Anyone who likes to spend time at the skating rink, or enjoys playing hockey, or enjoys speed running and downhill skating, needs to take care of sharpening their skates. Safety, convenience, sports performance, and ultimately the degree of pleasure from your favorite activity depend on their condition.
Let's find out how to sharpen skates at home to save money and not have to turn to professional sharpeners too often.
Skates are a very versatile piece of equipment for many sports. And of course, they require some care. This also includes sharpening skates, which is one of the most important elements in working with them. Is it possible to sharpen them at home? We’ll tell you about that today.
Why do you need to sharpen skates?
For people who are not very keen on winter sports, skates are a fairly common piece of equipment. Not everyone knows what they are and what they are intended for. It also follows that they need to be sharpened differently for different purposes.
The first reason, of course, is the ease of riding. If the skates are poorly sharpened, or their blades are already worn out, it will be uncomfortable to skate, which means that all the elements performed will be unsuccessful. Good skate blade readiness affects balance and stability while skating. This is very important because skates are quite sensitive equipment. This also affects all other comfort, including difficult tricks, as well as acceleration and braking.
It is worth noting that for professional athletes these concepts are basic, and therefore for them the question of sharpening skates is not even an issue. Moreover, each athlete sharpens his skates to suit himself, making them individually oriented.
What can affect the quality of ice skating?
If your skates are even slightly damaged (and have at least one of the deviations mentioned above), then you urgently need to solve this problem. In some cases, skates must be completely replaced. Your new skates may feel uncomfortable at first, but after a few sharpenings and custom adjustments to your feet, you'll feel like you've had these skates your entire life.
What can happen if one blade is slightly sharper than the other (minimal difference in blade height)?
- Differences in blade length can throw off your balance.
- This body position will increase the load on the knees and hips.
- Many athletes who play professional hockey most often use Bauer skates. These skates allow for quick blade changes. This is why many athletes keep an extra pair of blades with them during very serious competition. After all, if the athlete had not protected himself in this way, then after damaging his skate, he would have had to sit on the bench for the rest of the game. And in the case of spare blades, they simply insert new ones in place of the old ones in a couple of seconds, and the athlete can safely continue the game. This quick blade change is accomplished using Light Speed Edge holders. This is a special skate holder.
But athletes who don't have access to TUUK Light Speed Edge holders can still replace their skate blade. But for this he will need 2 screwdrivers and a little more time. Unfortunately, only CCM and Bauer skates can perform a quick replacement. In all other cases, you will have to take your skates to a repair and sharpening center, which is often located in the skating rink building.
- Leg speed, mobility, overall body control and speed are usually greatly affected.
- Jumping requires full body control. After all, for them it is necessary to achieve a certain speed, which cannot be achieved provided that the length of the blades is different.
- Skaters working in pairs perform a large number of lifts and throws during ice dancing. In this sport, synchronized skating is simply necessary, which is simply impossible to do with the problem mentioned above.
- The unique elements used in ice dancing can cause body pain to even the most professional skaters if their blades are not the same length. So these tricks cannot be performed properly without perfect preparation including skates.
Types of sharpening hockey skates
Now it’s worth talking a little about the types of sharpening of hockey skates. For beginners, it is best to contact special craftsmen who will help determine the type of sharpening that is optimal for certain purposes. Professionals already know what they need. The blades on the new skates have a completely clean profile and are not sharpened in any way, which gives room for action.
In general, there are three main types of sharpening. The first is called classic or groove. Its essence lies in the fact that semicircular grooves are made on the blade on both sides. To correctly determine the depth of the required groove, athletes use special tables that are freely available. But professionals often themselves know how much they need.
