Profiles and Hollows

Skate profiling that enhances performance.

Blade profiling changes the shape, pitch and radius of each area of the blade for an optimized performance. All skaters are looking to optimize their acceleration, power, agility and balance to get their best skating stride.

There are a great number of benefits to skate blade profiling. Including:

• Easier transitions
• Better stability and balance
• Improved agility
• Improved take-off and achieve top speed quickly
• Fatigue reduction
• Confidence in skating

Each skater has a unique profile

A properly profiled pair of skates directly improves performance and is unique to each player. It is optimized to your position and play style.

Smaller vs larger profiles

Smaller profiles

A smaller profile such as 8 to 9 feet is excellent for positions such as defense players, where quickness and agility are very important.

Upsides agility quick starts & stops quick acceleration

Downsides more stress on joins (more bite into the ice) burns more energy  glide is lost (feet move more to keep up speed)

Larger Profiles

With a larger radius of 11 to 13-foot, glide and speed are enhanced. The larger contact area on the ice makes you dig in less, requiring a shallower hollow to achieve your desired grip level. The downside to a larger profile is that you lose acceleration and agility.

Upsides glide enhanced speed enhanced

Downsides less acceleration power less agility

Zones or sections of skate blades

Each skate blade has four areas of attention:

• Acceleration - Generate momentum quickly
• Transition - Improve pivoting and agility motions for quick movements
• Speed - Maximize power and speed
• Stability - Optimize balance

Can you have different profiles at each end of the blade?

Yes you can! Often different radius's are used at each end of the blade. This depends on the a variety of factors related to the player. Height, weight and position played are to be considered.

Blademaster Skate Sharpeners and Blademaster trained skate technicians are more than capable of helping you find your best blade profile and consistently sharpening skates for peak performance at every game or competition!

Radius of Hollow (RoH)

The size of the hollow on your skate blade will affect how the skate feels and performs on the ice. 

Whether you are looking for more speed & glide or more bite & cut - Blademaster experts can help you find the perfect hollow for you! 

How do I select my hollow or RoH?

As with skate blade profile, there are many factors to be considered when determining your best RoH or hollow. They include:

• player position
• player height & weight
• skating skill
• desired playing performance

Blademaster Skate Sharpeners and Blademaster trained skate technicians are more than capable of creating your best blade hollow!

Hockey Skates:

Children – beginners – 3/8”
Boys and Girls –5/16”
Men’s and Women’s – 5/8”-3/4”
Goalies – ¾” to 1-1/4”

Figure Skates:

Children – beginners –3/8”
Adults – Dance – ¼”
Adults –free skate – ½”
Children – free skate - 5/8”

For reference:

Learn more about sharpening techniques

Download our Skate Sharpening 101 PDF for future reference!

Read for more advanced info? 

Download our Skate Sharpening for Pros pdf for future reference!

Blademaster Form Dressing - BFD Flat Bottom

Learn more about BFD Flat Bottom sharpening.