Author Topic: Advice from all you experts re Skates / Blades  (Read 1096 times)

ukmdb

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Advice from all you experts re Skates / Blades
« on: July 04, 2018, 08:06:12 pm »
Hi all,
Looks like I may be able to actually start learning now I found this great forum.
My daughter is 10yrs old she only been skating 10 months, She passed all her Skate UK golds in freestyle, Dance and syncro about 6 weeks ago and is now learning NISA level 1 and some elements of Level 2
She is doing so many different jumps, sit spins etc now, (I don't know all the names of the moves)  :o
I can't help think she may need new boots already?
Currently she has a pair of Jackson artiste ultima mk4 boots.

Before posting this I searched the forum and many people quoted that these are ideal for learning in, ie the skate UK levels.
That obviously got me now more concerned that she may need new boots with blades or boots with separate blades ?
It is her birthday next month so perfect timing if you all think she does need better boots.

Please can you advice on if she should need any? and which you would recommend especially as she is progressing so quickly.
I have no idea what the difference in boots with attached blades are or them where you buy the blades separate so please help.
In fact please treat me like a kid so I can understand (that may be too hard also)  ;D  I am learning slowly.

Many thanks for all your help in advance.

 

The Sacred Voice

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Re: Advice from all you experts re Skates / Blades
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2018, 08:10:18 am »
I think possibly the best approach you could take is to ask your daughter's coach whether they feel she needs to upgrade and also their recommendation for upgrade. They know where she is in terms of progression and where she's going and they're more familiar with the kind of boot/blade options that will be appropriate for her. If nothing else it'll give you a starting point.

I don't know a lot about specific boot/blade info, but I can provide some general/conceptual level information that might be useful. The general gist is that boots protect/support the ankle and foot of a skater from potential harm and enable them to do more challenging moves. Generally, the more advanced you are, the stiffer a boot you'll need to weather the punishment of more difficult moves. However, this doesn't mean that you should find the toughest thing out there and have done with it because it's suggested that you should find something appropriate for your level. If you get something too tough early on then it can set back your learning as you have to fight a much stiffer boot than you're used to and this is particularly hard for younger skaters that haven't developed their strength as much. Also the toughest/best boots are expensive so you're saving money and doing your daughter's learning a favour by getting something appropriate for her level O0

Blades run in a similar vein to boots in that you want one appropriate for your level. You typically have to buy one separately as more advanced boots will usually not come with one installed. I know less about why more advanced blades are important to learning, but they're generally more resistant to wear much like tougher boots. Blades have technical differences depending on the discipline of skating they're designed for, e.g. dance blades are typically shorter with less aggressive toe picks (the jagged bit at the front of the blade) to allow for more finessed and precise movements, while free skate blades have larger toe picks and longer blades to facilitate jumping and landing. The good news with blades is that choice is relatively simple at your daughter's level: if the boot doesn't come with one then the common go-to for progressing novice/intermediate skaters is the Coronation Ace or Coronation Dance (for free skate or dance respectively). If your daughter's keeping her options open on discipline choice then I think the advice is to go with the free skating option, which, incidentally, is slightly cheaper, but I'm only a novice free skater and not a dancer so I don't have the most well-rounded view of it all.

I did a quick search on the stiffness rating of the Jackson Artiste and I would tentatively say that an upgrade would be appropriate at this point, but I wouldn't know what to. Regular skaters like to visit private skate fitters to make the most informed decision, but finding one local to you will likely involve shmoozing the regulars at your rink.

All in all, I'm going to return to my first suggestion and suggest you speak to your daughter's coach. I hope some of all this was useful!
I'm blogging about my skating journey, please read along at dontexcelaxel.blogspot.com

WednesdayMarch

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Re: Advice from all you experts re Skates / Blades
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2018, 09:56:09 pm »
Yep.  What he said! 

Speak to your daughter's coach as he or she will have a good idea of what boots and blade would be most suitable but I would also second the recommendation for Coronation Ace blades.
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

Crackers

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Re: Advice from all you experts re Skates / Blades
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2018, 12:09:35 am »
Exactly what they said and also..

As a parent of 2 skaters who has learnt the hard way, remember that not all feet (and ankles) are the same.

My son switched from Jackson Mystique to Edea Overture (same as his sister) and we found that he wasn't getting correct ankle support.  Turns out he has skinny odd shaped legs which aren't suited to the Edea boot and 3 months (and £185 Overture + Mirage blade + £275 Premier boot + £40 second hand Coronation Ace blades) later he has moved to Jackson with the Premiere boot.
At least I will be able to sell the Black Overtures (blade only sharpened once on a 5/8") and recoup some of the funds.
Daughter is now in Edea Ice Fly after a manufacturing fault on the her Overtures where they tore around the lace hooks (our skate tech really helped us here but that's another story).
Both have Coronation Ace Blades (although daughter has the Revolution variant) and love them.  They definitely hold the sharp edges longer than the blades that they had before.

Oh yes, they are both at the same level working on their single Axel and have just passed their NISA level 1 field moves test this week.

That said, I highly recommend speaking to the coach and finding out their training plan, then finding, talking & getting sized by a good skate technician that specialises in figure skates.
After visiting our skate tech. one of their friends found out that she had been wearing an Edea boot 2 sizes too big (sized by someone else).

The skate tech will also be able to advise the level of boot as not all coaches are fully up to speed with all the boots on the market and some skate shops will push one brand over another.
Jackson have just introduced the Fusion sole which is the all the rage at the moment.
Try the boot on and if possible skate on it (yes there is a shop in the south that I have heard of that will do this).
There are different width fittings available on the mid to higher level boots, but they are often only available on a non returnable special order.  So you need to be sure that the boots are the correct size.
Good second hand blades are available (I saved about £100 on my sons blades), but if you don't know what you are looking at (and have the funds) buy new.
The second hand blades that I purchased have about a year left in them and the tail had been rounded slightly on sharpening but our skate tech is reshaping the blade on each sharpen.

Oh and everyone that I spoke to about Coronation Ace said get the standard profile & beware the Parabolic version.

Hope this helps!



 

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