Got new skates after 30-ish years.. now I can’t skate anymore lol..

[Squiffy]

So the title says most of it. Let me start by saying I can skate just fine. Obviously not like I once could, mid-40’s now and haven’t played regularly since early 20’s, but ya, I was on skates by the time I was 2 and was always a good skater. It’s not that I can’t skate.

But I cannot get used to these new ones, I suck out there, I look and feel like.. like I suck at skating. Like it’s bad. I am trying to get through it because I knew it would be an adjustment but really frustrated with it right now. These are easily the best, by technology, and price even adjusting for 30 years of inflation, skates I’ve ever owned, we didn’t have a ton of coin for high end skates back when I was getting this old pair, and it has destroyed my skating lol..

The differences are obvious enough. My old pair wasn’t super stiff up top, that’s just not how they were made back then, that feels like the biggest difference? Maybe they are coming up higher on the ankle too?

Has anyone ever gone through it? I can’t figure out what to adjust. A bit of it is new steel that is an inch taller than my old ones, but it’s not that.

I always tied mine super tight, is it that? Do I need to loosen up the laces up top to give my ankles some of the flex I feel like I’ve lost to a maybe higher, definitely infinitely stiffer boot in the ankle area?

No clue. Just thinking there must be a few folks around here that have jumped from the skates they had as teenagers long long ago to modern skates and might have some advice. Thanks guys.

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[puckpilot]

The skates are probably vastly different than your old ones.

First, did you profile your old skates regularly, or did you just sharpen them? It's usually recommened that you profile your skates every 6 months to a year. Because every time you sharpen your skates, the profile gets a little rounder, which makes the profile smaller and smaller. This can have a huge impact on your skating. Newer skates will feel like you're on rails because there's more steel in contact with the ice.

Second, yeah the newer skates are a lot stiffer, so if you lace them up all the way, they'll restrict your ankle movement. This will hinder your ability to get into a proper skating posture and make it harder for you to align your edges properly to the ice when you do stuff.

I'm a little older than you. I grew up wearing leather skates. I don't use the top two eyelets. It's quite common for people to not use top eyelet.

Check out this video of a freestyle skater talking about how he laces up his skates. He shows how much of a hindrance limiting your ankle mobility is.



my2cents

 

[Squiffy]

Nah, I never profiled them, not even sure that was a thing back playing regular, if it was I was never at high enough level to be doing it. I could always keep up with whatever level but I was never challenging elite. Yes, skates just sharpened a million times, put new steel in the boots a couple times, but not for a long time now.

I’ll put in that I do understand profiling, both my kids have a forward pitch on their skates.

That might be a good part of it eh? Now that you say it, the agility is gone, the turning, the pivoting, it’s digging in too much blade. That’s really a good thought, my old blades probably only have a bit of the middle actually on the ice. I try to make like hard pivot moves I am cabable of making and just wind up stumbling or full out falling.

 

[Squiffy]

The speed is also gone too though. Maybe that’s the ankle flex part? Just not getting the push off a stride I think, I have a wide stride and I feel like the it’s just not getting to the end of the stride. Maybe I am just a modern good skater?

It was a holiday parent/kid game today, and I just looked miserable. Got another one Friday, pretty sure I’ll just toss the old boots on.

 

[Outl4w]

Nah, I never profiled them, not even sure that was a thing back playing regular, if it was I was never at high enough level to be doing it. I could always keep up with whatever level but I was never challenging elite. Yes, skates just sharpened a million times, put new steel in the boots a couple times, but not for a long time now.

I’ll put in that I do understand profiling, both my kids have a forward pitch on their skates.

That might be a good part of it eh? Now that you say it, the agility is gone, the turning, the pivoting, it’s digging in too much blade. That’s really a good thought, my old blades probably only have a bit of the middle actually on the ice. I try to make like hard pivot moves I am cabable of making and just wind up stumbling or full out falling.

You are just rusty and getting old. I have lost some speed into my late 30s, but still can out hustle and work a lot or guys. My top end isn't as fast, but my burst are good. I started doing explosive strength training . My wrist and snap shot have never been faster than they are now, but don't ask me to take a slap shot anymore hard. My shoulder scan't take it after ten ac tears grade3 (no surgery) and gradr four surgery. Just keep skating and it will come back. Maybe take a lesson or do some public skates before doing drop in. When I wasn't able to play for almost a year due to surgery it took me about 2 months of skating and trying to play pickups to get back into game shape. Now I am one of the better players again in the b league packed full of young kids and people my age. There isn't many guys between 25 and 35 in my league these days.

 

[Squiffy]

No, it’s not rusty and old. I can, and actually am going to on Friday for another parent/kid game (holidays right?) throw on my old skates and be just fine, I’ll be wheeling out there.

I mean yes, I acknowledge I am getting older and don’t skate as much anymore, but 100% it is not that. The skates dramatically, dramatically, affect my ability to get around.

Going to take my old ones and new ones to a skate shop today to see if we can get the new blades profiled to something closer to the old ones. We’ll see how much that helps, or doesn’t.

 

[Outl4w]

No, it’s not rusty and old. I can, and actually am going to on Friday for another parent/kid game (holidays right?) throw on my old skates and be just fine, I’ll be wheeling out there.

I mean yes, I acknowledge I am getting older and don’t skate as much anymore, but 100% it is not that. The skates dramatically, dramatically, affect my ability to get around.

Going to take my old ones and new ones to a skate shop today to see if we can get the new blades profiled to something closer to the old ones. We’ll see how much that helps, or doesn’t.

Maybe your foot doesn't like the vapor fit. Try tacks fit.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

So the title says most of it. Let me start by saying I can skate just fine. Obviously not like I once could, mid-40’s now and haven’t played regularly since early 20’s, but ya, I was on skates by the time I was 2 and was always a good skater. It’s not that I can’t skate.

But I cannot get used to these new ones, I suck out there, I look and feel like.. like I suck at skating. Like it’s bad. I am trying to get through it because I knew it would be an adjustment but really frustrated with it right now. These are easily the best, by technology, and price even adjusting for 30 years of inflation, skates I’ve ever owned, we didn’t have a ton of coin for high end skates back when I was getting this old pair, and it has destroyed my skating lol..

The differences are obvious enough. My old pair wasn’t super stiff up top, that’s just not how they were made back then, that feels like the biggest difference? Maybe they are coming up higher on the ankle too?

Has anyone ever gone through it? I can’t figure out what to adjust. A bit of it is new steel that is an inch taller than my old ones, but it’s not that.

I always tied mine super tight, is it that? Do I need to loosen up the laces up top to give my ankles some of the flex I feel like I’ve lost to a maybe higher, definitely infinitely stiffer boot in the ankle area?

No clue. Just thinking there must be a few folks around here that have jumped from the skates they had as teenagers long long ago to modern skates and might have some advice. Thanks guys.

I’m one of the guys you are probably looking for, as I played in the 90s and used the old school skates… my favorite pair were the Bauer Supreme 4000s… I used grafs as well but hated them.

I transitioned to the one piece comp in 2006 or so with the Synergy 1300c.

I didn’t have much issues with the transition to the one piece boot and the stiffness, they felt like a part of me almost from day 1.

I am currently using Bauer Supreme 1s skates… I absolutely hated the lace padding so I cut it out and added a thinner piece, then stitched them back up.

These skates took me a little longer to adjust to… maybe 2-3 times on the ice until I felt like myself.

The synergy boot was really shallow and I loved that.. so adjusting do a little more depth in the new Supremes felt weird for a bit.

I never got the steel profiled for either of my one piece skates - I did consider it, but I just adjusted and was fine with them.

I suspect the depth of your new boot is an issue and you also got really used to your old steel.

Was your old steel really worn down or did you get new runners every X amount of years?

With the boot, check the depth between your old skates and new ones - that can make a huge difference in ankle mobility.

I tried a pair of Fliteskates back in the day and the boot was too deep for me, and I felt like a complete goober trying to skate in them.

Gave them to a friend who was an insane skater and he hated the depth to and threw them out.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Hey late to the party...

I got a pair of skates for Christmas maybe 10 years ago now. They were Reeboks (remember when Reebok made skates?), 3 sizes too big, and super soft material. I knew hot to skate from when I was a kid, but I wound up learning how to really skate, and play hockey, in these skates.

Anyways fast forward to this winter. I wound up taking an adult course to be a better hockey player. Early on the instructor pointed out my skates were way too big and urged me to get new ones. I went to the hockey store, got sized, was about to buy new skates, when my wife pointed out we actually had a pair in that exact same size and width down in the basement (my kid's paid from last year). So now I started wearing my kid's hand-me-down skates.

They're by all accounts a vastly better skate then the one I was using. But man it's taken months to start to get comfortable using them.

Part of it is just not being used to stiff skates. Part of it is because I was wearing much too big skates before I got into the habit of lacing them very, very tightly - I had to learn to turn down the pressure I was using to tie my skates.

So in terms of advice, I dunno. I had the skates heat-molded which did help. I may get them further adjusted because despite being double wide they still feel tight across the widest part of the foot. But mostly just give it time to re-learn how it feels on your foot. Like I said it's been 2-3 months and they're just now starting to feel comfortable and what I'm used to.

 

[swoopster]

I hear your pain. Like a previous poster, I grew up with much more flexible skates and I never laced them up tight. I see young guys new to the game wrenching up their laces right to the top. I could never do that because I grew up skating differently. I learned this from a Russian player after a summer camp skate with the kids, he put on a demonstration to prove this point. He skated around the rink forward, backward and doing crossovers. His skates were tied to the first five eylets. He claims that was where the skate needed to be tight, not up top. I have never gone to the top eyelet and from the midpoint up have never super tightened my skates. If your boot fits you well, try it a few laps at a public skate, then gradually lace up loosely and see how they feel. I skated in Bauer MX3's and Bauer 190's in my final years playing. 64 years of playing hockey at many levels, now retired, just do an occasional public skate and at 69yo, still lace the same way.

Good luck and don't quit on it!

 

[miscs75]

Personally, I just got new skates for the first time in 10 years and it’s a massive difference. I went from Graf 709 to the CCM Tacks AS-V. Massive difference in fit alone. These feel like a vast compared to the Grafs which had a bit more give being a leather boot. I always skip the top eyelet as well which helps ankle flexion.

 

[Pez68]

What are your old skates? I had no issues going from old skate tech to new. It actually made me a much better skater. They were so much lighter, they didn't crumple when I pushed off, and edges were tighter and easier to control.

Your experience is the opposite of pretty much everyone I know.

 

[TGWL]

I second the go looser for the flex. I generally will start very lose on the first 1 or 2, go very tight until the ankle. When reaching the top, I don't tighten the second to the top, and will just flex my foot forward to slightly pull and tie the top lace. Tying your laces around your ankles because they're too big just adds to the stiff boot feeling with no flex. A forward flex might take a game or 2 to get use to, but once you get the hang of it, you don't feel constricted in your skates.

 

[Yukon Joe]

What are your old skates? I had no issues going from old skate tech to new. It actually made me a much better skater. They were so much lighter, they didn't crumple when I pushed off, and edges were tighter and easier to control.

Your experience is the opposite of pretty much everyone I know.

Because there's a difference in going from an old/mediocre skate to a new good skate, and going from a crap skate to a new good skate.

Like I said as I am getting more comfortable with my "new" skates I can definitely feel I have more control, but it is in part like having to re-learn parts of how to skate.

 

[Squiffy]

So ya, I tried some stuff out. Got to skate shop. They pointed out that I was in a smaller skate now, that's part of the different feel, and also that the heel was much higher on my old ones, so I grabbed some superfeet to get myself a little more downwards in the boot. Haven't profiled the blade yet but I am leaning (heh) towards getting a forward pitch done on it.

Then I tried loosening them off in general, and especially up top. And started skating a little more often over the holidays. Took both pairs and switched between them a few times to try to pinpoint what felt different.

Taken all together.. they felt... better then before? Definitely less awkward. For sure the stiffness off the top of the boot is/was probably the major part of it. I mean my old ones would have been the last pair I got having stopped growing as a teenager so.. 25-30 years old. The top is mush, so ya, that's what I am/was used to and without really thinking about it was accustomed to tying them really tight.

Just have to stay with it I guess. I took the easy route out on a kid-parent game over the holidays and just wore the old ones, and it felt great, but I want to stick with it.

 

[swoopster]

Bravo!

 

[Another Empty Netter]

buy them online ? You should sharpen them.

Otherwise you’re a goalie now and Look at the upside! You’ll play way more games cuz everyone needs sub goalies !

 

[Squiffy]

buy them online ? You should sharpen them.

Otherwise you’re a goalie now and Look at the upside! You’ll play way more games cuz everyone needs sub goalies !

Well I am completely confused by all of this post lol..

They’re sharp just fine, and under no circumstances should I ever play goal. None. Not even 35 years ago playing street hockey. Never.

Just new skates that completely threw off my skating. It’s still not right, I skate better in old ones then new ones but getting better.

 

[gswift]

Well I am completely confused by all of this post lol..

They’re sharp just fine, and under no circumstances should I ever play goal. None. Not even 35 years ago playing street hockey. Never.

Just new skates that completely threw off my skating. It’s still not right, I skate better in old ones then new ones but getting better.

Ankle flexion is vastly different now compared to back then. Current skates are closer to ski boots compared to older leather model which would breakdown and feel as soft as basketball shoes. Blade profile will also have an effect on how it feels. What model of skates are your old vs new skates?

As far as ankle flex goes, you could try dropping an eyelet or 2 when lacing up. There's also alternate methods of lacing that can help. but it's best to try 1 thing at a time to narrow things down. I can try to give more info on profiles/profiling when you let us know what skates we are comparing...

 

[Squiffy]

Ankle flexion is vastly different now compared to back then. Current skates are closer to ski boots compared to older leather model which would breakdown and feel as soft as basketball shoes. Blade profile will also have an effect on how it feels. What model of skates are your old vs new skates?

As far as ankle flex goes, you could try dropping an eyelet or 2 when lacing up. There's also alternate methods of lacing that can help. but it's best to try 1 thing at a time to narrow things down. I can try to give more info on profiles/profiling when you let us know what skates we are comparing...

I can’t even find an exact picture on the ‘net, but this is very close.


They’re an old CCM Tac that has an eyelet up on the back of the skate. These guys I’ve been wearing forever have a 452 label on them, but nothing I googled with that info looks like what I have, they are not goalie skates lol..

I remember thinking they were very expensive out with my Dad buying them, and he did anyways, but you have to put that in context of growing up I was mostly in the second hand stuff. They probably came from Canadian Tire, nothing high end.

The new ones are just a relatively low end Vapour. Dropping an eyelet tying felt better then all the way up, and yet still a little too loose. That might just be lacking confidence in the ski boot feel.

 

[BruinDust]

The differences are obvious enough. My old pair wasn’t super stiff up top, that’s just not how they were made back then, that feels like the biggest difference? Maybe they are coming up higher on the ankle too?

I'm going through a similar experience now trying to adjust to a new full composite skate.

Just for reference, I used skates similar to the above picture until 2014. In 2014 I started wearing a Bauer Nexus 5000 with a mesh boot. Then in 2018 upgraded to the Bauer Nexus 7000 which was still a mesh boot but it was made using pro level tech-mesh so it was stiffer than the 5000, but still not as stiff as the full composite Bauer Nexus 8000 (top of the line 2014/15 models).

I've always tied my skates tight and cranked the laces up at the top before hitting the ice.

Recently I came across a very lightly used pair of Bauer Nexus 8000s with the full composite on Sideline Swap and with my 7000s getting older, decided to try the 8000s.

My first impression after a few attempts is you cannot expect to tie a full composite boot as tight as you would of an older style of skate, especially when they are still breaking in. And especially at the top of the skate near the ankle. Until I realized I couldn't tie them as tightly at the top as I had for years a lot of the issues went away.

The other thing I've noticed about full composite skates is you compare the stiffness of a brand new composite skate vs. a composite skate very well worn with heavy usage, there is a noticeable difference in stiffness. Whereas my older pro-level tech-mesh on the 7000s have held up very well from a original stiffness point-of-view. So say 3-4 months of decent usage and you'll probably be able to start tying the full composite skates tighter, but in the beginning go a bit looser intentionally.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Hey late to the party...

I got a pair of skates for Christmas maybe 10 years ago now. They were Reeboks (remember when Reebok made skates?), 3 sizes too big, and super soft material. I knew hot to skate from when I was a kid, but I wound up learning how to really skate, and play hockey, in these skates.

Anyways fast forward to this winter. I wound up taking an adult course to be a better hockey player. Early on the instructor pointed out my skates were way too big and urged me to get new ones. I went to the hockey store, got sized, was about to buy new skates, when my wife pointed out we actually had a pair in that exact same size and width down in the basement (my kid's paid from last year). So now I started wearing my kid's hand-me-down skates.

They're by all accounts a vastly better skate then the one I was using. But man it's taken months to start to get comfortable using them.

Part of it is just not being used to stiff skates. Part of it is because I was wearing much too big skates before I got into the habit of lacing them very, very tightly - I had to learn to turn down the pressure I was using to tie my skates.

So in terms of advice, I dunno. I had the skates heat-molded which did help. I may get them further adjusted because despite being double wide they still feel tight across the widest part of the foot. But mostly just give it time to re-learn how it feels on your foot. Like I said it's been 2-3 months and they're just now starting to feel comfortable and what I'm used to.

So because I'm a dumbass, I dropped my "new" skates off to be sharpened, but then missed picking them up before the shop closed. So my kid had a practice on Sunday, so I dug out my old skates to go out on the ice.

It took me a couple of months to get used to the smaller, stiffer skates, but now I can't believe I used to skate in these craptacular skates. I feel way more comfortable in the better skates.