Start Here (2 minutes)
If you’re standing at the rink and just want the answer: a profile is not a magic number. It’s a balance and contact strategy. We pick a smart starting direction based on what you feel + what you want, then we tune one lever at a time.
THE DUDE ONE-LINER
“If you want your skates to feel like a cheat code, we don’t gamble. We pick a direction, test it clean, and tune one thing at a time until you stop thinking about your skates and just skate.”
1) What profiling can (and can’t) do
Profiling changes the shape of the runner—aka the platform you balance on. That changes how stable you feel, how quickly you access the toe, how calm you feel at speed, and how smoothly you transition through movement. Bauer teaches profiling using a practical “zones” concept (acceleration/transition/speed/stability).
Profiling CAN help with:
Balance, stability, toe engagement timing, transition feel, efficiency, confidence under fatigue.
Profiling CAN’T replace:
Knee bend, edge skill, mobility, strength, and good habits. It’s tuning—not a shortcut.
2) What a profile is (and yes—you already have one)
Your blade isn’t flat. A profile (rocker/contour) is the heel-to-toe curvature of your runner when viewed from the side. Every skate already has a factory profile—stock player steel is commonly described as a single radius around 9’ or 10’.
So the question isn’t “Do I have a profile?” You do. The real question is: Is your current profile helping you… or forcing you to compensate?
3) Profiling vs sharpening (why everybody mixes them up)
Sharpening is your edges: bite vs glide. The general ROH principle is that deeper/smaller ROH tends to feel like more bite, and shallower/larger ROH tends to feel like more glide.
Profiling is your platform: contact length, balance point, toe/heel engagement timing, and how smooth the blade feels rolling through movement.
DUDE RULE
Don’t change profiling and sharpening at the same time while testing. Bauer recommends avoiding that so you can isolate what actually helped or hurt.
5) The blade as a system (contact, zones, balance, leverage)
Only part of your blade carries real load at any moment. Profiling changes the contact patch and where it sits under your center of mass. That changes stability, agility, and efficiency.
The “zones” model helps explain why profiles trade things: acceleration, transition, speed, stability.
Balance point
Toe-heavy feels twitchy/calf-burn. Heel-heavy feels stuck/slow. Centered feels calm and predictable.
Steel height
As steel wears down you lose leverage. Same setup can feel different simply because the runner is shorter.
6) Profile types & the “every shop has their own” problem
Stock profiles are usually a traditional single radius baseline (often 9’ or 10’). From there you’ll hear about dual, triple, quad, blends, and “house profiles.”
Clean truth: names matter less than execution. Runner prep, matching, pitch control, and verification are what make a profile feel elite.
More curve (smaller number)
Tends to feel quicker/more agile… but can cost speed/stability.
Flatter/longer contact
Blademaster notes larger profiles (e.g., 11’–13’) can enhance glide/speed, but cost agility—and may require a shallower hollow to keep grip feel.
7) Pitch (the hidden variable)
Pitch is where you’re biased to stand. This is why two people can try the “same profile” and have totally different reviews.
Forward pitch
Quick toe access, snappy starts… but can feel twitchy and burn calves if excessive.
Backward pitch
Calms things down and adds heel stability… but can feel stuck and delay toe engagement.
Neutral pitch is your best baseline when you’re actually trying to learn what the profile itself is doing.
8) Who tends to like what (quick archetypes)
-
Developing skater / confidence first: stability bias, minimal pitch change.
-
Shifty east-west forward: agility + transition support (don’t go extreme on day one).
-
North-south power skater: stable platform + efficiency (balanced concepts often fit).
-
Defense/backward heavy: heel stability + predictable pivots.
-
Adult rec / inconsistent ice: conservative stability bias (less fatigue, less weirdness).
9) Goalies: profiling is different (full chapter)
Goalie profiling is not “player profiling but bigger.” A goalie lives in stance balance, shuffles, T-pushes, recoveries, and post work. The best goalie profile is the one that makes movement repeatable, predictable, and efficient.
9.2 Typical goalie radius world
One industry description notes stock ranges roughly 9’–13’ for players and 27’–50’ for goalies.
9.3 Three goalie profile families (plain English)
A) Single-radius goalie baseline
Many goalie menus list singles in the mid/high 20s to ~30’ (25/27/29/30). Predictable stance + consistent shuffles.
B) Goalie DUO / blended
A front-agile / rear-stable concept. Elite Performance Tech describes a 26’–30’ DUO designed for stability/control while keeping agile lateral movement.
C) Toe + flat + rear concepts
ProSharp lists templates like Goalie Sam (Senior): 10’ toe – 50 mm flat – 27’ rear. Translation: toe helps initiation, flat calms stance, rear supports controlled movement.
GOALIE RULE
Don’t change profiling and sharpening at the same time while you’re testing. Bauer recommends avoiding that so you can isolate what actually changed.
10) The Pro Method: pick → test → converge
Step 1: Pick ONE goal
Stability, acceleration, agility, glide efficiency, pivots/backward… pick one. Don’t chase everything at once.
Step 2: Lock sharpening
Bauer warns against changing profile + sharpening together during testing.
Step 3: Test fairly
Same socks, same laces, same session type, same drills. Give it 2 sessions unless it’s unsafe.
Step 4: Change ONE lever
Contact support, toe engagement, pitch, or transition feel—one at a time. That’s how you converge fast.
11) Troubleshooting (the “why does it feel weird?” section)
Quick Dude truth: a lot of “profile problems” are actually edge-level / mismatch problems first. If your skates suddenly feel off, check the “Bad Sharpening” section too.
Balance & Stance
“I’m falling forward / always on my toes.”Likely pitch/balance bias or too much front engagement.>
Likely causes: forward pitch, toe-heavy balance point, over-aggressive toe engagement.
First move: neutralize pitch influence before you go chasing a totally new profile family.
Fixed feels like: calm, centered stance—no constant “save” corrections.
“I feel stuck / turns feel delayed.”Often not enough front access or transition mismatch.>
Likely causes: too much platform/contact for your style; not enough toe engagement timing.
First move: add front engagement conservatively and keep pitch neutral while testing.
Fixed feels like: turns initiate earlier without feeling twitchy at speed.
“I’m quick… but unstable at speed.”Usually not enough stability support or too much forward bias.>
Likely causes: insufficient stability support; toe-heavy stance; aggressive pitch/balance.
First move: add stability support first, then re-test before touching sharpening.
Fixed feels like: calm straightaways without losing your ability to cut.
Mismatch & “Something is Off”
“One skate feels different than the other.”Verify match + edges first.>
Likely causes: left/right runner height mismatch, contour mismatch, uneven edges from sharpening.
First move: verify edge level and symmetry before changing profile direction.
Fixed feels like: both skates load and release the same way.
12) What a legit profile job looks like
-
Runner prep/truing (precision starts with flat, consistent steel)
-
Left/right matching (height + contour + feel)
-
Controlled removal (purposeful, repeatable)
-
Verification + documentation (so you can repeat it later)
13) Maintenance: profiles drift (and why that’s normal)
Sharpening removes steel. Over time, profiles can round out and drift. Bauer notes sharpening can round out your profile as quick as one pass and recommends profiling periodically to maintain your shape.
14) Glossary (plain English)
Profile / Rocker / Contour
The heel-to-toe curvature of your runner (your platform shape).
Pitch
Where you’re biased to stand: forward, neutral, or back.
Contact Patch
The part of the blade actually loaded on the ice.
ROH
Radius of hollow. Impacts bite vs glide.
15) How to talk to your sharpener like a pro
20-SECOND SCRIPT
“Here’s what I’m feeling. Here’s what I want more of. Here’s my current cut. I want to change one variable at a time and test it properly.”
16) The Dude Recommendation Matrix
We’re not guessing the “perfect profile.” We’re choosing the smartest starting direction, then tuning cleanly.
DO NOT DO THIS
Don’t change profile + sharpening at the same time while you’re trying to dial in feel. Bauer recommends avoiding that so you can isolate the real cause.
17) Bad sharpening can change how a profile feels (even immediately)
Bauer notes sharpening can round out your profile as quick as one pass. That means a rough sharpening session can make your skates feel “dead,” “pitched,” or “not the same.”
18) Sparx + home sharpening reality
Sparx can do excellent work, but many home users don’t verify alignment/contact position. Sparx publishes an Alignment Ring process. Sparx also documents ring height/contact checking.
All set.
Thanks for reading!
