What Is Contouring of Hockey Skates?

The Hockey Blade's Rocker

• A hockey skate blade curves from front to back. This curve is the blade's rocker. Skate blade manufacturers usually specify the rocker radius for their different skate models. Most skaters should have at least 2.5 to 3 inches of blade contact with the ice when skating. A shorter rocker radius could affect skating stability. A blade's rocker may be measured by placing the blades of a pair of skates beside one another and measuring the lengths of their points of contact.

The Contouring Process

• Hockey skates straight from the factory may not be perfectly identical in their rocker length. Contouring shapes each skate to be identical to its partner in lie, radius of curvature, shape and balance point. Contouring shapes and balances skates to match the natural skating style and stance of the skater. Contouring shapes the radius across the center of the blade and the front and back radii attached to the center or working radius. The front radius is used after each thrust of the leg, while the back radius offers support to the skater during cornering. The center radius provides balance while gliding.

Different Skate Types

• The speed skater wears skates with a long, flat center radius that allows for speed but little maneuverability. The figure skater's blade has a short center radius that allows for short turns and spins but is not built for speed or control in long strides. For hockey skates, the center radius should be contoured between the first two skate types to allow for maximum stability, balance and cornering.

The Lie of the Hockey Skate Blade

• The lie of the skate blade represents the point at which the skate blade touches the ice when the skater is in a comfortable standing position. If the lie is too far back from center and toward the heel of the skate, the skater will have slow starts and turns and reduced shooting power. If the lie is too far forward and toward the toe of the skate, the skater will experience muscle fatigue, loss of accuracy in shooting and passing and be reduced to choppy strides. A center lie is a balanced lie, allowing the skater to move comfortably.

The Benefits of Contouring

• Once a hockey skate is contoured to fit the player and his style of play, a new pair of skates can be contoured after the old, reducing the time it takes to get used to a change in equipment. Contouring provides the player with more skating power with less effort, thereby reducing fatigue. Once skates have the proper amount of blade on the ice and are properly balanced, all that remains to be done is to keep the skate sharpened. Contouring, performed by a specialist, need only be performed once if the skates remain with their original owner.