Do I need my blades adjusted?

[creekman]

How can I tell if my blades need to be adjusted? Mine came pre-installed as a kit with Jackson Freestyles. My LTS coach says I might need to move the right blade in more, because he can hear "scratching" when I get on my right outside edge. But then he also says maybe not, because my blades are very straight when I'm just standing. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea what to feel for.

 

[fliptzies]

What I do is go to my fitter and they'll have you walk a short distance, ( my fitter usually does this on both plain feet and boots+blades ) then the fitter should be able to see if you roll in or out slightly when you walk, and will adjust them based on what they see.

 

[Diana Delafield]

How can I tell if my blades need to be adjusted? Mine came pre-installed as a kit with Jackson Freestyles. My LTS coach says I might need to move the right blade in more, because he can hear "scratching" when I get on my right outside edge. But then he also says maybe not, because my blades are very straight when I'm just standing. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea what to feel for.

My fitter always tells me to stand (in shoes or sock feet) with my heels together, without looking down at them or consciously adjusting so both feet point straight forward. I don't pronate or supinate, but I stand naturally with my left foot straight and the right foot angled slightly outward. Like: |/ instead of ||. This makes the tail of my right blade drag slightly with a scrape as it pushes off when I'm stroking, so it's adjusted subtly to compensate. Something to do with my right hip turned a bit in the socket. Doesn't affect the way I walk or dance or any other movement, just that little scrape sound on a push-off.

 

[tstop4me]

* An experienced fitter can do an initial diagnosis off-ice in the shop, as discussed in the above posts.

* But the proof of the pudding is in the skating:

* For skating, an initial series of tests to check for supination/pronation consists of one-foot glides in a nominally straight line. [Caveat: First check to make sure that your blades have been sharpened properly with level edges.]

- Stroke forward to pick up some speed. Glide comfortably on two feet in a nominally straight line. Then lift up one foot (let’s choose the right in this instance) and continue to glide on the other (the left in this instance). Don't force the glide to control it; just let it flow at ease. It’s best to have another person observe you from the back. Ideally, you should glide in a straight line. If possible, do the test on a clean patch of ice. Look at the tracing. Ideally you should see two lines of equal weight, such as | |. If you supinate, you will be biased towards the outside edge; you will veer to the left, and the tracing will look like this: | | (outside edge will be heavier). If you pronate, you will be biased towards the inside edge; you will veer to the right; and the tracing will look like this: | | (inside edge with be heavier). [In extremely screwed-up scenarios, you will see only a single heavy line.]

- Repeat with the other foot: lift up the left, glide on the right.

- Then repeat with one-foot glides backwards.

* Tell your tech the results of your functional tests. They should then adjust the blades accordingly. Then retest afterwards. In some instances, another iteration may be needed. In some instances, adjusting the blade by itself may not be sufficient. But, to keep it simple, start with this and report back.