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

If you are looking for a way to gain more power,Because your skates are a production line item, the
create more speed, and experience maximum agilitymost that can be expected from the skate
or just to truly be certain that your getting the most outmanufacture is that the blade will be mounted in the
of your skates, than consider having your skate bladesmiddle of the outer soul of the skates. That however
aligned.does not accommodate the majority of skaters who
Being a specialty skates store, we have developedpronate or supinate.Being certain that your center of
and pioneered many unique systems for enhancing thegravity falls directly over the blade means that you will
performance of our clients skates. One of the manyhave better control of both the inside and outside edge
things we have done is developed and refined theof your skate blades.
concept of "aligning skate blades"The classic picture of the young skater trying to skate
However, even after more than twenty years andwhile using only inside edges is something that is easily
many thousands of 'blade alignments' we are still oftenavoided by repositioning the blade on the boot. Subtle
asked "what the heck is a blade alignment?"changes to blade positioning on all levels of skaters
The simplest definition of a skate blade alignment is;can translate into significant gains in performance on
the positioning of a skate blade on a boot in such athe ice.
manner as to be relative to the foot and theJust some of the indications that you may need your
biomechanics of the skaters body that is going to beskate blades aligned may include; difficulty turning one
wearing the skate; or in other words...positioning thedirection , struggling to hold eith an outside or inside
skate blade on the boot to ensure that the skatersedge, weak crossovers, chronic knee strain, groin pulls,
center of gravity falls directly over the blade.sore lower back.
Conceptually ...aligning blades on skates is the same asThe manufacturing process is not perfect,so
aligning the wheels on a car. When it's done correctly,re-mounting a a skate blade mounted on a boot from
the wheels (skate blades) track 'straight' and 'true'.the manufacturer can make a huge difference in
Skate blade alignment is by no means a new concept.skating performance.
In fact figure skaters have been aligning their bladesIn a perfect world blade alignment should be done with
for more than 100 years. Because of our extensivethe skater, in person, in that way a perfect alignment
history with figure skating we simply used what wecan be attained.However, skates that have been worn
had been doing with figure skaters for so many years,for a period of time, will show signs of a poor blade
and applied it to all skaters, including hockey andalignment, so it can in fact be attained without the
ringette players.skater. It may not be ideal but significant performance
Positioning the blade to allow for the biomechanicalimprovements can be attained either way.
differences in your feet and body takes your skateHaving worked with every level of hockey player and
fitting to the next level. The correct alignment will allowfigure skater, including Olympic gold medalists. Blade
for maximum edge control, which will support you inalignment is an integral part of the skate fitting process
maintaining a more efficient stride, better turning ability,and will help you attain maximum performance results
smother stopping, stronger cross overs,etc. and willfrom your skates.
enhance your overall skating performance.