Vet88

I loved my graf skates for fit but only after: - I hammered down all of the staple ends in the footbed - added step steel to fix the stock steel that was bent and started to rust just at the thought of moisture - loctited the blade holder in place to stop the blade clicking and moving - added patches to the liner to stop early and rapid wear - then finally replaced the holders with tucks (because the blade would not sit straight in cobra 5000 holder because the holder is just poorly made) And then ended up doing similar work of varying degrees to just about every other graf skate in our local leagues (28 at last count). All had an issue of one kind or another, all fixable but just really poor QC. Fit and comfort is what Graf are really known for, if Vaughan can fix the rest at the right price point then they might be able to start a resurrection amongst retailers and players bit it's going to take a lot effort and they are going to have to front up with some really good customer service initiatives.

Personally I'd be disappointed with a length fit like this for custom skates unless you specified that length (I know players who do have their toes around 1cm off the toe cap to help prevent broken toes from pucks). Your toes look to sit around 1cm off the toe cap and that is one size too long. However length may not be as important with customs if the rest of the boot fits perfectly and your heel, ankle and rest of the foot are locked in securely.

and length comparison to 1x / apx2's?

Put some lipstick on your bone and then foot in the boot, the lipstick will transfer to the boot and give a mark as to where to punch. Then get the boot punched out and you will be fine. Or do it yourself, it's not hard with about $10 - $15 of parts. this is one of the easiest punches you can do. As you were in apx2's, how would you compare them in the heel area for width and overall length? Would you say they are narrower in the heel?

Bake then punch unless you over punch. Every time you bake the boot material has a tendency to return to its original state hence you lose some of the punch.

Hate to diasgree but there are literally hundreds of examples out there where toe starts are exactly where you use that part of the blade. For example have a look at this at the 1 minute mark as he hits the ice in his 1st, 2nd and 3rd stride:

Assuming your first release to market has the product pitched as an after market kit to replace existing frames on a boot, are you going to supply a mounting kit (say t-nuts and bolts or graf style mounts)? My one big wish for this frame is that you would add a small lug to the outside and inside of each mounting hole. This would allow a user to cross drill a slot in the frame (unless this was done at manufacturing) allowing the frame to be repositioned on the boot after fitting (aka speed skating style of mounting or the holder on the MLX ice skate).

Couple of questions: If one is not based in the US or Canada, will there be any online shops stocking them? What parts will be available? Warranty? One assumes the axles are set up for 608 bearings? Are the mounting holes set up to match any other existing frames eg hilo or labeda spacings?

Forsberg pads work really well, I skated with them for many years until I moved to a different solution. Pipe insulation also works well as material for the forsberg pad. Alternatively try a lace extender (which is what I now use), either make your own or buy them from http://www.greatsaves.org/ This thread will give you lots of detail as to how they work

What size were you in compared to the NXG's?

And now they have a good scanner the next advance will be a 3D printed boot.

Your heel lock was most probably ok when you first got the skates but if you haven't had the skates tuned to your foot to address pronation then you will eventually end up in the situation you are now in. Because you pronate, your foot rolls in the boot as you skate. Maybe only a little at first with new skates but over time, as the foot continues to lever away at the inside ankle area of the boot, the boot eventually starts to give way and open up and now your heel lock starts to disappear. You can clamp the boot, I've done it to mine a number of times. You need clamps that have swivel heads on them and you want to clamp just under the ankle bone. Ideally you do what I did and that is to make a mold of your foot (I used plaster of paris and made it slightly smaller than my foot in width) and then when you clamp you use this inside of the boot and clamp against it hard. And also continue to use it every time you aren't skating so it helps the boot to hold its shape over time. As to fixing the pronation going forward, this either requires specialist help (orthotics and blade alignment) or some out of the box thinking (I have purchased a pair of skates that are extra wide, stripped the lining out and am making custom inner shells using gel pads and memory foam that address blade alignment and heel lock and fit).

Shims, or I should really say wedges, added between the holder and the boot aren't a bad way to go. You can get them added or removed as required, they can be fitted to any skate and don't have any impact on the resale value of the skate later on down the track. The downside is the cost of the rivets each time, finding someone who understands what is required and can work out what size and shape of wedge you need. Any LHS can fit them. Unless you know what size and shape of wedge you are after, I wouldn't get them built into the boot. I know someone who has talked to VH about this and they are not keen about it unless you know exactly what you need. They want to deliver a boot that meets your expectations and adding something based on a guess isn't what they want to do.

I'd love to say there is a magic wand one could wave or a pet answer I could give you that would solve it. It depends on how much you want to spend, if money is no object you see a foot specialist, they will evaluate your feet and suggest a remedy which might be orthotics or blade alignment or shims or a combination. Generally this will be some of the best money you will ever spend on hockey although you may not think so at the time. Orthotics do help and can overcome some of the issue but it depends on how much you pronate. A cheap option is to try superfeet or graf footbeds etc, orthotics designed for shoes normally don't help because they have too much volume which can lift the heel out of the pocket and or cause lace bite. Whilst you can continue on and not doing anything about it, pronation is a self fulfilling prophesy. When you pronate in the skate you place an excessive amount of pressure on the inside ankle area of the skate. Eventually the boot starts to widen through the inner ankle area which allows the foot to rotate a little bit more which increases the pressure on the boot and makes it wider and........ Eventually the boot breaks down and goes soft, normally takes 12 - 18 months in a stiff boot. If you plan to replace your boots within this time frame then I'd do nothing about it, just continue to skate and replace them as needed. Figure and speed skaters have dealt with this for years, MLX came close to providing a solution but since then the hockey world continues to bury its head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist. I'm a fan of blade alignment but that is hard to do in retail or even customs skates (unless you have been evaluated and know where the center line of the blade needs to run and can get the manufacturer to place the holder in this position). I now buy the narrowest boot I can with the tightest heel lock and then stretch the outside of the boot to accommodate my foot. This has the effect of moving my foot outwards over the blade (and as such moving the blade inwards in relation to my feet) and hence helping to address the minor pronation I have in my right foot. Eventually I will go the VH route but only when I have had my feet assessed and we have worked out where the optimal placement of the blade should be, And I'll be asking for extra extra stiff stiffness through the inner ankle area. I just don't have the $'s to get it done now.

Your tongue is sliding to the side because your foot is twisting in the boot, even as well as if may fit. The general cause of this is a foot alignment issue, mainly because of pronation, so you may want consider looking at this as well as tabs on the tongue.

Keep your front foot on the ground, don't lift your body up as you swing back and shift your weight onto the back foot (eg watch how your head rises as you swing back), as you swing forward you have to shift your weight from the back leg to the front leg and rotate your hips and shoulders (rotating over the front foot) so they should be facing forward at the end of the swing.

Some other things - Don't get the back swing so high, focus on form and getting your weight transfer working smoothly instead of power at this stage. Don't open the blade so much during the back swing, keep it parallel to the ground. Keep your left arm straighter as you swing back, you are bending it to much. In the first vid you can see you are hitting off the toe to much, ideal contact point for slap shots is just behind the middle of the blade.

I made my own to solve a lace bite issue, which it does, and for this reason alone they are worth more than gold to me. Subsequently I've made a bunch more for team mates and had a number of MSH members make them up, it's easy enough:- 4mm thick leather offcuts from a leather shop or manufacturer of leather items (or buy a leather belt and cut it up) 5mm - 7mm eyelets (also known as grommets) from online or a marine shop or a outdoor shop or home depot etc. Make sure you get brass or stainless steel or whatever, as long as they will not rust Either buy a hole punch or visit your local shoe repair shop to get the holes punched Waterproof the leather, add the eyelets using a hammer and punch (or a press if you are lucky enough to have one of these) Secure them to your boot using either old laces (the simplest way) or t-nuts / graf nut/screw etc or screws into the eyelets. You may think of another way. I prefer using laces as it gives a little more flexibilty and stretch to the extension than hard securing them in. Mine are coming up to 4 months of hard use and are still as good as the day I made them. PM me if you want a basic design outline and lacing pattern I use. Once you fit them you will keep using them, lace bite cure and forward flex extension and a custom eyelet pattern to how you want it.

If you want to work out what radius you have this thread gives you some ideas http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/68943-tool-for-checking-skate-blade-hollow-radius/

Empty rink to practice in, the best kind! Back to the heads up play, this is the time when you really have to reinforce this as you are learning. Practice this drill but do these: - As you skate towards the boards to pick the puck up glance over your shoulder back up the rink, this is so you know what you are going to do BEFORE you get to the puck (is someone behind me, is a team mate already skating and open, what side are they skating to, do I release the puck immediately or do I have time to escape etc etc). - When you pick the puck up, don't look at it, try to never look at it, just cup it with the blade and continue skating. Then skate up the rink looking left and right to find your team mate and deliver the pass. - DON"T LOOK AT THE PUCK - As you continue to improve try to pick the puck up whilst you are skating as fast as possible, don't just drift in to it to start the drill, begin the drill when you are in the middle of the rink and do the drill as fast as you can. As you pick the puck up off the bottom board vary the drill by going to the back of the net and stopping, then practice escaping out each side. As a D the net is one of your best friends on the ice. And alternate the drill on both sides so you are picking the puck up on your forehand and back hand.

Nearly everyone has a dominant foot / hand / side, the true ambidextrous are rare. One of the ways to counter it as you learn is to do mutliples of the drill on the weak side to one on the better side. For example alternate bubble c cuts, do 2 or 3 on the weak side to one on the better side. Figure 8 drills you do 2 circles on the weak side to one on the better side. For stopping you can use the ladder drill but just keep going in the same direction after each stop. And just spend the next few weeks stopping only on that side.

My number one rule, Heads up! Practice not looking at the puck from the beginning, it's a hard habit to break later on down the track. During this drill try and look 2 or even 3 pucks ahead and try to picture the lines on the ice where you want the puck to go.

Both hands on the stick when you make the turn, I'd even suggest slowing down a bit and try to get half crossovers starting as you pass the halfway point of the turn then transitioning to your forward stride as you come out of the turn. I prefer getting players to do these types of drills in a figure 8 so you work both sides during the drill. I have a drill for turning that gets your feet in line and you balanced over the center of your skates. My shoulder is starting to settle down (at least I'm not chewing as many pain killers now) so hoping to be back on the ice next week coaching and I'll get a couple of drills together for you. Well done though, each vid you post you can see yourself improving and getting more comfortable on your skates.

If you want to become a better skater and puck handler then this: comfortable inline rec skates (the ones with soft sides), hard wheels, green biscuit, any smooth surface you can find (like your local park) to skate on, a wraparound for your blade or an abs blade on a shaft and then get out there and skate and puck handle. For passing get a green biscuit, a smooth board and a tape 2 tape device. For shooting you need about 20 pucks, a shooting pad and a net or tarp to shoot at. For the public skate I've often found it depends on how many turn up and how flexible they are at the rink about skating with a stick. Some rinks have a absolute no policy, some will let you skate with a stick only, some will let you stick and puck but stay out of every ones way ie stay down one end and absolutely no shooting. Ask and see what they say. For example at one rink I can stick and puck during the day public sessions, at another rink no sticks but they are fine if you take a puck onto the ice and practice kicking it, toe flicks etc. As to skating without a stick, any time you spend on the ice is going to improve your skating ability. Without wanting to sound like I'm preaching about this, you need to do a lot more one foot balance drills - with or without a stick. Here is one to show what I mean - set your camera up and skate away from the camera, then skate back towards it doing this, balance on one leg then try to do as deep a knee bend as possible on the glide leg and then stand up and swap legs and repeat. Now watch the video and see how you bring the glide skate underneath and in line with your body and the blade is vertical to the ice when you do the knee bend.

Was going to do it on Monday at my next coaching session but got cross checked into the boards today and bust my shoulder, lol McDavid has good company! Will be a couple of weeks before I'm back on the ice, will let you know when I get it done unless I can get one my students to do it earlier.