ADVICE |UNDERSTANDING SKATE SHARPENING

You may hear your kid complain their skates are too sharp.  Extra sharp skates can slow a player down or make transitions difficult.  Sharp skates result in a slower glide because the blades sink into the ice more.

Skate blades are too sharp when the hollow (the curve between the inside and outside edges) is too deep.  In the above diagram a 9mm or 11mm would be considered too deep a hollow for a youth player.

 Youth players should have a medium to shallow hollow somewhere between a 13 to 15mm or 4/8 to 5/8 inches from the above photo.  Which one to use depends on skating ability and player’s preference.  Try both to see how your kid skates with different hollows and then go from there.