All hockey players know that hockey is played on skate blades and after some time those blades become dull so they need to be sharpened, but for most, this is the extent of their knowledge. Let’s take a look at the fundamentals of skate sharpening.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
– The Blade And What Skate Sharpening Is?
– The Skate Sharpening Dimensions: Speed Vs Manoeuvrability
– Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
– How Often Should I Sharpen My Skate Blades?
– When Do I Sharpen My Skates?
Despite what you think the bottom part of the skate blade, the part that touches the ice, isn’t a straight edge such as a knife or a sword. The blade bottom is quite thin with two edges that touch the ice and in between the two edges is what is known as the hollow.
When sharpening, the hollow gets modified and this affects the feel and on-ice performance of the skates on ice. The hollow can either be flatter (edges are closer to the ice and the surface area is closer to the ice) or curvier/deeper (edges area is farther away from the ice and the surface area of the hollow is farther away from the ice), this directly affects the hockey skates feel and performance on the ice.
A shallower hollow (1” to ½”) the better the speed and more glide but you sacrifice edge work and maneuverability. A curvier/deeper hollow (less than ½”) allows for better edge work but you sacrifice glide and speed.
The hollow affects the two dimensions of the skating spectrum, glide vs bite or speed vs manoeuvrability. A better glide means the easier it is to pick up speed because there is less resistance i.e. less bite. This happens when the hollow is flatter, closer to the ice surface because it reduces the degree to which the two edges of the skate blade dig into the ice.
On the flip side, the more bite means the more the blade edges dig into the ice. This allows a skater better control and edge work for better pivots, turns, stops and quicker acceleration. Deeper hollows have a better bite because the hollows are curvier and farther away from the ice.
The short answer is it depends on the skater. The more advanced, professional hockey players who are bigger, stronger and faster skaters will dig into the ice more, dulling the edges of their skate blades more quickly. These players tend to sharpen their skates after every game. The younger the player, the ones still developing their skating stride can go several games and weeks without sharpening their skates because they’re not digging into the ice as much.
There isn’t a general rule for this. One cannot just stick the skate blade into a machine and get an answer on whether to sharpen there skates or not. Knowing when to sharpen comes with time. The more experienced player will know right away because the feel and performance of the skate is off, their edge work isn’t as defined and clean as it should be.
A good test is by simply looking at your skate blade bottom and if you notice any small nicks or cracks on it a skate sharpening is due.
Another test is placing and running your finger along the entire hollow. If it feels flat you should strongly consider skate sharpening. This trick does require some experience as the dullness and sharpness of the skate blade are all relative to what you prefer. The feel of a 5/8″ hollow feels much different than 3/8″.
