Blade Offsetting by Robert Halden (Adapted from Raymond Laberge's 1981 article)

The blades of short track speed skates may be offset to the inside of the turns. The only reason for offsetting the blade from its normally centered position is to prevent the edge of the boot from scaping the ice as the skater leans into the turn. As a skater's speed increases, so does the degree to which he/she will lean into the turn. At some point, the lean becomes so extreme as to cause the edge of the boot to contact the ice. At best, this causes the skater to lose speed due to the friction between the boot and the ice. At worst, it will result in a fall.

A centered blade is not positioned in the geometrical center of the boot. Rather it is placed beneath the skater's center of gravity so that equilibrium is achieved. In general, the blade runs from the center of the heel to directly under the second toe. With the blade "centered", as the skater leans into the turn, the centrifugal forces are transmitted through the support leg, the center of the foot an onto the blade. When the degree of lean into the turn results in "booting out", it is time to offset the blade.

When the blade is offset, the perfect alignment provided by a centered blade is lost. This is compensated for by a slight bend in the ankle to maintain balance (the transmitted forces MUST, in the end pass through the point of contact between blade and ice). Excessive offset can also result in "booting out" due to the loss of alignment. It is necessary to find a compromise between "booting out" due to insufficient offset and excessive offset.

At various points in the turn, either the right or the left foot will be on the outside of the turn. Therefore, it may be necessary to offset the blades of both skates. At the highest levels of the sport, the left blade is often offset further than the right one. To start, the blades may be offset about 5 millimeters in the front of the boot while leaving the heel centered. This will allow for extra lean in the turns without affecting the efficiency of the straight away stroke. As speeds increase further, it may become necessary to further offset the left blade.

Beginners should not use a skate with an offset blade. It is more difficult to learn the basic techniques of speed skating on skates with offset blades. As a general rule, if the skater does not "boot out" on the turns, it is not necessary to offset the blades.