first steps on ice in full hockey gear.  I'm on the third week with a four-year-old who cannot stand up and find athe balance point on the hockey blades and so spends 99% of the class falling down and getting up.  Even holding onto a cone hasn't helped him and both he and Dad are getting very frustrated.  The Dorector suggested to Dad that maybe trying rental skates would give Bobby a chance to adjust to the slipperiness of ice but Dad flatly refused.  It's hockey skates or nothing.

[FigureSpins]

I kow it's the dad's money, but the poor kid, being forced to struggle with the more-difficult equipment when it's really unneccessary.  I've run across a lot of those dads forcing hockey skates on their toddlers and preschoolers because they're obsessed with creating the next NHL player.  Usually, the dad claims to have played, but you can see that his own skating skills are limited to two-foot maneuvers.  Beginner hockey skates should have longer, flatter blades.

I've had some success by insisting that, once the kid can glide, the change from figure to hockey skates is under an hour, as compared to spending hours falling off the hockey skates and learning to hate skating. 

When I get static like "You want my BOY to wear (figure skate) high heels?" I point out that hockey skates have a lift at the heel and that the stanchions are much higher, so it's like skating on stilts.  The longer, flatter blade lets them gain side-to-side balance first, which prevents them from getting checked easily.  Then, they can switch to hockey skates and learn to balance front-to-back without getting a concussion.

To be honest, it doesn't matter for kids with balance and talent.  For kids who can't control their body or won't listen, it's aggravating.  The parents' attitude usually tells you which is which.  These are the kids who can barely walk or run in a straight line wearing sneakers because all daddy did to prepare them was to get a stick, ball and goal.

I had one on really stubborn father who enrolled the son in 30 weeks of parent-child classes, but proceeded to carry, pull or pick up the kid after he repeatedly refused to stand or skate on his honking-huge, brand-new hockey skates. Every instructor and director (incl. the hockey director) talked to him, but he just kept on stuffing the kids feet (wearing two pairs of socks) into those skates, which never got a scratch on them or needed sharpening, lol.  Father wanted to get his money's worth from the skates, so he spent four times as much on lessons.  In the end, the mom came to watch the last session and saw that the kid just refused to listen or try, so she ended the lessons.   Too bad she didn't have the time to watch early on.


One of my uber-macho nephew's über-macho friends told my niece (who skated as a child) that all her daughter needs to learn is how to take slap shots.  300/day, at least.  What a moron - this was a Facebook exchange, so I nailed him saying you could always spot the posers who focused on stick work too much.  They were always calling for the puck, but no one would pass to them because they were always gliding on two feet, couldn't turn or reverse directions quickly, couldn't hold onto the puck long enough to get in range, caused repeated icing penalties and then overreacted to puck-stealing or legit checks.   Guess I nailed his ability at roller hockey because he shut up immediately.

[sarahspins]

To be honest, it doesn't matter for kids with balance and talent.

Ah, but that's the key there - "with talent".  In the almost 18 months I've been teaching LTS, I can count maybe two kids (out of well over 100) that have come through snowplow on hockey skates that did relatively well.  One is even a girl (and she is so cute, but I still wonder how much further she'd have progressed by now in figure skates).  For the most part though, for the average skater, hockey skates amount to mostly frustration in the beginning and slow down progress.  I can think back a few months ago to a snowplow 3 class I was teaching, I had a boy who was repeating the class for the 3rd time (not uncommon at our rink, we hold them back until they are 100% ready to keep up with the "big kids", both in terms of skating ability and their ability to focus throughout a 30 minute class), and we were all convinced he'd pass this time and get to move up, until he showed up in brand new hockey skates (and full gear?!) for the last class.  He couldn't skate at all (he could barely stand up) and we couldn't pass him.  I know he was trying and it was honestly heartbreaking to watch especially because we knew the skates were to blame.  I think he struggled through one more session after that but I haven't seen him at the rink since.

It has been similar with the adults.  We've had quite a few of the macho "I'm not wearing figure skates" types come through the Adult 1 classes, who scoff at the very suggestion that they try figure skates instead of hockey (we have both as rentals), yet they are still clinging to the boards at week 3 and 4 still afraid of falling while everyone else is actually learning to skate. 

[Query]

I know this is hard for figure skaters to believe, but hockey blades are fairly sophisticated. Rocker isn't uniform along the length of the blade

A hockey blade center rocker radius (typically 9 to 11 feet) is usually less curved than for figure skates. But you have to have a better sense of balance than most beginners have to stay on the short center portion. And you have to have a better sense of balance than most beginners have to use the other (more curved) portions consistently.

But I bet that if you made hockey players use figure skates during games, the toe picks would be a real problem. (:

[FigureSpins]

I know this is hard for figure skaters to believe, but hockey blades are fairly sophisticated. Rocker isn't uniform along the length of the blade

No one said hockey blades were simplistic.  We said they were too complicated for beginners to master easily unless they were really talented.  Why would you insult figure skaters' intelligence or opinions?

[Query]

Why would you insult figure skaters' intelligence or opinions?

That's not what I was doing.

But I do have a beef with people who assume that sharpeners can't be any good at sharpening figure skates if they play hockey. Good professional take the time to learn the skills they need to do a good job.