Something is different about Michael Weiss. Since he began touring with Champions on Ice last season, audiences have seen him perform footwork that can only be described as magic.

Michael does a spread eagle on his heels with the new blade. The crowd goes wild.

Michael is skating on the brand new FREEDOM blade that is the brainchild of ice skating coach Nick Perna, who assists Weiss with his training.

This revolutionary blade has been developed and manufactured by John Watts Skates in Sheffield, England. This company has always been at the forefront of blade technology, making every type of blade imaginable. They started making figure skates in the mid 1800’s when skating was a leisurely past time and in 1875 they produced the world’s first safety razor.

After skating on the new blades for just one week Michael said, "These blades add a whole new dimension to skating and give me the freedom to be as creative and innovative as I want."

The aptly named blade allows skaters the freedom to perform intricate maneuvers on the heel that would normally cause the skaters to loose their balance and fall. This new design will allow the skaters to perform many new moves including cup splits while skating at speed and spread eagles on their heels.

There are currently only four pairs of these blades in existence; however, John Watts Skates will soon be making them available to skaters all over the world. The prototypes are for now on experienced feet only, such as Michael, a two-time U.S. National Champion Weiss who is performing on these blades during the 86-city Champions on Ice Tour.

The skates are already drawing attention from the media. While filming the show for television, TNT network featured Weiss in a special segment on the Freedom blade.

Skate regulations for eligible skaters are lenient, but one requirement is that skates used by any one athlete must be available to all. Once stores begin carrying the Freedom Blade, that “magical” footwork could become a regular part of competition.

There has been little development in figure skates over the past forty years. This is without doubt one of the most exciting developments in skating equipment for a very long time.