from How To Inline Skate on 18 Jan 2017
My blades are dull. I haven’t sharpened them in a very long time. On the lake where I usually skate that’s no big deal. But let’s see how it goes on this indoor ice rink.
**Ice Matters … a lot
I’m here on fresh ice. A good indoor ice requires much sharper skates than a snowy outdoor ice. I’ve been skating on a lake lately, and there the dull skates are okay.
**Find that edge!
Getting a grip is a constant challenge. I always push on my toe balls to dig the front of the blade into the ice. It works. You can even hear the skates gripping, but it’s a constant struggle.
**Short Strides
I keep the strides very short. If I stretch too far and lose grip … I could get injured. Better safe than sorry.
**Quick Crossovers
Same thing when turning. Short strides. And always push down on the toe to ensure grip.
**Transitions are Easy
Since no grip is needed when transitioning, they are pretty much the same. Actually, maybe it’s easier with dull blades.
**Stops are Easy
The same with stops. Dull blades slide whether you want to or not, so naturally the hockey stop is easier. Or .. the hockey SLIDE .. I would say. I keep sliding and sliding since there’s no grip.
**Better grip after 30 min
As the ice wears down the grip impproves a lot. After around 30 minutes I noticed a much better grip.
Finally I’d like to add that skating with dull blades is NOT recommended. You may injure yourself by stretching you groin or hurt others by falling. If you play hockey it’s essential to have good grip.
*** Hockey requires grip
Here I’m on the lake, and even here – although the ice isn’t that good – I lose grip because the blades are dull.
How often to sharpen skates, I don’t know. I read online someone says every 5-10 hours but personally I just feel it when they need sharpening.
The reason I this time did not keep my blades sharp, is that I’ve been on a lake for the last weeks. Nature is great but there are no sharpening machines out there. And when I went to the ice rink, the sharpening guy was out for lunch.
***
I made a few rollerblade videos in rain, on snow, and so on. I experienced pretty much the same thing there. To grip I need short strides and weight on toes. I will show some of these clips now.