Blades help! 7' vs 8' rocker? Cross cut vs straight pick? | Golden Skate

Blades help! 7' vs 8' rocker? Cross cut vs straight pick?

irisw

Spectator
Joined
Aug 7, 2019
Hello,
I'm looking into new blades and is considering switching from a 7' rocker to 8'. I'm currently in Ultima Protégé.
The reason to the change being that I'm having trouble with my spins, always had. I just can't seem to get them centered at all and it's very frustrating.
I also struggle a bit with footwork, like different turns and getting deep edges but I'm not sure if that is due to the blade.
My strong point is definitely my jumps and I feel very secure with them so I'm not so afraid that they will be affected.
What difference will I feel if I switch to a 7' rocker? What will be affected? Speed? Footwork/moves? Spins? Jumps?
I've read that people with pronated/"flat" feet might not feel very secure on 7' blades, that it can feel like you are skating on your heel? Is that true?

The blade I'm interested in is MK Vision (Parabolic) (which I believe is an outdated blade? But I've found some for sale) as it has a 7' rocker but also a straight cut pick which I really like. However, I am open to a try cross cut pick which seems to be the most common for 7' blades. I've just always worn blades with a straight toe pick and I don't know much else. Had Ultima Legacy for a short while which are cross cut but I didn't notice much of a difference.
What are the main differences between a straight vs cross cut toe pick? What are the pros and cons?

Any other blades which might be good?
I'm a pretty light weight adult skater (17 years old) currently working on my axel/first double jumps.
Please help, thank you in advance!
 

tstop4me

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Country
United-States
I'm looking into new blades and is considering switching from a 7' rocker to 8'. I'm currently in Ultima Protégé.
This is a major typo. You're considering changing from an 8' rocker to a 7' rocker, correct?
 

zjamic

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 1, 2018
I found that going from an 8' to 7' royally screwed my jumps and my centering for spins was off. Also, I felt more secure on the 8' than 7', more stable so to speak. For me, i was and am able to move faster and have better edge work with 8' than 7', but then again I'm sure the quality and design/purpose of my current blades helped. I was only in the 7' blades for a couple of months before I switched back to 8' and even when I first skated on the 7' I knew they were not going to last very long.

What does your coach suggest? Your skate tech? Those questions should have decent answers by people who either know your skating abilites or your feet...

My coach recommended MK blades after being on some Ultima blade for most of my doubles and the skate tech agreed because he trusted my coach's advice. The skate tech worked with me to find the MK blade that would work for my skill level and my financial bracket at the time. Obviously, they were a no-no for me and now I have a pair of lightly used MK blades packed away. Finding the right blade and boot take some trial and error.

From what I've been told, straight cut help you dig into the ice to get explosive jumps; cross cut help you grip the ice for jumps. I have never had straight cut blades, only cross cut.

Good luck
 

Nimyue

On the Ice
Joined
May 15, 2018
I didn't have much issue switching to a 7' rocker at all. My turns and spins got much better. Especially going from the Ultima Aspire XP to an actual good blade. I've tried the MK Pro and the Coronation Ace, and I prefer the CA. They are both good blades though.
 

energywithin22

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 6, 2019
I found that going from an 8' to 7' royally screwed my jumps and my centering for spins was off. Also, I felt more secure on the 8' than 7', more stable so to speak. For me, i was and am able to move faster and have better edge work with 8' than 7', but then again I'm sure the quality and design/purpose of my current blades helped. I was only in the 7' blades for a couple of months before I switched back to 8' and even when I first skated on the 7' I knew they were not going to last very long.

What does your coach suggest? Your skate tech? Those questions should have decent answers by people who either know your skating abilites or your feet...

My coach recommended MK blades after being on some Ultima blade for most of my doubles and the skate tech agreed because he trusted my coach's advice. The skate tech worked with me to find the MK blade that would work for my skill level and my financial bracket at the time. Obviously, they were a no-no for me and now I have a pair of lightly used MK blades packed away. Finding the right blade and boot take some trial and error.

From what I've been told, straight cut help you dig into the ice to get explosive jumps; cross cut help you grip the ice for jumps. I have never had straight cut blades, only cross cut.

Good luck

What blades do you currently have?
 

zjamic

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 1, 2018
I opted for Gold Seal Revolution because I had the MK Pros for a couple of months beforehand and the profiles were similar
 

sk8kirsty

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 24, 2019
Yes, if you have trouble with centering spins and turns, a 7' rocker will be much better, however, when you land jumps, it will feel harder because since the blade is more curved, there isn't as much surface area in contact with the ice, making it harder to balance. On the other hand, I've got a 7' rocker and I've always had a 7' rocker and I find landing jumps okay. It may take a bit of getting used to but then you'll be fine and having a 7' rocker really does help with centering spins and turns : )) [emoji12][emoji119][emoji960]
 

vlaurend

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Your spin entrances will not be affected by the overall rocker radius (7' vs. 8'). What makes your spin entries and edge jump takeoffs feel different is a difference in the *rocker profile* of the blades. The overall rocker radius (7' vs 8') will be felt from the middle of the blade to the heel of the blade, which will be rounder if 7' and flatter if 8'. Rocker profiles of Gold Star (7') and Gold Seal (8') blades are pretty much the same, with a full, round rocker right behind the bottom pick. The rocker profiles of the Phantom (7') and Pattern 99 (8') are also very similar to each other, with a spinning rocker that is a little less round with a sweet spot that is a little farther back.

I would suggest you stay with an 8' rocker radius blade, since it gives you more glide and stability in your stroking and on jump landings, but switch to an 8' blade with a rocker profile that better suits your needs. I love my Gold Seals because of the spinning rocker and the lift I get on edge jump takeoffs.
 
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