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raygunpk

Skate Hollow

By raygunpk, in Ice Hockey Equipment

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raygunpk    0

raygunpk
Posted

I tried to do a search on this but couldn't find anything...

I'm a new player still learning to skate, and perform a hockey stop.

I had a free sharpening when I bought my skates and I don't know what hollow it was.

I did some searches on hollows... from what I understand the deeper hollows(3/8") give better turning and more shallow hollows(1") give more speed.

My question is what is the best hollow to start learning a hockey stop on?

Thanks

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DEATHTRON    19

DEATHTRON
Posted

I would give 7/16 a try or if youre feeling a little on the frisky side 1/2. Either one of those is good to start on, then start tinkering from there.

Zach

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ramensandwich    1

ramensandwich
Posted

yeah i'd start with a 1/2, that's pretty standard. i don't recommend a deep hollow. sure, it will let you hold a tight turn, but often this leads to cheating and letting the edge do the work for you, instead of proper knee bend and weight distribution on your heels.

i'm 140 pounds and i use a 5/8, i can turn tight around the dots no problem. deeper hollows just create unnecessary drag.

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Jarick    5

Jarick
Posted

How much do you weigh? Heavier guys sometimes opt for a flatter (higher) hollow because their weight/gravity pushes down on the ice more and smaller guys sometimes get a sharper (lower) hollow to get more "bite".

I'd start with 1/2" and see how that goes. Most people should be able to skate on it just fine and it's "standard." I went to 3/8" (I'm 175 pounds) and got a lot more bite when stopping, especially learning on my weak side. But when I got better, the drag started slowing my glide down on breakaways and crossovers seemed to be tougher at lower speeds because of the additional friction. Moving to 1/2", I have to dig in harder to stop, but my crossovers and turning has been much better and my form is improving quite a bit.

I'm not saying that the hollow itself is some kind of wonder fix, but it's enabling me to learn correctly, so unless you're a lot heavier than 200 or lighter than 150, I'd recommend learning on a 1/2".

Oh, and I tried 7/16" but it ticked the sharpener off and I got a REALLY bad sharpening. Felt like 3/8" near the toe and 1" near the heel...I kept losing edges left and right. Most sharpeners do 1/2" standard so maybe it's a safer choice as they don't have to screw with their equipment and the teenagers might do a better sharpening with it. Shouldn't be an issue with competent sharpeners but sometimes you roll the dice...

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Bulldog21    0

Bulldog21
Posted

Agree with suggestions to start at 1/2" or less (7/16") to learn how stop so you can avoid that un-nerving sensation of the blade edge catching "too much" when stopping.

FYI about the hollow you will notice a difference when you play more depending upon the ice condition. I had to change from 7/16" to 1/2" (deeper) when i moved from NJ to Chicago due to poorer ice condition.

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Chadd    916

Chadd
Posted

Agree with suggestions to start at 1/2" or less (7/16") to learn how stop so you can avoid that un-nerving sensation of the blade edge catching "too much" when stopping.

FYI about the hollow you will notice a difference when you play more depending upon the ice condition. I had to change from 7/16" to 1/2" (deeper) when i moved from NJ to Chicago due to poorer ice condition.

You need to learn more about fractions and how they apply to skate hollows before you offer more advice.

I tried to do a search on this but couldn't find anything...

I'm a new player still learning to skate, and perform a hockey stop.

I had a free sharpening when I bought my skates and I don't know what hollow it was.

I did some searches on hollows... from what I understand the deeper hollows(3/8") give better turning and more shallow hollows(1") give more speed.

My question is what is the best hollow to start learning a hockey stop on?

Thanks

Don't change your hollow just for learning to stop. You should be able to do it with any hollow, even if you later decide to change the hollow for other reasons.

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Jason    65

Jason
Posted

I disagree with you Chadd. I also think it is easier to learn to stop with a shallower hollow. I would suggest the 5/8" hollow as a good starting point. I skate on a 3/4" and weigh about 180lbs. I find that alot of people who try to learn to skate on a deep hollow are too scared to do the maneuvers necessary to perform a hockey stop. If the hollow is too deep it can feel like you are going to have the edge grab to hard and send you over the bars so to speak.

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LkptTiger    1

LkptTiger
Posted

Agreed. The shallower hollow will allow you to explore your edges a little more, whereas the deeper cut will catch too much if you use your blade/weight incorrectly.

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Chadd    916

Chadd
Posted

I disagree with you Chadd. I also think it is easier to learn to stop with a shallower hollow. I would suggest the 5/8" hollow as a good starting point. I skate on a 3/4" and weigh about 180lbs. I find that alot of people who try to learn to skate on a deep hollow are too scared to do the maneuvers necessary to perform a hockey stop. If the hollow is too deep it can feel like you are going to have the edge grab to hard and send you over the bars so to speak.

I'm all for using a shallow hollow, I'm usually around 3/4". I don't believe that you should change it just for learning how to stop. If you don't feel comfortable skating on that hollow, you're still going to have to learn how to stop on the deeper hollow when you go back.

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TBLfan    25

TBLfan
Posted

My recommendation:

If you are under 200lbs: start with 1/2"

If you are over 200lbs: start with 3/4"

Experiment and if you feel like you need something sharper/duller try the other one or go up a 1/4. If that is too much then split the difference.

Example: I try 3/4" and it's too dull, I try out 1/2"

The 1/2" is too sharp, so now I try 5/8"

If you really want to get technical then split the difference if there is a problem again.

Personally, I'm about 230 and I use 3/4"

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Bulldog21    0

Bulldog21
Posted

Sorry my mistake Chadd, work in metric all day long and i was typing the post quickly at lunch. Sharpened at 9/16" to 5/8" in NJ. Yes, i do know larger the fraction the shallower the hollow.

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Hockeydog    8

Hockeydog
Posted

Being an intermediate level skater I can offer my view. I have been told by good skating instructors that it is better to start shallow. Not only to aid in stopping but to learn how to use the edges correctly. Sharper edges can be a crutch to learning to center your weight on the correct edge. I think I read that Robby Glantz said he only sharpens his about twice a year or some ridiculous time frame. And he does skate at every clinic he does. I would say start at 5/8th or 3/4 and experiment once you can stop okay. get a good ankle roll on the forward stride, don't hear any sliding of the skates during crossovers, and get a little transition comfort level.

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shifter    0

shifter
Posted

I seriously don't know the math in sharpening can someone teach me?? Besides that I am an intermediate skater also and, I have tried 9/16, 3/8, and 5/8. I really bend my knees during the turn and not rely on my edges. I found the 9/16 nice and shallow and i love the hollow! 5/8 I felt like I couldn't go fast enough but turning was nice. 3/8 was deep and it wasn't my style, it was a nightmare with that hollow. I weigh around 150ish.

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Spreedizzle    1

Spreedizzle
Posted

I seriously don't know the math in sharpening can someone teach me?? Besides that I am an intermediate skater also and, I have tried 9/16, 3/8, and 5/8. I really bend my knees during the turn and not rely on my edges. I found the 9/16 nice and shallow and i love the hollow! 5/8 I felt like I couldn't go fast enough but turning was nice. 3/8 was deep and it wasn't my style, it was a nightmare with that hollow. I weigh around 150ish.

Read through this link and it will help you understand the different hollows, radii, etc etc that are discussed on this forum.

http://home.comcast.net/~shshockeystats/skates.html

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TBLfan    25

TBLfan
Posted

I didn't check the link, maybe it explains it but here's the short version...

Imagine a 1" across ball cutting through your blade. It's going to make a grove... Now imagine a 1/2" ball cutting through your blade, it's going to make a deeper grove. That's really the simpliest way I can describe it.

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lb33knight    0

lb33knight
Posted

I didn't check the link, maybe it explains it but here's the short version...

Imagine a 1" across ball cutting through your blade. It's going to make a grove... Now imagine a 1/2" ball cutting through your blade, it's going to make a deeper grove. That's really the simpliest way I can describe it.

You're making it sound too simple. Now I'm gonna get a rush of people bringing me their skates to fix after they tried a do it yourself sharpening with a Dremel tool. (and yes that has really happened) :D

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JR Boucicaut    3806

JR Boucicaut
Posted

I didn't check the link, maybe it explains it but here's the short version...

Imagine a 1" across ball cutting through your blade. It's going to make a grove... Now imagine a 1/2" ball cutting through your blade, it's going to make a deeper grove. That's really the simpliest way I can describe it.

You're making it sound too simple. Now I'm gonna get a rush of people bringing me their skates to fix after they tried a do it yourself sharpening with a Dremel tool. (and yes that has really happened) :D

It's the South, what do you expect?

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Chadd    916

Chadd
Posted

I didn't check the link, maybe it explains it but here's the short version...

Imagine a 1" across ball cutting through your blade. It's going to make a grove... Now imagine a 1/2" ball cutting through your blade, it's going to make a deeper grove. That's really the simpliest way I can describe it.

You're making it sound too simple. Now I'm gonna get a rush of people bringing me their skates to fix after they tried a do it yourself sharpening with a Dremel tool. (and yes that has really happened) :D

It's the South, what do you expect?

Not as bad as the Amish guys using a bench grinder to put "an edge" on their skates.

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lb33knight    0

lb33knight
Posted

I didn't check the link, maybe it explains it but here's the short version...

Imagine a 1" across ball cutting through your blade. It's going to make a grove... Now imagine a 1/2" ball cutting through your blade, it's going to make a deeper grove. That's really the simpliest way I can describe it.

You're making it sound too simple. Now I'm gonna get a rush of people bringing me their skates to fix after they tried a do it yourself sharpening with a Dremel tool. (and yes that has really happened) :D

It's the South, what do you expect?

Not as bad as the Amish guys using a bench grinder to put "an edge" on their skates.

But a bench grinder is actually a tool used by a sharpener. It just makes the blades flat. Now imagine what the bottom of a skate blade would look like it you ran a Dremel tool with a disc 1/10 the width of the skate blade back and forth and sideways. I'll never forget that one. Or the time I was sharpening a pair of skates that had a small colony of those winged ants living in the front of the blade holder. The vibration irritated them and they came swarming out. It wasn't just 3 or four of them but 50+. Scared the daylights outta me and for the next day or two I had these weird sensations that there were bugs crawling on me. I've also seen the occasional roach, spider, or once a tube of hemmrhoid cream (don't ask) fall out of the skate. The lesson to be learned here is not to keep your bag outside.

I didn't check the link, maybe it explains it but here's the short version...

Imagine a 1" across ball cutting through your blade. It's going to make a grove... Now imagine a 1/2" ball cutting through your blade, it's going to make a deeper grove. That's really the simpliest way I can describe it.

You're making it sound too simple. Now I'm gonna get a rush of people bringing me their skates to fix after they tried a do it yourself sharpening with a Dremel tool. (and yes that has really happened) :D

It's the South, what do you expect?

Don't you look down on the rest of us just cause you escaped :P

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Chadd    916

Chadd
Posted

But a bench grinder is actually a tool used by a sharpener. It just makes the blades flat. Now imagine what the bottom of a skate blade would look like it you ran a Dremel tool with a disc 1/10 the width of the skate blade back and forth and sideways. I'll never forget that one. Or the time I was sharpening a pair of skates that had a small colony of those winged ants living in the front of the blade holder. The vibration irritated them and they came swarming out. It wasn't just 3 or four of them but 50+. Scared the daylights outta me and for the next day or two I had these weird sensations that there were bugs crawling on me. I've also seen the occasional roach, spider, or once a tube of hemmrhoid cream (don't ask) fall out of the skate. The lesson to be learned here is not to keep your bag outside.

No, not a flat edge. They sharpened it to a knife point and a very dull one at that.

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TBLfan    25

TBLfan
Posted

I didn't check the link, maybe it explains it but here's the short version...

Imagine a 1" across ball cutting through your blade. It's going to make a grove... Now imagine a 1/2" ball cutting through your blade, it's going to make a deeper grove. That's really the simpliest way I can describe it.

You're making it sound too simple. Now I'm gonna get a rush of people bringing me their skates to fix after they tried a do it yourself sharpening with a Dremel tool. (and yes that has really happened) :D

hahahaha, I should have added a disclaimer to that post!

*do not attempt at home. If you do attempt at home you must post pictures so we can laugh at you.*

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