Equipment: How much ankle bend??

[MorganL]

I just started skating and playing hockey about 5 months ago and I'm still confused about the fit of my skates. When I lace them up I have to tie them loose in the toe box area and then super tight for the last four eyelets to lock my heel into place. Apparently I have a very narrow heel (even had to buy special socks with padding around the heel to fill the empty space) and a wider than normal toe box. It's been rough trying to figure out what skates would work for me. I currently have Bauer Vapor x60's. I honestly don't think they're the right fit for me, but I don't have a lot of cash to buy new ones after only using these for 5 months

Anyways, when I tie my skates up like I just described, my heel is locked into place, but I can't bend my ankle as much as I'd like to (almost no bend at all). The laces also start to cut into my ankle and give me lace bite. If I loosen the laces around the ankle then I can get into a nice knee bend and do my crossovers properly and the lace bite goes away, but then my heel starts slipping out of the pocket which makes me feel very wobbly. So basically I'm confused on how you get your foot and heel secured properly in the boot without sacrificing the amount of ankle bend necessary to sit in a good hockey stance and perform normal skating maneuvers.

Anyone have any insight? I've done the best I can with what I have so far and I've really improved a lot, but now it's to the point where I know my skates are holding me back A LOT and I really want to continue progressing. I'm sick of constantly being in pain on the ice or feeling like I'm going to roll an ankle. I've been fitted at two different stores, switched to waxed laces, punched out different parts of my skates, got the special socks, etc. I think I may have to bite the bullet and get a different pair of skates, but I'm worried the same problems will come up again.

Thanks for any advice/info you can give me.

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[Based Anime Fan]

Question is, are they fully broken in?

How much do you skate per week? Were they baked when you bought them? Are you tying them TOO tight?

Are they the right size? Are they sharpened properly?

Another thing, are you skating correctly? Do your ankles attempt to bend inwards when standing still? If so, your ankles aren't strong enough.

Do you skate on natural ice or arena ice? This makes a huge difference.

I've found that I also have narrow feet and Bauer makes wider skates. If you get a chance, try CCMs or Eastons as they seem narrower.

As well, if you find the toe is way too loose for the ankle, try a smaller sized skate. You may be on the big side. Get your skates baked, as that will help fit them better

 

[MorganL]

Question is, are they fully broken in?

How much do you skate per week? Were they baked when you bought them? Are you tying them TOO tight?

Are they the right size? Are they sharpened properly?

Another thing, are you skating correctly? Do your ankles attempt to bend inwards when standing still? If so, your ankles aren't strong enough.

Do you skate on natural ice or arena ice? This makes a huge difference.

I've found that I also have narrow feet and Bauer makes wider skates. If you get a chance, try CCMs or Eastons as they seem narrower.

As well, if you find the toe is way too loose for the ankle, try a smaller sized skate. You may be on the big side. Get your skates baked, as that will help fit them better

Hey thanks for the reply. I skate 4-6 hours a week. I had them baked the day I bought them and also they have been baked twice since to punch out the toe box which was uncomfortably tight. I'm tying them tight enough to lock my heel into place. Any looser and I'm wobbling all over the ice because my foot moves around too much in the boot. They are the right size. I sharpen them consistently. Yes, I skate properly as well. My ankles don't bend when I skate. I skate in an arena. I tried on a pair of CCMs just for comparison sake and they felt huge! Super wide all over. Haven't tried Eastons though.

 

[Based Anime Fan]

What size are your shoes vs. your skates?

That sounds really off. No toe should be that open compared to the heel.

 

[10coach*]

I just started skating and playing hockey about 5 months ago and I'm still confused about the fit of my skates. When I lace them up I have to tie them loose in the toe box area and then super tight for the last four eyelets to lock my heel into place. Apparently I have a very narrow heel (even had to buy special socks with padding around the heel to fill the empty space) and a wider than normal toe box. It's been rough trying to figure out what skates would work for me. I currently have Bauer Vapor x60's. I honestly don't think they're the right fit for me, but I don't have a lot of cash to buy new ones after only using these for 5 months

Anyways, when I tie my skates up like I just described, my heel is locked into place, but I can't bend my ankle as much as I'd like to (almost no bend at all). The laces also start to cut into my ankle and give me lace bite. If I loosen the laces around the ankle then I can get into a nice knee bend and do my crossovers properly and the lace bite goes away, but then my heel starts slipping out of the pocket which makes me feel very wobbly. So basically I'm confused on how you get your foot and heel secured properly in the boot without sacrificing the amount of ankle bend necessary to sit in a good hockey stance and perform normal skating maneuvers.

Anyone have any insight? I've done the best I can with what I have so far and I've really improved a lot, but now it's to the point where I know my skates are holding me back A LOT and I really want to continue progressing. I'm sick of constantly being in pain on the ice or feeling like I'm going to roll an ankle. I've been fitted at two different stores, switched to waxed laces, punched out different parts of my skates, got the special socks, etc. I think I may have to bite the bullet and get a different pair of skates, but I'm worried the same problems will come up again.

Thanks for any advice/info you can give me.

Tie your skates tight in the middle and looser at the top or skip the top eyelet all together. That should fix your heel slippage.

 

[MorganL]

What size are your shoes vs. your skates?

That sounds really off. No toe should be that open compared to the heel.

I wear a size 9 in shoes and I have a size 7 skate.

 

[Based Anime Fan]

Hmm. Could try going 6.5 to see if it helps any.

 

[MorganL]

Tie your skates tight in the middle and looser at the top or skip the top eyelet all together. That should fix your heel slippage.

Thanks for the idea, but I've already tried a similar lacing style. If I tie the middle of the skate tighter then my foot hurts really bad because it feels like it's being squished together too much and/or it goes numb, even after having my skates punched out twice. And skipping the top eyelets feels like my ankle doesn't have enough support and then that makes me kind of wobbly, but at least I can bend them! I guess I really just don't understand how much ankle bend/ support/space is good, but when I ask around it seems like it's more a matter of personal preference. Very confusing for me lol

 

[Based Anime Fan]

Skates are a tough one to give advise for because we all like our skates different.

I still use my pre-2000 Tacks when actually playing because they have a bit more flex in the heel (I also use shotblockers), but prefer the Eastons when reffing.

It's all a mater to experimenting to see what works.

 

[MorganL]

Skates are a tough one to give advise for because we all like our skates different.

I still use my pre-2000 Tacks when actually playing because they have a bit more flex in the heel (I also use shotblockers), but prefer the Eastons when reffing.

It's all a mater to experimenting to see what works.

Yeah agreed. I think most of it is personal preference. I just don't have the cash to experiment with different equipment. I worried that if I buy another pair of $200 skates they still won't work out and then I'll be royally screwed lol. Guess there's no way around that though.

 

[Based Anime Fan]

Go to your LSGS and try on all the skates and find ones that feel right straight from the Box. Or closest you can get.

 

[American in Paris]

I've found that over the years as I've become a better skater, I want my skates to fit well but to be fairly loose. I skip the top eyelet and leave the laces fairly relaxed. I wrap tape around the knot a few times to stop it from slipping loose(r) during the game.

I'm looking for a lace-job that allows maximum forward ankle flex and considerable left/right ankle flex. The former is necessary for truly deep knee bends that enable power skating and the later for the type of edge control you see higher level players skating with.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Thanks for the idea, but I've already tried a similar lacing style. If I tie the middle of the skate tighter then my foot hurts really bad because it feels like it's being squished together too much and/or it goes numb, even after having my skates punched out twice. And skipping the top eyelets feels like my ankle doesn't have enough support and then that makes me kind of wobbly, but at least I can bend them! I guess I really just don't understand how much ankle bend/ support/space is good, but when I ask around it seems like it's more a matter of personal preference. Very confusing for me lol

Couple ideas, though you might have tried them already...

Superfeet (or other orthotic) might take up some room that would enable snugness with less tightening of the laces.

Two laces in each skate. That way you can lace to the top, without as much tightness...you can only vary so much in adjacent holes otherwise as even with waxed laces it will tend to slip and even out.

Also these (supposed to work well for "bauer bumps" which I think are caused by movement/friction though I have never tried them, and they have ones for lace bite also):

 

[MorganL]

Couple ideas, though you might have tried them already...

Superfeet (or other orthotic) might take up some room that would enable snugness with less tightening of the laces.

Two laces in each skate. That way you can lace to the top, without as much tightness...you can only vary so much in adjacent holes otherwise as even with waxed laces it will tend to slip and even out.

Also these (supposed to work well for "bauer bumps" which I think are caused by movement/friction though I have never tried them, and they have ones for lace bite also):

Hey thanks! Those are some pretty good ideas. I have been wanting to try a new type of insert since the ones that come with the skates are pointless haha.

 

[cptjeff]

Simplest answer: You have the wrong skates for your foot. Vapors are designed to be narrower in the toebox and wider in the ankle. If you want your ankle locked in, you need to tie things pretty tightly, which cuts off the movement. You need a skate that's much tighter around the ankle, gripping your ankle better and allowing you to tie your skate looser.

Eastons have a nice narrow ankle and wide forefoot, a lot like many of the old tacks, except shallower. The Bauer Supremes have that too, though not as narrow an ankle and they fit on the deeper side of things. No clue what CCM is doing these days, they've changed their fit around a couple times over the last decade. Reebok is wide in the forefoot and in the ankle, but they have a pump that allows you to make the ankle fit right. I still think that that's silly, but there are people who like it, so your call. Go to a local shop and try as many different models on as you can, see what fits. That's the ultimate solution, everything else is going to be imperfect.

Another thing that may be worth trying is skipping the top or second to top eyelet, which gives you a little more forward to back mobility while maintaining the lateral stability of the boot.

 

[MorganL]

Simplest answer: You have the wrong skates for your foot. Vapors are designed to be narrower in the toebox and wider in the ankle. If you want your ankle locked in, you need to tie things pretty tightly, which cuts off the movement. You need a skate that's much tighter around the ankle, gripping your ankle better and allowing you to tie your skate looser.

Eastons have a nice narrow ankle and wide forefoot, a lot like many of the old tacks, except shallower. The Bauer Supremes have that too, though not as narrow an ankle and they fit on the deeper side of things. No clue what CCM is doing these days, they've changed their fit around a couple times over the last decade. Reebok is wide in the forefoot and in the ankle, but they have a pump that allows you to make the ankle fit right. I still think that that's silly, but there are people who like it, so your call. Go to a local shop and try as many different models on as you can, see what fits. That's the ultimate solution, everything else is going to be imperfect.

Another thing that may be worth trying is skipping the top or second to top eyelet, which gives you a little more forward to back mobility while maintaining the lateral stability of the boot.

Thank you. This was a very informative post. I definitely agree that I'm not in the right skates. I just don't have the money to buy new skates right now, but all the time and effort I'm putting in to fixing the skates that I have is probably going to amount to the price of new skates soon enough and nothing seems to work anyways. I might just try to sell them on craigslist and put the money towards new ones. I will definitely try on as many different models as I can before purchasing this time around. When I bought my Vapors I didn't even know how to skate so I just put them on and said yeah I guess they feel fine? I didn't really know what I was doing and trusted the associate that was fitting me to do his job correctly. Huge mistake lol. Definitely think I'll try some Eastons. Those sound like they might be good for my feet. Thanks again!