Skate blade length. Size 10 skate to 6.5. Yeah, please help haha

[Booshwacka 0]

Hello all,

I began playing street hockey around 9 yrs old and that turned into roller and then once I was 16 into ice. Now I am 28. No one in my family watched hockey or knew anything about it so I cant blame anyone for these mistakes but im trying to make it right now.

I wear a size 9 shoe in most brands and have had the same shoe size since i was 14-15. I am 5'8". My parents found a clearance pair of skates in size 10 so I began to ice skate on them from 16-24 yes old.

At 24, I went into my hockey store and got fitted for skates and they fit me into a 6.5. I was shocked but the skates fit like a glove. It took some time to get used to but I was immediately quicker and could turn easier. Over the years there is one problem I cant seem to shake. I feeling like I am skating on the front on the my blades and they are digging into the ice. I assumed cause I learned to skate the wrong way and now with the short blade length is causing the issue. Imagine having a few inches taken off you skate blades, Its a weird feeling. I skate 6-10 times a month for the last 4 years and I cant seem to correct this issue. I have bauer supreme one55 skates.

Is it possible I just need a longer blade lenth to help compensate for this issue? Not to mention every other piece of equiptment I had was to big and im still struggling to find the right stick length/lie combo but Ive made more progress there.

I don't need anyone to tell me how dumb all this was, cause I know. I was young and with no knowledge of anything hockey other than I loved to play it with my friends. I am curerntly playing on the C level in my area. We have B,C,D,E level locally so Im fairly average player if that helps anyone.

Any advice on the skate blade length issue is welcomed. Thanks

[Ps12 11]

I used to wear size 7 skates. Then i found i could fit in a size 4 skate. So i know what its like moving to a much smaller blade. Recently i had size 5 holders placed on my vh skates. I did that for increased stability. My blades are pitched forward so i expect to be on my toes more but it wasnt an issue.

Taking a wild guess here but i think you got used to having that extra balance and you may have developed improper skating technique such as not bending at the knees and bending more at the waist. That might pitch your balance more forward and could have you placing more weight on your toes.

I dont know how your skating form is but thats my stab in the dark.

The other possible solution is to look into profiling a more negative pitch to put you on your heels more but if the issue is form i would try and correct that first.

[Mattc555 22]

A flatter profile, say a 10' or more, would help replace some of the stability your lost when your blades shortened. I would keep playing with the current setup. You should be able to adjust, and in the end should be a better skater.

[Vet88 674]

8 years skating on an over length blade, then add your inline time and you are used to skating balanced over the balls of your feet. I see something similar with players coming from inline to ice. You now need to unlearn past habits and get balanced over the center of your skates. Take a leaf out of the figure skaters book, practice really hard on one foot balance drills. Edges, slaloms, circles, figure 8's - all on one foot and then the other, forward and backwards. I give these drills to a lot of players who have been playing a few years and it is amazing how many cannot do them because they have spent all of their time skating on 2 feet, not one. Message me if you want some drills to do.

[Chadd 916]

The extra length allowed you to skate with too much bend at your waist and your center of gravity is now too far forward. Work on skating with your back more upright and work on getting your knees bent more.

[KoT 2]

The extra length allowed you to skate with too much bend at your waist and your center of gravity is now too far forward. Work on skating with your back more upright and work on getting your knees bent more.

Can that fixed with moving balance point on blade - forward? Kness bent more - batt move back - center of gravity move back ,back more upright - center of gravity move too back: - i'm right about this aspects?

[Chadd 916]

Can that fixed with moving balance point on blade - forward? Kness bent more - batt move back - center of gravity move back ,back more upright - center of gravity move too back: - i'm right about this aspects?

There isn't much room to move blades forward and that will cause a problem if you do develop better balance. As for the rest, it's all about getting your upper body over your hips.

[KoT 2]

There isn't much room to move blades forward and that will cause a problem if you do develop better balance. As for the rest, it's all about getting your upper body over your hips.

I'm in same boat (migrate from RBK skates to APX2), and the feel unnatural for me. I bend at your waist slighly (off ice) - natural feel for my. On APX my feel: knee bend (90*) standart for me, but back more upright for feel stable then on RBK (and i don't like that feel - unnatural feel for me). Can you give advice about how-to fix that: pitch, move balance point forward or ...?

[Chadd 916]

I'm in same boat (migrate from RBK skates to APX2), and the feel unnatural for me. I bend at your waist slighly (off ice) - natural feel for my. On APX my feel: knee bend (90*) standart for me, but back more upright for feel stable then on RBK (and i don't like that feel - unnatural feel for me). Can you give advice about how-to fix that: pitch, move balance point forward or ...?

If your shoulders are too far forward, there isn't much that you can do. A negative pitch may help if the issue isn't too significant.

[Booshwacka 0]

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys. I have been working on my skating for years and with some of this new information I will keep doing so. I was unsure if I needed an equipment modification to help the transition.

Sounds like the concensus is to bend my knees, utilize the center of my blade, get my shoulders over my hips and focus on some single foot drills to work on balance. Thanks again for all the help.

The league I play in now getting younger and faster and im geting older and slower. Hope some of these tips will help me keep my edge.

Thanks again for all the great feedback