Ice Hockey Skate Blade Hollow

In our case it s the concave groove that is ground into the bottom of the skating surface.

Ice hockey skate blade hollow. The grinding wheel actually only grinds a small portion or arc of that circle into the blade. Generally hockey skates will have a hollow between three eighths and five eighths of an inch. This hollow grind makes it easier for the edges to bite into the ice. 2 blade hollow measurements refer to the radius of the circle that is cut into the blade by the grinding wheel of the skate sharpening machine.

Experienced skaters will often use a hollow that they have played on for years and have become accustomed too while beginners will often use a half inch hollow. For most hockey players skate sharpening is typically a matter of personal preference. The roh is determined by the shape of the grinding wheel. The hollow refers to the concave groove ground into the bottom surface of the skate blade.

The softer the ice the more your edges will bite into it. The edges give the skater the ability to control the skates for turning stopping and starting. The radius of your skate blades can be described as the hollow that is ground into the bottom of your blades during sharpening that gives you your pronounced inside and outside edges. If you don t know what you re doing it s best to have your hockey skate blades sharpened for you.

So when we say radius of hollow roh we re referring to the depth of the cut ground into the bottom of our blade. How do i sharpen my skate blades. The radius of hollow or roh refers to the depth of that groove. See grinding wheel figure common hollows are 3 8 7 16 1 2 5 8 3 4.

The flatter the blade the less rock it has from heel to toe the more stable the skater. When skates are sharpened they are hollow ground creating a concave surface with two distinct edges. Some players like to be able to dig into the ice for a firm bite or grip while some players like a more shallow hollow for a better glide along the ice. For profiling think of the blade as a segment of a circle.

Often referred to as the profile rocker or contour of your skate blade these terms all refer to the curvature of your skate blade from heel to toe. It s not the same as skate sharpening. Sharpening deals with the depth of the hollow the space between the two edges of your skate blades. The same rink at different times of the year may even warrant a change in radius.

Your skating skill should influence the radius of hollow a good rule of thumb when first learning how to play hockey is to keep your hollow radius at or around.