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- Oct 20, 2017
What radius of hollow do you like for adult figure skating? I'm just starting waltz jump, crossovers, and edge work. I know it's somewhat personal preference, but curious to hear what you all like 
Radius of Hollow
- Thread starter jensencaitlinb
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- Jan 9, 2017
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What radius of hollow do you like for adult figure skating? I'm just starting waltz jump, crossovers, and edge work. I know it's somewhat personal preference, but curious to hear what you all like
FWIW- I'm a pro and wear a Pattern 99. The radius of hollow is 7/16" (which is true of most blades).
Are you sure you aren't asking about rocker size instead?
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- Feb 9, 2017
I believe they are asking about what people get their blades sharpened at?
I've always skated on 7/16". Feels best to me. Many adults at my rink started at 1/2" and then moved to 7/16" I tried 3/8", but it was a bit to much grip into the ice for me personally. Felt like I was getting stuck on some of the deeper edges.
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- Dec 29, 2013
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5/8
I prefer it on the deep side, 3/8". For your maneuvers, common radius of hollow is 7/16" or 1/2". Depends a lot on personal preference, your weight, blade thickness, and how hard the ice is (which can vary a lot from day to day at the same rink, but some rinks "on average" have harder ice than others). Also, depends how well calibrated the dressing stone is and how carefully the skate tech dresses the wheel: at one shop, I asked for for 7/16", but actually got 9/16" [I have a depth of hollow gauge to check] ... I dropped him once I got a referral to someone better.What radius of hollow do you like for adult figure skating? I'm just starting waltz jump, crossovers, and edge work. I know it's somewhat personal preference, but curious to hear what you all like
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
3/8's for beginners working on Waltz jumps, bunny hops and other half jumps.What radius of hollow do you like for adult figure skating? I'm just starting waltz jump, crossovers, and edge work. I know it's somewhat personal preference, but curious to hear what you all like
I use 7/16ths for my radius because my ice is pretty hard. I'm doing all the single rotation jumps minus the 1 Axel, Choreographed Sequences which include spirals, footwork and other mves in the field, various turns and loops. I skate and compete freeskate & interpretive but for dance I only test.
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:hslap:Oh duh on my part, I was just waking up when I misread and answered.
Still 7/16"I would try 3/8".
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- Oct 20, 2017
Thanks everyone! Mine are at 1/2 but I don't feel like they grip enough on edges, so I'll try out the 7/16 and go from there
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- Feb 16, 2010
As a skate sharpener I will say that most adult skaters at your level and below, use 1/2. The standard is 1/2, rental skates are done at 1/2, and in most places if you leave your skates for sharpening and don't specify, they will do 1/2.
I use 7/16ths, which is common for freestyle skaters, but even some very advanced freestyle skaters still use 1/2. A very small number of freestyle skaters use 3/8, and they are usually very light weight skaters, who do it because the deeper hollow is supposed to compensate for the lack of weight.
I use 7/16ths, which is common for freestyle skaters, but even some very advanced freestyle skaters still use 1/2. A very small number of freestyle skaters use 3/8, and they are usually very light weight skaters, who do it because the deeper hollow is supposed to compensate for the lack of weight.
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- Jul 26, 2016
Out of curiosity, how does one know when a change of ROH will help them? Is it kind of a trial and error type thing? For example, should a heavier adult skater (regardless of skill level) look to increase the ROH or should all beginners stay on 1/2 inch to begin with? Would a very light freestyle skater need to decrease from the beginner 1/2 to 3/8 as their skills improve and is there a practical point at which the difference can be felt? DOes "getting the ROH right" for the skater increase the chances of very beginners being more successful? Just wondering if all those little kids out there that can never actually get going would benefit from the 3/8?
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2010
Shallower ROH makes gliding easier, so it is good for beginners. Deeper ROH makes curves and turns easier, but requires more effort towards pushing to just glide around the rink. Freestyle skaters really don't do much straight gliding, but they do a lot of turning.
Figuring out what works best for a specific person, requires trying it out. It takes life off of the blade a little to change the ROH, and there may be some adjustment period, so it is best to talk to the coach and an experience skate sharpener before making any changes.
One of my friends has her 3/8 ROH written in permanent marker on the bottom of her skates, in case she forgets to tell the sharpener. It will prevent any screw-ups, so if you don't mind having writing there, it might be a helpful idea.
Figuring out what works best for a specific person, requires trying it out. It takes life off of the blade a little to change the ROH, and there may be some adjustment period, so it is best to talk to the coach and an experience skate sharpener before making any changes.
One of my friends has her 3/8 ROH written in permanent marker on the bottom of her skates, in case she forgets to tell the sharpener. It will prevent any screw-ups, so if you don't mind having writing there, it might be a helpful idea.
You minimize waste of metal by starting shallow (large ROH) and going progressively deeper (small ROH). That is, start with 1/2", then try 7/16". If you notice some improvement, then try 3/8". If that gives too much bite, you can either wait until you wear down the edge, and go back to 7/16", or if you don't like it at all, have it resharpened at 7/16". You waste more metal starting deep and going shallow (e.g., start with 3/8", then 7/16", then 1/2").
I agree, it really is a matter of trying it out. That's OK for an adult or older child who can analyze the different feel, but difficult for a young child.
