Leaderboard

Damn, Auston! Trying everything...

Not sure where you see an argument and especially quoting me about me thinking Daryl is a great guy? It just so happens I have worked with him for 3 years every summer. I don't agree with his technique but learned why and how he does it and at the end, we agreed that there is good and bad doing this way. Where is the argument?

9/16?!? That has to be a mistake. You don't jump from 1/8" to 4.5/8". The common sizes as stated are 1/16" (approx 1.5mm) and 1/8" (approx 3mm).

Another point is that your skating biomechanics encompass your whole body. The alignment of everything from your head to your shoulders, hips and knees plays a huge part in how force is transmitted through the foot into the skate and then the blade to the ice. So the foot is kind of the last part of this chain. With a stiff skate, given perfect biomechanics up to that point allows efficient and controlled energy transfer to the ice, but it doesn’t fix flaws. The thing the no lace skating gives you in addition to the strengthening already discussed is feedback, magnified responses to adjustments you make as you do drills. Move your knee a little bit, change how you rotate your shoulders, etc. Here is a related article that references how Miro Heiskanen ties his skates. https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/stars/2019/08/20/finland-loose-laces-and-dull-blades-how-stars-defenseman-miro-heiskanen-developed-into-an-elite-skater/ Again, once you have all those components, a stiffer boot can ensure nothing is being lost because of the boot, but it is not the cure. Here is an Athletic article talking mainly about forward flex but also about potential energy leak from lateral sloppiness, although there aren’t any real citations for the work they did, maybe I will Google and see if those are publicly available. https://theathletic.com/696003/2018/12/07/the-nhls-best-young-skaters-all-have-something-in-common-how-they-tie-their-skates/

My two cents . I think a hockey skate should be very stiff . I wouldn't think you would want the boot its self to have any flex . Yes you want to have a degree of forward flex . I believe to much restriction of forward flex would be determined by the height of the boot , thickness and stifness of the toung , or over tightening of the top couple of eyelets . when you create forward flex while in stride the boot its self is not bending . Now all that being said , I believe the most important thing with skates is proper fit . Sounds like an obvious statement correct ? Well heres how I would define proper fit . When placing your foot inside the boot you want all negative space removed with as evenly dispersed light pressure as possible . In addition to having a heat moldable boot closely formed to your foot there needs to be a certain thickness of foam with just the right density to fill in the voids in and around you ankle and heel area . the exact needs to achieve this will obviously vary from foot to foot . Some will be able to do this with off the shelve skates and others will need customization . unfortunately with off the shelve skates manufactures sacrifice the thickness of foam and focus to much on lightening the skate . when you remove all negative space with evenly dispersed pressure you'll just need light pressure on the laces to snug things up . this will create the best stability between your feet and the skates allowing you to have the best chance of proper balance and biomechanics . If you have negative space in the skate boot this will cause you to over tighten causing too much restriction , and will throw balance and proper stability off . It will also cause pain , blisters ect... I'm no expert but any thoughts ? anyone agree or disagree ?

I'm on 3/4. I've used as deep as 3/8. For me, I find I get more glide, but going to a shallower hollow coincided with going to a flatter radius. I'm on a 13' radius. But I find I like the shallower hollow more, and skating feels--I don't want to say effortless, because it isn't, but things feel more smooth.

I dont notice more glide, but do notice way less fatigue when skating on a 3/4" - 1" ROH vs 1/2" -5/8"

160 lbs. I sort of went the long way from 5/8 to 3/4. I was using a Blackston FBV for a few years. When I went back to a ROH sharpening. I asked the guy who was doing my skates what was closest to the 85-100 FBV. He did a 3/4 and it just worked out. I didn't have the same level of grip I had on the FBV but it close enough. Lately I've found myself looking for just a bit more grip. I tried a 5/8 but that was too much. I don't like that locked to the ice feeling. 11/16 seems to be my sweet spot for glide vs grip.

Daryl Evans, skating no laces

It's not the strength, it's the alignment. This muscle memory transfers over to playing games laced up. Red Dog hockey is also doing the same thing, it just takes a different approach.

The following is from the other side of the fence, something I doubt very few of you have ever seen. Pardon the length but it's relevant. Around a month ago I was at the rink training during a public skate (I adjust my work day so I can skate during the day). A family turned up, the 2 boys hopped on the ice. One of them came up to me and asked for some tips on how to skate. I took one look at how he was standing and thought hmm, this could be interesting. He was from New Caledonia and on holiday visiting our country, ice skating was on the bucket list. He had never skated / skateboard / ski in anything before yet there he stood in crappy plastic / no edge / blunt rink rentals and he was balanced perfectly over the skates. 1 hour later and he could: cross over both sides, 2 foot stop both sides, had an outside edge on corners (the first time I showed him his outside edge he got so deep he fell into it and to the ice) and we were working on his backward crossovers when he had to go. This kid was skating dna on steroids. It didn't matter what I showed him, he got it immediately. To him it was as natural as walking. If I could have signed him up I would have on the spot. He was skating better in one hour than other skaters I know who have been skating for years. Why? Because he was perfectly aligned over the skates blades. It wasn't his skates, it wasn't his strength, it wasn't his skating skill set, it was all down to how naturally he was aligned and balanced over the skate blades. Very rarely do you see someone like this and I have coached thousands of skaters over the years. So the next time you go for a skate in your 2S Pros or you are having a debate as to which stiffness of skate you should buy, have a think about about where your skating ability really sits. As I said in my first post, it's not about the skate.....

We have a saying, " if your skates feel dull, bend your knees more." It's a simple statement, but true. You're probably able to go to a shallower hollow after your skating lessons because you're bending your knees more and have better form. Personally, I'm 5' 10.5"/ 168 lb, and use 3/4 hollow.

No, you wouldn't skate unlaced in a game. If you read my comments, I have always said that skating laced up provides more support and allows you to skate better. Boot stiffness is part of this. To reiterate - why train laces undone? Primarily balance, to develop your balance over the skate blade at ALL times, for every move you make - ergo deeper edges, tighter turns. Get this right and then you get maximum power into the blade - ergo more speed. You also build a broader muscle memory set, this allows you to control the skate better thru any type of position or play you may get involved in.

I remember when the Edge jerseys came out, they were going for a different look, tighter and more form-fitting than the traditional fit, and many NHL players requested one size larger to compensate. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl-unveils-streamlined-jerseys-1.633673

If you go back in the archives on here, the connection is clear: MLX is what they renamed DASC, an acronym of 4 names where D is David Cruikshank and S Scott Van Horne after Mario Lemieux came on as an investor. I don’t know who the other two are. If you rewatch the Making of the Mako videos, Cruikshank shows off his SVH made prototype. I’m pretty sure he mentions SVH as the boot maker there. But SVH was the builder behind MLX/DASC as far as I know. Why VH Footwear didn’t have a non-compete with the Mako might come down to the different companies or the subtle differences between the Mako and VH, I’m not sure. Before all that Van Horne was also involved with Kor. @JunkyardAthletic knows the details much better.