Hockey Skates Bauer

You CAN Skate Faster...Don't Let Your Skates Hold You Back!

If you are looking for a way to gain more power, create more speed, and experience maximum agility or just to truly be certain that your getting the most out of your skates, than consider having your skate blades aligned.

Being a specialty skate shop, we have pioneered and developed many unique systems for enhancing the skating performance performance of our clients. This is acheived by maximizing the comfort and fir of their boot and fine tuning the alignment of the skate blades. The concept of "aligning skate blades" is old news to figure skaters who insist on the technical aspects of blade mountig however it is a relatively foreign concpet for hockey players.

So even after more than twenty five years and many thousands of 'blade alignments' we are still often asked "what the heck is a blade alignment?"

The simplest definition of a skate blade alignment is; the positioning of a skate blade on a boot in such a manner as to be relative to the foot and the biomechanics of the skaters body who will be wearing the skate; or in other words...positioning the skate blade on the boot to ensure that the skaters center of gravity falls directly over the blade.

Conceptually ...aligning blades on skates is the same as aligning the wheels on a car. When it's done correctly, the wheels (skate blades) track 'straight' and 'true'.

Skate blade alignment is by no means a new concept. In fact figure skaters have been aligning their blades for more than 100 years. Because of our extensive history with figure skating we simply used what we had been doing with figure skaters for so many years, and applied it to all skaters, including hockey and ringette players.

Positioning the blade to allow for the biomechanical differences in your feet and body takes your skate fitting to the next level. The correct alignment will allow for maximum edge control, which will support you in maintaining a more efficient stride, better turning ability, smother stopping, stronger cross overs,etc. and will enhance your overall skating performance.

Because your skates are a production line item, the most that can be expected from the skate manufacture is that the blade will be mounted in the middle of the outer soul of the skates. That however does not accommodate the majority of skaters who pronate or supinate.Being certain that your center of gravity falls directly over the blade means that you will have better control of both the inside and outside edge of your skate blades.

The classic picture of the young skater trying to skate while using only inside edges is something that is easily avoided by repositioning the blade on the boot. Subtle changes to blade positioning on all levels of skaters can translate into significant gains in performance on the ice.

Just some of the indications that you may need your skate blades aligned may include; difficulty turning one direction , struggling to hold eith an outside or inside edge, weak crossovers, chronic knee strain, groin pulls, sore lower back.

The manufacturing process is not perfect,so re-mounting a a skate blade mounted on a boot from the manufacturer can make a huge difference in skating performance.

In a perfect world blade alignment should be done with the skater, in person, in that way a perfect alignment can be attained.However, skates that have been worn for a period of time, will show signs of a poor blade alignment, so it can in fact be attained without the skater. It may not be ideal but significant performance improvements can be attained either way.

Having worked with every level of hockey player and figure skater, including Olympic gold medalists. Blade alignment is an integral part of the skate fitting process and will help you attain maximum performance results from your skates.

About the Author

Patrick Francey is the owner of Pro Skate. He is recognized internationally as a' skate fit and performance' expert.He has worked with all levels of hockey player and figure skaters, including NHL and world class figure skaters. Discover how "To Be Your Best" Learn more at http://www.pro-skate.com

Pro Skate has stores located in Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Roller Hockey Skate Types

Most hockey players covet their skates. So, what are some good hockey skates out there? Well, we'll start with looking at Bauer, CCM, then Reebok. One of the most popular skates out right now is the Bauer Vapor Rx20 Roller Hockey Skate. It Comes with Abec 7 Bearings. The wheels are very soft and made by Labeda. These help it grip the floor or tile. It is clearly designed for indoor roller hockey, but adjustments can be made, like chaning the wheels, to help it be more fit for street.

CCM's vector 10 line of skates are very popular too. They are also comparable to Bauer's RX20, but a little bit more expensive. They also come with Abec 7 micro bearings. They are also designed for indoor sport court play as they come with Rink Rat wheels. It has also been said on many websites that CCM skates tend to fit a wider foot.

Lastly, I'll talk about Reebok's 8k pump skates. I believe these are the skates worn by Itan Chavira, who is also sponsored by Reebok. Reebok's skates have a pump feature that allows you to customize the fit of your skate with an air bladder. Some like this, some don't. It's all up to personal preference. Since Reebok owns CCM, it's not surprising to see Rink Rat wheels on this skate too. The biggest difference between al lthe skates I think is that the 8k comes with Abec 9 bearings instead of Abec 7.

All in all hockey skates are different, but also the same in certain ways. It boils down to the player type and hockey company preference. If you can afford to try out all three than you can make a good judgement. If not, then stick to the hockey manufacturer you are most comfortable with to decide your hockey skate.

About the Author

Rick Gragzins is always looking to increase his Hockey Equipment Knowledge.