Transitioning to shorter skates/holders/blades

[Hockeydog 8]

I am currently in a Easton EQ50 size 8 with a 272mm blade/holder ( stock radius). I am looking to transition into a Bauer One70 size 7EE with a 263mm blade/holder. Eastons not giving me quite the heel lock I need and I am ending up really cranking down on waxed laces to compensate, cutting down on my foot mobility. One70 has been sitting in my closet because I have been hesitant to go to them as I am used to the 272 and was falling on my face the first time I used them. The One 70 7EE fits my foot much better. For those who have sized down in the blade holder and/or skate, how long did it take you to get used to the shorter blade? I want to tranistion while it's summer and I am not in league play. Should I be okay when leagues resume in late august? Thanks for any experiences you can share.

[romdj 26]

you could always have a longer radius (10" or 11") , That usually makes up for the shorter runner. having a boot that fits you is the most important thing.

There is a heel lock topic where ezeefit and stable26 socks are suggested. Personnally, ezeefit have worked well locking my heel.

[Chadd 916]

Some people adapt fairly quickly, others take more time. There's no way for us to know how long it will take you. When going to a shorter steel length, you will probably have to bend less at your waist. That feeling of "falling forward" comes from your center of gravity being too far out on your toes and not centered over the skate blade.

[Hockeydog 8]

Thanks for that info, Chadd. This transition should be a good thing as I think I bend over at the waist more than I should. Sounds like the longer runner likely was letting me get away with that to some degree, although I am sure it has affected my skating ability. The shorter blade sounds like it will force better form out of me. Answered my question and gave me a skating tip as well !!

[Beleafer 14]

Aren't you able to put bigger holders/runners on the smaller boots as well? THought I'd heard of that before.

[interpathway 9]

Doesn't make it reasonable, considering the often times nimble drilling necessary. Swiss cheese carbon outsole anyone?

[Hockeydog 8]

Doesn't make it reasonable, considering the often times nimble drilling necessary. Swiss cheese carbon outsole anyone?

I'd worry about that.

[flyguy1 1]

Thanks for that info, Chadd. This transition should be a good thing as I think I bend over at the waist more than I should. Sounds like the longer runner likely was letting me get away with that to some degree, although I am sure it has affected my skating ability. The shorter blade sounds like it will force better form out of me. Answered my question and gave me a skating tip as well !!

I wanted to see how the transition went from going from a 271 to a 263. I'm in the same boat thinking about getting RBZ skates and sizing down.

Also going off what chadd said, with less bending a waist, will that really help better skating mechanics? I'm coming off of recurring groin strains and think my skating mechanics has something to do with it. (also possibly hip/muscle imbalance too)

[Hockeydog 8]

hey flyguy1, sorry for delay in responding, haven't been able to enjoy the internet for a while!

Transition going well. Been on the new, shorter blades about 5 times now. Now my old skates were not what I'd call too big, but a half size bigger than ideal. I learned quick how much I relied on the longer blade for balance. Shorter blade means I have to make an effort to stay centered on the blade more, on the 272's I had a longer platform to hold me up! It really wasn't a big adjustment to make at all, and now the agility factor is much better. Not sure why as I have a 9' ( I THINK Easton stock radius is 9') on both pairs so in theory the same amount of blade should be on the ice. I felt I had more top speed on the 272's so maybe they did have a longer radius.

And yeah bending more at the hips and less bending over at the waist will be an instant improvement. I think all the really knowledgeable members on this forum have said not to worry about the blade size, get the skates that fit the best and the blade will work itself out. Pretty happy at this point with my switch. Just need to work on my skating stride to get back the free speed I got from the other, longer skates! Let me know how your transition is going.

[Davetronz 109]

Like mentioned previously, try going with a longer profile (11' or 13') to put more of the available steel on the ice. I did the same when I downsized last season because I had issues adapting. After profiling my steel I was good to go. It made the world of difference.

[flyguy1 1]

I've never had my skates profiled nor do I know which is the best. I've always skated in CCMs and I believe they are 11'. We'll see how it goes with the new skates when I get them. Maybe a new profile will benefit my skating but ill have to try and fins out .

[jimmy 194]

I've never had my skates profiled nor do I know which is the best. I've always skated in CCMs and I believe they are 11'. We'll see how it goes with the new skates when I get them. Maybe a new profile will benefit my skating but ill have to try and fins out .

The old CCMs were 11' but in recent years they are now 10'. Some like the shorter radius, others don't.

[Chadd 916]

Glad to hear things are working out. As others have mentioned, a longer profile will help with pure straight line speed, at a cost of some agility.

[markush 12]

Well you could use a combo radius.

[Hockeydog 8]

Update: Easton size 8 / 272 holder vs Bauer size 7EE /262 holder - 9' on both

After skating a for about a month on the shorter Bauer skates I have decided to go back to the Eastons. I just skate better in them. Both skates have a 9' profile, and the Bauers were profiled to the same forward pitch as the Eastons, yet I just feel better in the Eastons. The Eastons are just sharpened out of the box so I assume they are 9' factory profile. More speed, better stability, etc. As they both have a 9' radius, I can't think that putting more blade on the ice with a longer profile would help with the Bauers. The Eastons are by no means too big, I can't come close to getting a finger behind my heel when putting on the un-laced skate, maybe a pencil width. The issue causing me to try the Bauers was a slight but of heel lift (Eastons) on one of my feet ( the slightly shorter foot) but I'll just add some padding to the inside and that should fix it. Tried Bunga pad and ez fit bootie but didn't like them. Just need a bit of padding in a specific spot, not a full extra layer. Also I wanted to not have to tie my skates up so tight to keep the heel lift in check, but with the Bauers I still had to tight 'em up tight or they'd pronate, so I gained nothing there either. Really should go Custom but that is too much $$, so I am going with the better performing skate for me and will just tweak to fit.

[squat 5]

Or you could bend your knees, skate faster turn better and leave your blades alone. I am amazed at the drastic measures some will take instead of just fixing their form

[Hockeydog 8]

Any flaws in my form that I indicated I had have been fixed. Eastons still ended up being the better performer. Thanks for the incredible insight Squat. I am amazed too that people come to this board to talk about tweaking or upgrading their equipment to play better. I mean WTF!

[squat 5]

Any flaws in my form that I indicated I had have been fixed. Eastons still ended up being the better performer. Thanks for the incredible insight Squat. I am amazed too that people come to this board to talk about tweaking or upgrading their equipment to play better. I mean WTF!

I didnt mean to come off like an A$$ and I apologize. I see so many people with 2000 in stick and are looking for the next 260$ twig instead of figuring out why the other 10 which are perfectly fine for the NHL and most masses but not them. I didnt mean to put you in that group.

I would like to add that you will get more power the more steel you can push off from. You get the most power from a bent knee driving the leg and flicking the toe. Most issues can be fixed with radius changing. You figured your issue out and probably learned a lot about it at the same time. Again I apologize for how I said what I said.

[Hockeydog 8]

Apology accepted. There is a fine line between getting the equipment that is right for you and just working your skills to become a better player for sure.