what's an 'edge'?
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- Feb 5, 2004
password said:
In skating terms - it means the edge of the blade. A skating blade is actually hollow so if you look up close at one, there is the inside edge of the skate and the outside edge of the skate. The half of the blade closest to the toe picks is actually the back edge and the half closest to the heel is the forward edge - that's how you get the four edges on each blade of a skate. Most skating moves (turns, jumps etc) are defined by the edge you are on and whether or not there is a toe pick assist in the move.
Ant
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- Feb 7, 2006
It is correct that all skate blades are hollow ground which means there are two "cutting edges" - one along each side of the blade. The inside edge is to the inside (toward the other foot) and the outside edge is away from the other foot.
When skating in a straight line, both edges are in contact with the ice. When skating in a turn, the edge closest to the centre of the turn will bite into the ice more. For example, skating a forward turn to the right on the right foot will be the right forward outside edge (RFO) because that's the edge that has the deepest grip on the ice.
When skating in a straight line, both edges are in contact with the ice. When skating in a turn, the edge closest to the centre of the turn will bite into the ice more. For example, skating a forward turn to the right on the right foot will be the right forward outside edge (RFO) because that's the edge that has the deepest grip on the ice.
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- Jul 11, 2003
password - There is a full folder on The Lutz Corner for any technical skating questions one may have'password said:
Joe
Don Korte's site has the following useful basic explanation on "Recognizing the Edges" at:
http://www.sk8stuff.com/f_recog/recog_edges.htm
http://www.sk8stuff.com/f_recog/recog_edges.htm
Just want to point out the Rusty Blade's description is correct---antmanb's is not. The edges of the blade are inside and outside......forward / backward only indicates direction of travel.
So on each foot, you could be skating on:
forward inside
forward outside
backward inside
backward outside
You get onto an edge by leaning your body so the blade tips slightly to one side. Anytime the skater is curving, they're skating on an edge. As Rusty Blades said, if you're going dead straight then the blade is not tipped, and so both edges are in contact with the ice. That is called skating on a flat.
So on each foot, you could be skating on:
forward inside
forward outside
backward inside
backward outside
You get onto an edge by leaning your body so the blade tips slightly to one side. Anytime the skater is curving, they're skating on an edge. As Rusty Blades said, if you're going dead straight then the blade is not tipped, and so both edges are in contact with the ice. That is called skating on a flat.
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- Feb 5, 2004
backspin said:
I don't know which part of my post you think is wrong, but since we are saying the same thing about the inside and outside edges i presume you must think that the part about the forward and back edges is wrong...both my coach and the book by John Mischa Petkevich describe the part of the blade nearest the toepick as the back edge and part nearest the heel of the blade the front. When you skate going forwards your weight is on the back of the blade and when you skate backwards the weight is at the front of the blade.
Ant
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- Jun 21, 2003
Forward outside edge:
http://www.scratchspin.com/2002/coi02/fs-0202112A.jpg
Forward inside edge:
http://www.katu.com/slideshow/050115kwan_gallery2/images/050115_kwan_143.jpg
No edge:
http://www.corriere.it/Media/Foto/11_Novembre/04/fg4a.jpg
http://www.scratchspin.com/2002/coi02/fs-0202112A.jpg
Forward inside edge:
http://www.katu.com/slideshow/050115kwan_gallery2/images/050115_kwan_143.jpg
No edge:
http://www.corriere.it/Media/Foto/11_Novembre/04/fg4a.jpg
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- Feb 5, 2004
Mathman said:So basically you are saying that the front is the back and the back is the front. Cool. I didn't know that.
That's how it was described to me and how i read it but i might be wrong. I've always had this in my head when i skate and if you look at the blade during the spins nowadays you can really see proof of this - if an anti-clockwise spinner does a back sitspin they spin on the backward outside edge of the right foot. As a skater you are told to put pressure on the ball of the foot, over towards your little toe to get on the back outside edge. The sweet spot for spinning is towards the front of the blade (on the back egde) when the skaters change edges you see them come up slightly and move their weight slightly in and towards the back of the blade and switch to the inside - they're no longer spinning on the same sweet spot rather they've moved it back towards the forward edge. Those ice-eye views of the whole skate in slow motion are good for spotting this. Look at Klimkin's camel's with edge changes you can really see him switch between the foward and backward edges.
Ant
antmanb said:
You're right, in that you shift your weight forward/backward on the blade depending on your direction of travel. But the *edges* refer to the sides of the blades, inside or outside. If you're on an outside edge, it's an outside edge, regardless of where you are weighted on the blade w/ regards to the front or the back. I've never heard of what you're talking about......maybe it's just what some people call it....
It's true that most of the time you're skating forward your weight is on the back part of the edge and on the front part when you're skating backward. But it's still the same inside or outside edge even as you shift your weight forward and backward along it.
When you do any one-foot turn, for instance, you shift forward on the forward edge or backward on the backward edge right before the turn. E.g., you enter a forward outside three on the forward part of the outside edge while still traveling forward, or a back inside three on the back part of the inside edge as you're traveling backward.
When you do any one-foot turn, for instance, you shift forward on the forward edge or backward on the backward edge right before the turn. E.g., you enter a forward outside three on the forward part of the outside edge while still traveling forward, or a back inside three on the back part of the inside edge as you're traveling backward.
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- Jul 28, 2003
password said:
Here is a really good discription of what edges are all about:
http://www.skatejournal.com/basics.html
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- Feb 5, 2004
backspin said:
Ok i see what you mean, sometimes your weight won't be exactly on what i've described as the "forward edge" or "backward edge". I think the purpose of splitting the blade up into four edges as opposed to two is for power and edge quality in stroking and cross overs. It was reiterated to me at a skating clinic that if you are not on the back of the blades when doing forward stroking and cross overs you do not generate as much power from the edge and end up having to exert more energy to go the same speed you would do if you were on the correct part of the blade, equally with back stroking/cross overs.
Ant
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