Skate Profiling

CAG ONE PROFILER Skate Machine

The idea of the CAG Profiler came directly from basic physics of Speed skating.

When we think of Speed skating we think of long flat skate blades which provide increased glide and power to the skater. The power is achieved due to the length of the flat blade pushing into the ice propelling the skater forward. More downward energy on a flat blade with increased ice contact means more return energy to the skater. Not only does this create more thrust but as well spreads the skaters weight more evenly over a larger area reducing the downward pres-sure into the ice and allowing for reduced friction and better gliding characteristics.

It was this information that gave Cag the idea to put the physics of Speed skating into a hockey blade. Of course there would be some problems to overcome not the least of which is reduced maneuverability. The game of hockey is a much more lateral sport which includes quick turns and body transitions forward and backwards. Skate blades have to be much shorter to facilitate this type of play.

The Profiler was designed to grind a flat area of steel on an existing skate blade while still allowing the player to shift his or her balance back (for turns) and forth for toe extension in the stride. The amount of flat and it’s positioning on the blade are easily programmed via the numeric keypads.

This flat could then be placed in the area of the blade where he or she is balanced and utilizes most during skating. For example, if you are more of a forward lean style skater you may want the flat area to be a little more forward of blade center. This puts more blade contact in the exact area you utilize most for your initial stride push off and glide zone

Increased flat blade contact combined with a moderate to deep hollow (½ “to 3/8” for example) can not only be detrimental to our knees and ligaments but also will also reduce gliding ability! Depending on body weight, ice conditions and amount of flat contact area, you should strive for a shallow hollow. As with speed skates an increased area of blade flat will allow you to cut and turn without sliding out. A flatter or larger ROH (Radius of Hollow) greatly reduces friction by allowing you to glide on top of the ice as opposed to cutting into it. Increased blade flat = Shallower hollow (Larger ROH)!

When a player makes a quick pivot turn his/her body transitions weight slightly back towards the heel. With this in mind your turn is facilitated just behind the blade flat of the Cag Profile and on the radius region of the blade. With less blade to ice contact in this region a quick turn is done in a more efficient manner. Once the turn is complete our body weight shifts slightly forward over the Cag Power Zone (Flat region) so that we can push off with increased power and also uses the flat for increased glide. When a player turns using a wide radius such as behind the net we use more of the mid portion of our blades under the arches. The Power Zone created by the Profiler allows you’re body to get lower in the turns without sliding out due to the increased blade contact in this region. An example of this might be to reference Speed Skaters getting low to the ice in an oval.

Most Pro teams which use the Profiler do so using a 9ft. neutral or 9ft. 1/64” (very slight) forward pitch as there starting point. The reason is quite simple in that the most efficient skating style is with the player using the region under their arches for powerful push offs and strides. A more forward lean pitch changes the position of power transfer, closer to the frontal arch area. A skater generates most power when almost in a sitting style position with their body core horizontally aligned with the arch. When pushing off or striding from an area front or back of this region less energy is transitioned to our feet. This is to do with the fact that just are legs are being used and not our body core. This also reduces stability and reduces the body’s efficient use of energy. The reason for using a 9ft radius is that with this we can realize quicker pivot turns and easier transitions to the toe when finishing our stride. Keep in mind that a larger blade radius like an 11ft or 13 ft. arc becomes redundant due to the fact that the Profiler places a much more efficient flat contact point only in the area needed. When using larger radius templates on our blades to gain speed we diminish our lateral ability. This is due to the larger arc extending behind the arch and forward of the arch of the skater.

With more blade contact behind the arch our ability to turn tightly is greatly reduced. More blade contact forward of the arch makes it more difficult to naturally roll the blade forward to finish our toe snap. It should also be mentioned that an arc or radius is not flat like the ice which means the downward pressure of your body weight on the blades is not an even pressure. A section of flat blade (as done with the Profiler) on a flat ice surface carries the weight with an even downward pressure over the entire area. This reduces friction with the ice allowing for longer glides and more return energy on push offs.

A good example of a player using a neutral Profile is Sidney Crosby. He utilizes a 30/60 Cag Profile. The total flat ground onto his blades is 60mm or about 2.36 inches. The number 30 (1.18 inches) tells you how much of that 60mm of flat is ground forward of blade center. The flat is ground directly center under the arch of his feet. 30mm in front of blade center and 30mm behind. Sharps Performance and many others believe that the Profiler can maximize skating performance.