Which blades after MK Pro and when to switch?

[IllMetByMoonlight]

Hi All,

Last time I posted I received great advice (thank you!), and so here I am back again.

My 8 year old son is currently in Edea Chorus and MK Pro blades. We were going to get him Coro Aces, but couldn't find any in the right size in stock anywhere, so we switched him to MK Pros which thankfully he really, really loves.

He is now working on his double jumps, he reliably and consistently has his double salchow, flip, loop and toe loop. His double lutz and double axel come and go but his coach says are close to consistent. His coach has said that he is a natural jumper, and he has progressed very quickly and without much issue at all from singles to doubles.
He jumps very high and with a lot of power and an awful lot of speed (pretty scary as a non skating parent to watch) and his coach has said that his control is excellent and triples aren't that far away. He loves spins, particularly flying spins, and his coach says that he is a very fast spinner. At first spins didn't seem to come as naturally to him as jumping, but he worked at them relentlessly over and over and now loves them. He is also tall for his age and very slender/lightweight.

At what point should he be considering switching blades, and what should he switch up to? His coach has suggested switching the next time he outgrows his boots (probably in about 6/7 months) and has suggested MK Phantoms. His skate tech has suggested either the phantoms or JW Gold Seals. Both have said that he will need to go up to Ice Flys then too but that blades is a personal preference thing. It's probably a bit premature to be thinking about this, but its not easy to get blades at the minute (we're in the US but had to order them from Europe last time), so I wanted to have an idea of a plan a fair way in advance.

Thanks very much, I'm still learning as I go so I'm grateful for any advice

 

[adhara]

Definately just get new blades with new boots. MK Pro pretty much maxes out at 2A. Gold Seal is a pretty standard blade that most people will like and it won't harm them and from there when he needs new blades he can decide if he likes it or if he wants something different. Phantom is a bit more daring. It's a bit more aggressive and there's a bit higher chance he won't like it.

It does come down to: what does he like and dislike about the pros?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi All,

Last time I posted I received great advice (thank you!), and so here I am back again.

My 8 year old son is currently in Edea Chorus and MK Pro blades. We were going to get him Coro Aces, but couldn't find any in the right size in stock anywhere, so we switched him to MK Pros which thankfully he really, really loves.

He is now working on his double jumps, he reliably and consistently has his double salchow, flip, loop and toe loop. His double lutz and double axel come and go but his coach says are close to consistent. His coach has said that he is a natural jumper, and he has progressed very quickly and without much issue at all from singles to doubles.
He jumps very high and with a lot of power and an awful lot of speed (pretty scary as a non skating parent to watch) and his coach has said that his control is excellent and triples aren't that far away. He loves spins, particularly flying spins, and his coach says that he is a very fast spinner. At first spins didn't seem to come as naturally to him as jumping, but he worked at them relentlessly over and over and now loves them. He is also tall for his age and very slender/lightweight.

At what point should he be considering switching blades, and what should he switch up to? His coach has suggested switching the next time he outgrows his boots (probably in about 6/7 months) and has suggested MK Phantoms. His skate tech has suggested either the phantoms or JW Gold Seals. Both have said that he will need to go up to Ice Flys then too but that blades is a personal preference thing. It's probably a bit premature to be thinking about this, but its not easy to get blades at the minute (we're in the US but had to order them from Europe last time), so I wanted to have an idea of a plan a fair way in advance.

Thanks very much, I'm still learning as I go so I'm grateful for any advice

My suggestions would be MK Phantom, JW Pattern 99 (esp if he's a jumper), and MK Gold Star. (Traditional styles, not lite or revs).

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

It does come down to: what does he like and dislike about the pros?

Thank you, he said he likes the control they give him, and he feels that his edges and jump take offs are better with them. He said everything feel smoother.

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

My suggestions would be MK Phantom, JW Pattern 99 (esp if he's a jumper), and MK Gold Star. (Traditional styles, not lite or revs).

Thank you for your reply, he loves the jumps and wants to able to do quads one day. He also really loves the moves in the field and step sequences, and loves all of the edge drills and exercises. His coach said he has very good basic skating skills and edge control. Would the JW Pattern 99 take much adjusting to?

His coach said to us that it is better to switch blades before he starts learning triples as he (the coach) feels it would be better for our son to get used to new blades when he's doing something familiar rather than when he's learning something new. Of all things his spins are still his weakest element, unless they are flying spins, or complicated entry spins. His coach said he does much better with difficult entry spins than more basic entry ones. He does work relentlessly at his spins though, and he is very focused on making sure they don't lag behind just because he prefers jumps and moves in the field. Sorry if I have used any of the terms incorrectly, I am still learning.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you for your reply, he loves the jumps and wants to able to do quads one day. He also really loves the moves in the field and step sequences, and loves all of the edge drills and exercises. His coach said he has very good basic skating skills and edge control. Would the JW Pattern 99 take much adjusting to?

His coach said to us that it is better to switch blades before he starts learning triples as he (the coach) feels it would be better for our son to get used to new blades when he's doing something familiar rather than when he's learning something new. Of all things his spins are still his weakest element, unless they are flying spins, or complicated entry spins. His coach said he does much better with difficult entry spins than more basic entry ones. He does work relentlessly at his spins though, and he is very focused on making sure they don't lag behind just because he prefers jumps and moves in the field. Sorry if I have used any of the terms incorrectly, I am still learning.

If he has issues with spins, then Gold Star, Gold Seal or Phantoms would be best for him.

 

[Elija]

You’ll be fine with either of the blades you mentioned. I’ve worn both and loved both. Phantom are a little better for jumping, gold seal a little better for spinning. But both great all around. Definitely do order well before you need them though, my last pair of gold seals took six months :/

 

[WednesdayMarch]

My recommendations would be either MK Phantoms or MK Gold Star. I suspect he'd love Gold Star as they are absolute spinning machines.

 

[SmallAminal]

FWIW my skater is in Phantoms and loves them. However, this may be somewhat unusual as I understand that many skaters do not like the 7 foot rocker.

 

[silverlily1]

FWIW my skater is in Phantoms and loves them. However, this may be somewhat unusual as I understand that many skaters do not like the 7 foot rocker.

I thought switching rocker radii would be a problem, but I felt more stable on the 7 ft rocker than I did on my old blades, which were 8 ft. I think more people are scared by the switch than actually bothered by it if they try it.

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

If he has issues with spins, then Gold Star, Gold Seal or Phantoms would be best for him.

Thank you, I appreciate the recommendations

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

You’ll be fine with either of the blades you mentioned. I’ve worn both and loved both. Phantom are a little better for jumping, gold seal a little better for spinning. But both great all around. Definitely do order well before you need them though, my last pair of gold seals took six months :/

Thank you, the gold seals or gold stars seem like they might suit him best. It seems crazy now for ordering, our skate tech thought it would be better by now but everything is still so far back ordered.

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

My recommendations would be either MK Phantoms or MK Gold Star. I suspect he'd love Gold Star as they are absolute spinning machines.

Thank you, he really, really loves the MK Pros, and was pretty keen on staying with MK blades, so maybe the Gold Star would be best. He has started really enjoying spins now, and he works so hard at them, but they do not come any where near as naturally to him as the jumps do. I think he was a gazelle in a previous life!

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

FWIW my skater is in Phantoms and loves them. However, this may be somewhat unusual as I understand that many skaters do not like the 7 foot rocker.

Thanks, he was pretty keen on the phantoms, but I think that was influenced by the cool name rather than how they might work for him. One of the other skaters at our club has phantoms and loves them. Not diminishing his thoughts on the matter, as they are all important, but he is still only eight

Edited as he has corrected me that it is not the cool name its that Patrick Chan has phantoms

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

I thought switching rocker radii would be a problem, but I felt more stable on the 7 ft rocker than I did on my old blades, which were 8 ft. I think more people are scared by the switch than actually bothered by it if they try it.

Thank you his current MK pro blades have a 7ft rocker, and he really loves them, so there wouldn't be a rocker length change if he went for the gold stars. Or the phantoms I think, according to MK's website, unless I have misunderstood.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Thank you his current MK pro blades have a 7ft rocker, and he really loves them, so there wouldn't be a rocker length change if he went for the gold stars. Or the phantoms I think, according to MK's website, unless I have misunderstood.

Phantom and Gold Star both have a 7ft rocker. (And yes, people are far more worried about a change in rocker than they need to be. New blades feel like new feet and a change in rocker doesn't usually pose a problem.)

 

[hope_skate]

Phantom and Gold Star both have a 7ft rocker. (And yes, people are far more worried about a change in rocker than they need to be. New blades feel like new feet and a change in rocker doesn't usually pose a problem.)

I can attest to this (as in adapting to 7ft from 8ft). Even as a beginner, the change was smooth and almost unnoticeable. I came from an 8ft rocker Edea Wave Balance to a 7ft MK Professional.

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

Phantom and Gold Star both have a 7ft rocker. (And yes, people are far more worried about a change in rocker than they need to be. New blades feel like new feet and a change in rocker doesn't usually pose a problem.)

Thank you, it's a relief to know it shouldn't be much of a problem

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

I can attest to this (as in adapting to 7ft from 8ft). Even as a beginner, the change was smooth and almost unnoticeable. I came from an 8ft rocker Edea Wave Balance to a 7ft MK Professional.

Thank you, that's great to know. I think maybe I worry more as a parent than if I was the one skating

 

[hope_skate]

Thank you, that's great to know. I think maybe I worry more as a parent than if I was the one skating

I understand the concern. I was a bit nervous when switching, especially worrying over tripping over (I did trip over the toe picks once but that's just me being a klutz lol) and since they're not cheap, there's that as well