Sharpening: Blade Hollow and the Relationship to Body Weight

[Gretsch 0]

For those of you who have done experimenting using different hollows without much change in body weight: how much of an impact have you found in the relationship between your body weight and the hollow selected?

There is the oft-heard axiom that the heavier players should consider a shallower hollow, but I wonder to what extent. Is a solid skater at 165lbs really going to be floundering around if a 3/4" or 1" hollow is used instead of a 1/2"?

Thank you,

Seth

[mojo122 535]

It all comes down to what works and doesn't work for the individual player. I don't consider myself heavy yet I skate on 3/4's and I have seen many tall, heavier players skating on 3/8's. I got to my setting my gradually working my way up to 3/4's. You also have to take into account just what it is you're trying to achieve.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Your going to get different answers across the board. Better skaters can use shallow hollows more efficiently because they know how to use their edges. I skate on 1" and I weigh 185 lbs, but even when I was 170 lbs I skated on a hollow around that general area (7/8"). I can't skate on anything lower than 5/8" or I will chatter when I stop.

To answer the other part of your question, yes weight can have a significant impact on the skater due to weight and skill level. Generally, the heavier guys like much shallower hollows so they don't "stick" to the ice (no speed), or so they don't rip the ligaments out of their knees when they try to stop.

Edited January 28, 2015 by kovalchuk71

[salibandy 21]

Since you're considering weight, you'd have to consider the ice sheet as well; I'll use 1/2" or 7/16" on warm, soft ice and 7/16" or 3/8" on good, hard ice.

[isk8byu 4]

From a pure physics perspective (not experience/preference) you would also want to take into consideration how much blade is making contact with the ice (aka runner contouring/shaping). The other physical variables are skater weight and ice temps as mentioned above.

Lastly, I don't know enough about various runner materials to know if that would make any difference in how a player would prefer the skates be sharpened

Edited January 28, 2015 by isk8byu

[XS222 25]

i weigh a whopping 140 pounds but skate on a 3/4".

like everyone else said, it definitely boils down to preference. early on, i read that lighter skaters should be using a deeper hollow, and heavier skaters should be using a shallower one. I followed that a few times but found it didn't work for me so i kept moving up to bigger and bigger hollows until i got to one that worked for me.

[markush 12]

I'd say 5/8 is a good starting point. From that it depends on weight, skill level, ice condition and your skate setup. Give yourself 1-2 ice time to judge different hollow settings. It also depends on your prefered type of play (very agile, tight turns, or a more powerfull, long stride, ...) which also have advantages / disadvantages using more hollow.

[trinituner 10]

Comes down to the skater, If I have learned something its that there is no "right way/style/design" when it comes to skates and setup.. I weigh 199lb and skate 3/8.

Trial and error is the only way to find out what works but sadly it isnt that easy as the type of ice you skate on will have a big effect on how your skate feels..

[MThockeydad 469]

For those of you who have done experimenting using different hollows without much change in body weight: how much of an impact have you found in the relationship between your body weight and the hollow selected?

There is the oft-heard axiom that the heavier players should consider a shallower hollow, but I wonder to what extent. Is a solid skater at 165lbs really going to be floundering around if a 3/4" or 1" hollow is used instead of a 1/2"?

1/2", 3/4", and 1" are virtual MILES apart from each other.

I skated on 7/16" quite a bit starting out, tried 3/8" once and HATED it, went to 100/50 FBV and LOVED it.

When I didn't plan ahead enough to mail my steel to Noicing, I searched for a new hollow. 7/16" was now too grabby. I tried 9/16" and felt washed-out. I like 1/2" for now.

As my skills and edging improves, I suspect I may go up to 9/16".

A very skilled technical skating coach near me skates on 3/8" and he has no problem with speed.

There are no easy generalizations and a LOT of personal preference.

there is no "right way/style/design" when it comes to skates and setup

I couldn't agree more.

[Chadd 916]

Ability to feel and control edges has absolutely nothing to do with weight.

[sbecks72986 51]

I weigh 145 and skate on a 1" on soft ice 3/4" on hard and my edges feel great if you have good knee bend you can skate on a much shallower hollow than you would think

Edited January 30, 2015 by sbecks72986

[BRUINS_FAN_74 19]

I'm 6' 1" and 174 pounds. I started on 5/8, then 1/2, then used 7/16 for ages, now using 3/8. I had my steel done with a combo radius 7'/12' with a 3/8 hallow but doesn't feel like 3/8 as I thought it would be a bit more sluggish. I felt on my stock steel 7/16 was a bit more sluggish, but must be due to the different radius?

[Vet88 674]

For what it is worth, I was talking to a guy from Maximum Edge and he said very few NHL players are on anything less than 1/2". Most are on 3/4" to 1", that kind of validates the theory that heavier skilled skaters are on a shallow hollow. And most are on a combo radius.

[trinituner 10]

For what it is worth, I was talking to a guy from Maximum Edge and he said very few NHL players are on anything less than 1/2". Most are on 3/4" to 1", that kind of validates the theory that heavier skilled skaters are on a shallow hollow. And most are on a combo radius.

I would not compare normal punters to NHL players as the option of a new grind between periods or at anytime for that matter is something us lowly folks can only dream of, I am sure my hollow would change if I had this option..

Edited January 30, 2015 by trinituner

[nyntwun 2]

From a pure physics perspective (not experience/preference) you would also want to take into consideration how much blade is making contact with the ice (aka runner contouring/shaping). The other physical variables are skater weight and ice temps as mentioned above.

Lastly, I don't know enough about various runner materials to know if that would make any difference in how a player would prefer the skates be sharpened

In reference to contouring the steel, is there a specific profile/radius that is similar to a hi-lo inline chassis. I've been playing roller forever and whenever I play ice, I'm not nearly as good a skater as in roller. I go with a 3/4 and think 9'. Not sure if the rocker is what's throwing me off. Sorry to hijack, just hoping one of you skate guys would know.

[flip12 714]

My transition from roller to ice was awful. I think because of the radius thing. It got much better on an 11' radius Cobra holder with lots of pitch and a very shallow hollow, like 1" and higher. My first time on ice, it felt like I had canyons strapped to my feet.

[trinituner 10]

I was always nervous of spending to much time playing roller trying to avoid the issues of messing up my ice stride that was before Tuuk released the Rocker chassis that in my case worked great, I have not played roller in years though and would most probably use SPRUNG chassis if I started. I was also unsucessful in finding a standard roller chassis that I was able to rocker that felt like my ice blades..

Of all the players I coached roller hockey guys making the transition to ice was by far the hardest transitional situation I faced. I will say though that "if" they got up to speed with their skating then they tended to be very very good players as their stick handling was better than the pure ice guys..

[chippa13 1844]

For what it is worth, I was talking to a guy from Maximum Edge and he said very few NHL players are on anything less than 1/2". Most are on 3/4" to 1", that kind of validates the theory that heavier skilled skaters are on a shallow hollow. And most are on a combo radius.

Based on what I remember from the old Pens sharpening sheet that was posted here a while back, I'm a little skeptical about your guy's statement.

[flip12 714]

I was always nervous of spending to much time playing roller trying to avoid the issues of messing up my ice stride that was before Tuuk released the Rocker chassis that in my case worked great, I have not played roller in years though and would most probably use SPRUNG chassis if I started. I was also unsucessful in finding a standard roller chassis that I was able to rocker that felt like my ice blades..

Of all the players I coached roller hockey guys making the transition to ice was by far the hardest transitional situation I faced. I will say though that "if" they got up to speed with their skating then they tended to be very very good players as their stick handling was better than the pure ice guys..

Once I switched from Bauer to Graf, I had no problems transitioning between ice and roller. Part of it certainly was that the boots were just much more comfortable, so it didn't kill me to shift my weight naturally, like it did in Bauer boots. Then I think the longer and more pitched blade setup also played along with how I had learned to skate.

[qmechanic 17]

For a more extreme data point, I weigh 120 pounds. I am a good but not amazing skater. In Massachusetts, I skate on a 1/2" hollow and 95/75 FBV. In California, I might opt for a sharper hollow.

[Gretsch 0]

In reference to contouring the steel, is there a specific profile/radius that is similar to a hi-lo inline chassis. I've been playing roller forever and whenever I play ice, I'm not nearly as good a skater as in roller. I go with a 3/4 and think 9'. Not sure if the rocker is what's throwing me off. Sorry to hijack, just hoping one of you skate guys would know.

Perhaps, using a longer radius is a bit more stable with a larger radius like 12' or 13' when using a shallow hollow like 3/4"? I have seen people claim Gretzky used a 1/2" but only a 7' radius. Paul Coffey used an 1" or higher, but I have no idea what his radius was.

The correlation between the hollow used and the radius must be fairly significant. Mentioning only one of the two aspects seems to be leaving a lot out of the equation.

[jimmy 194]

Based on what I remember from the old Pens sharpening sheet that was posted here a while back, I'm a little skeptical about your guy's statement.

Depends how many Swedes and Finns and European players are on a team. Rare for one of them to be deeper than 3/4. I had a list from Detroit's last Cup winning team, very long radius's, very shallow hollows.

[Chadd 916]

For what it is worth, I was talking to a guy from Maximum Edge and he said very few NHL players are on anything less than 1/2". Most are on 3/4" to 1", that kind of validates the theory that heavier skilled skaters are on a shallow hollow. And most are on a combo radius.

It has little to do with their weight and more with their edge control and skating ability.

[flip12 714]

Depends how many Swedes and Finns and European players are on a team. Rare for one of them to be deeper than 3/4. I had a list from Detroit's last Cup winning team, very long radius's, very shallow hollows.

I could easily see that. This goes back to slightly earlier Red Wings teams, but I've been watching some of their classic games online, and when Fedorov and Coffey were there, no one on the ice came close to their acceleration and glide. They just cover so much ice while not even taking any strides. I know Coffey was known for his shallow hollow and long radius, but Fedorov seemed like he had to be on a close setup.

[blackout 4]

Besides personal preference, the thickness of the steel can have a slight effect even with the exact same hollow being put on thanks to simple geometry (a thicker blade will have more bite on a given hollow than the same hollow but on a thinner blade). It isn't as big of a factor as skating ability is, but a factor nonetheless.

Though it doesn't mean anything, I personally use 9/16" and I weigh 150lbs. 5/8" is way too slippery for me.