I’m currently in Jackson Debuts with the CA lites. I like the 7 foot rocker in general, especially for footwork. I am currently working doubles, but my spins are lagging far behind. I struggle with almost every spin as I constantly find myself rocking into my toe pick. I’ve been considering the MK Gold Stars but I don’t know if they’d be too advanced for me. Do you have any other suggestions?
Upgrading from CA lites
- Thread starter wyattmacg
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
Hi and welcome. Part of the problem you are having is the lites version of the blade you have. You don't need lite or rev versions of blade unless you are elite competitive skater. Anyway, if you like 7ft rocker and you are doing doubles, I would suggest the traditional version of the MK Phantom as your upgraded blade.
You could also try the MK Pro, but also the standard version.
Good luck!
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
As @Ic3Rabbit also says, your problem is in using a lite blade. Your spins will feel much more secure on a standard weight blade. If you like the MK brand, either the Pro (I used that blade up to senior competition with triple jumps) or the Phantom (which I use now) would work much better for you. Good luck!
Hi there! Thank you for your reply. The only thing that worries me about the Phantom is the bigger pick; would you recommend them over the gold stars?
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
Yes I would, because if you are having issues with your current blades and rocking onto your toepick, it will be worse with gold stars or gold seals which both have a higher heel lift and will push you towards your picks even more.
My vote goes to the Gold Star. It's a great spinning blade. Good for footwork too. And no, it's not too advanced for you. The sweet spot is more forward, which should actually help you. It's not a matter of pushing you more forward toward your picks, it's where the sweet spot and neutral balance point of the blade sits relative to your foot, and if it's too far back, your balance will actually shoot past it, meaning you hit the picks more. So give them try, they might actually help you a lot!
Just to chime in, I got MK Gold Stars on my first skates within a couple months into skating, and they worked out well for me. I'm fed up with my current Paramount blades, and decided to try going back to Gold Stars next. "Overblading" isn't really something to worry much about like overbooting. But as also suggested, moving from Lite to Standard blades should help. I'd argue that even elite skaters don't need the lighter blade designs - plenty of them do well without them.
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
I wasn't saying that elites need lites or revs. I definitely have never skated in them other than when being asked to test a pair when they were new to the line.
What did you think of the experience? Did they feel the same or was there a subtle improvement to them? I always wondered how many of the famous skaters we see, influencing what we want, are just wearing whatever they can get for free or at a major discount. Maybe I'm totally wrong but if I were making equipment and wanted to market, giving free stuff out to elite competitors seems like a good way to do it.
