youth skates: hollow progression

[SolarWind 23]

gents,

my 6 years old (7 in september) son has been playing hockey for 2 years, plus taken figure skating classes

he's a strong little skater with good edge control, so I though of starting increasing his hollow number - going shallow basically... should increase his speed & ease his transitions (I personally dislike to skate on anything deeper then 5/8, but I'm 160lbs heavier then he is :))

because he's so light (50 lbs) he's always been on 3/8, do you think it's a good idea to start going up in 1/16 increments (thinking 1/8 is too much too soon) or is it too early for him to even see benefits?

I'm thinking 7/16 (hesitant to go 1/2 right away)

what hollow do kids usually skate on and what is the most optimal progression?

Thanks!

[Chadd 916]

I would try 1/16th at a time. Most kids around here skate on whatever the shop gives them and the "experts" always want something slightly different from everyone else, often asking for differences of 1/32 or 1/64 just to show off their knowledge.

[AHF 1]

Trying 7/16 would be a good start. Have him skate on it a few times...if he likes it, great. If not, you can always go back to 3/8. He shouldn't notice THAT much of a difference. Most kids 'don't care/don't notice', but there is two of my regular kids (fairly young...I'd say they're 8 or 9) notice when their skates are done at 3/8 instead of the 1/2 they want.

By all means, give it a shot. Take it slowly though; if he likes it, have him skate on 7/16 for a while. I wouldn't go 1/2 too quickly. Let him get used to the new setting properly before trying something new all over again.

[ktang 34]

My son was on 5/8" when he was 9 yrs old. I think he was light, too. Then, when he was 11, the shop swapped our hollows (I use 1"), and he liked the 1" for the glide.

However, maybe your son will like the Flat Bottom V sharpening!

[SolarWind 23]

My son was on 5/8" when he was 9 yrs old. I think he was light, too. Then, when he was 11, the shop swapped our hollows (I use 1"), and he liked the 1" for the glide.

However, maybe your son will like the Flat Bottom V sharpening!

thanks for the feedback - sounds like my son has 2 years to progress to 5/8 :)

I don't think he's ready for FBV just yet

while there's 2 reasons I want him to go shallower (glide + ease of transitions, stops etc) glide isn't the main reason - he catches edges on transitions sometimes so I'd like to make it a bit easier for him

FBV 100/50 (the setting I personally landed at) would be too shallow for him since it's roughtly 5/8

90/75 in my opinion just doesn't feel any different then 3/8 - about the same bite & glide so when I tried it I didn't see any benefits

[Powerfibers 8]

As a 7 year old, my son was on 3/8, he adjusted well to 1/2, and now just turning 8, he skates on 100/75 FBV. He has never been faster or more stable on his feet. I never noticed a lapse when bumping down.

He gets great glide on 100/75 and it is probably as deep a cut as the 7/16 you mentioned. I would like to try him on 90/75, but I do not have the 100/50 or 90/50 yet. Maybe they're a better next step. What I am trying to say is that the FBV is great for kids when properly matched to them. The kids adjust much quicker IMHO than I would!