Wrapping Laces Debate

[Felonious Python]

I see this all the time with everyday amateur players, they wrap laces around their skates for the extra support, but are then unable to get the proper knee bend. Hampering their skating.

I've yet to see a professional or high level amateur wrap laces around their skate. That's very telling.

It was partly that observation, plus the realization that you can't bend your knees if you can't bend your ankles that led me to switch. My form, and skating overall improved rapidly. It takes a little while to get used to the feeling, and the new stress on some muscles, but it's worth it.

Yet, I still see very experienced players wrap, and either they achieve ankle/knee bend through simply having worn down their skates to the point where it doesn't matter, or they don't get low enough. Some of them even coach.

What are your observations, and where do you lie on this debate?

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[Jarick]

What debate? Wrapping your laces around the ankle is always a terrible idea.

 

[pfloyd75]

I admit it, I used to wrap my laces. I did, however, have a reason for doing so. My first set of player skates were cheap Tours that had absolutely no ankle support. They were super flimsy and not the least bit stiff. It felt like wearing low-cut Chuck Taylor All-Stars with blades. I have since gotten some better, stiffer skates and have not wrapped the laces since.

I think that cheap, wobbly, non-supporting skates could be at least part of the problem with others as it was with me. Seeing as how pros have pretty good skates for the most part, probably don't have this issue.

 

[CanadaBacon]

Pros get skates all season long.

Average joes spend big bucks on skates.

Wrapping laces ruins the tendon support

 

[shoeshine boy]

I wrap my laces but not for support. I leave the top eyelets on my skate empty then wrap the remaining lace around the outside of the boot. as stiff as my skates are it's not providing any extra ankle support. yes, I know I could get shorter laces but I like it the way it is.
as far as tendon support wearing down due to wrapped laces, my last pair of skates lasted 8 years (skating 2-3 times a week) and I only switched to a new pair because the INSIDE of the boot had completely broken down AND I was in need of a 3rd set of blades.

 

[CanadaBacon]

I wrap my laces but not for support. I leave the top eyelets on my skate empty then wrap the remaining lace around the outside of the boot. as stiff as my skates are it's not providing any extra ankle support. yes, I know I could get shorter laces but I like it the way it is.
as far as tendon support wearing down due to wrapped laces, my last pair of skates lasted 8 years (skating 2-3 times a week) and I only switched to a new pair because the INSIDE of the boot had completely broken down AND I was in need of a 3rd set of blades.

Do you still have the skates?

 

[Saved*]

Wrapping is bad, don't do it.

I've even gone as far as to only tie my skates loose for practices. It's a little dangerous, but my ankle muscles are much stronger for it now, and I'm able to control my edges much better than I ever could.

Anyone that knows my story, I broke knee and tore ligaments in my ankle.

 

[shoeshine boy]

Do you still have the skates?

I do actually. I had the inside re-lined but haven't put the new steel on yet so I'm using an extra pair of the same model. the part where the laces wrap is still in great shape. the worst that happened was that the yellow from the laces rubbed off a little.
I agree about not wrapping for ankle support. if your skates don't provide enough ankle support buy better skates.

 

[CanadaBacon]

I do actually. I had the inside re-lined but haven't put the new steel on yet so I'm using an extra pair of the same model. the part where the laces wrap is still in great shape. the worst that happened was that the yellow from the laces rubbed off a little.
I agree about not wrapping for ankle support. if your skates don't provide enough ankle support buy better skates.

Could you take a pic of the tendon and post it?

I find it hard to believe that after 8 years the tendon would be in great shape, wrapping or not.

 

[cptjeff]

It's not that bad. Gives you extra support, excetera. the reason you don't see it on the pros is because they use tape instead, or just get stiffer skates custom made.

Health or skating wise, it's not bad. It doesn't destroy your tendons or hamper your skating or anything like that, the only reason it's not recommended is because it screws up the tendon guards on a lot of skates due to those parts not being built to take that kind of pressure (or any pressure at all really- a lot of them are POS these days).

Canada Bacon, there is no such thing as tendon support. That piece is the tendon guard. It supports nothing. It is there solely to protect your Achilles tendon against skate blades. It serves no other purpose for support or anything else. If it falls off there is no difference in the performance of the skate.

 

[Caeldan]

Wasn't it just two coaches corners ago where Don Cherry was going on about taping/wrapping? But he was saying to do it to protect against skate slashes and whatnot...

The skates I have, I wrap the lace loosely because I'll admit - they're cheap skates and have no ankle support. I can skate fine with or without wrapping - but if I don't wrap my heel is worn raw from rubbing.

 

[AIREAYE]

Wasn't it just two coaches corners ago where Don Cherry was going on about taping/wrapping? But he was saying to do it to protect against skate slashes and whatnot...

The skates I have, I wrap the lace loosely because I'll admit - they're cheap skates and have no ankle support. I can skate fine with or without wrapping - but if I don't wrap my heel is worn raw from rubbing.

About the Don CHerry comment, yes he did say something about that, but it had nothing to do with wrapping/tying.

Robert Lang (then with the Habs) had his achilles cut because his skate's back part (achilles part or w/e) was either cut away or non existent. Cherry said that those pieces MUST be there for safety and that kids shouldn't cut it away just to improve flexibility.


I personally, have always:

- Tied top eyelets tight
- Wrapped laces around the top
-Taped around after that

Ive never had skate/foot problems in 5 yrs of skating, no pain or anything and my skating isnt any problem either....so I dont see why you shouldn't...I have old Mission AmpFlys though, it's comfortably broken/molded in naturally, and was already a used skate when i got it.

 

[CanadaBacon]

It's not that bad. Gives you extra support, excetera. the reason you don't see it on the pros is because they use tape instead, or just get stiffer skates custom made.

Health or skating wise, it's not bad. It doesn't destroy your tendons or hamper your skating or anything like that, the only reason it's not recommended is because it screws up the tendon guards on a lot of skates due to those parts not being built to take that kind of pressure (or any pressure at all really- a lot of them are POS these days).

Canada Bacon, there is no such thing as tendon support. That piece is the tendon guard. It supports nothing. It is there solely to protect your Achilles tendon against skate blades. It serves no other purpose for support or anything else. If it falls off there is no difference in the performance of the skate.

Ya you are right, it supports nothing.


Its purpose is to support the ankle against over extension and protect the lower portion of the back of the leg from sticks and pucks. This is basic stuff you should have known as a child.


That bolded part is the absolutle dumbest remark i have ever seen on these boards. Dumbest.

 

[AIREAYE]

Ya you are right, it supports nothing.


Its purpose is to support the ankle against over extension and protect the lower portion of the back of the leg from sticks and pucks. This is basic stuff you should have known as a child.


That bolded part is the absolutle dumbest remark i have ever seen on these boards. Dumbest.

Ask Robert Lang, cuz he got his cut because he removed his tendon guard

 

[CanadaBacon]

About the Don CHerry comment, yes he did say something about that, but it had nothing to do with wrapping/tying.

Robert Lang (then with the Habs) had his achilles cut because his skate's back part (achilles part or w/e) was either cut away or non existent. Cherry said that those pieces MUST be there for safety and that kids shouldn't cut it away just to improve flexibility.


I personally, have always:

- Tied top eyelets tight
- Wrapped laces around the top
-Taped around after that

Ive never had skate/foot problems in 5 yrs of skating, no pain or anything and my skating isnt any problem either....so I dont see why you shouldn't...I have old Mission AmpFlys though, it's comfortably broken/molded in naturally, and was already a used skate when i got it.

uh....Cherry said that if Lang/Markov had there tongues in and had there ankles wrapped neither of these injuries would have occured. Thats all he talked about was tucking the tongues and taping the ankles.

Not sure where you got the other stuff from. Lang infact had a complete tendon on his skate. He doesnt tuck his tendon and you can see it ffs

 

[thesnake]

Anyone that knows my story, I broke knee and tore ligaments in my ankle.

How long did it take you to recover? I messed my ankle up on August 27th...

I just had surgery back on 9/28. Broke it and tore ligaments. They cut both sides... sewed up the ligaments and put in two screws. I'll be in a cast for another few weeks.

I hope to be walking by mid November and the Dr says I'll be back on the ice by Feb. Sound reasonable based on your experience? Did you have the surgery on your ankle? How was it getting your skates back on the first few times?

 

[sabresEH]

NEVER WRAP YOUR EFFING LACES. I've seen 3 different guys tear their achilles tendon from wrapping their laces. All it takes is one rut in the ice and your screwed. I know some of you have probably dne it for years and have been fine but you've been lucky. If you still do it please stop. Walk around the house in untied skates to strengthen your ankles(put tape on the blades or guards).

 

[K-PAX*]

Holy moley I didn't know this was such a big deal. I've been wrapping my laces for about 15 years now and the only thing I'm good at is skating.

 

[CanadaBacon]

Holy moley I didn't know this was such a big deal. I've been wrapping my laces for about 15 years now and the only thing I'm good at is skating.

I havnt worn face protection for 10 years and have not lost an eye, doesnt mean it cant happen at any given time.

 

[K-PAX*]

Oh, well that comparison makes me less likely to unwrap. Glad it was a false alarm.

 

[cptjeff]

Ya you are right, it supports nothing.


Its purpose is to support the ankle against over extension and protect the lower portion of the back of the leg from sticks and pucks. This is basic stuff you should have known as a child.


That bolded part is the absolutle dumbest remark i have ever seen on these boards. Dumbest.

Protection is different from performance. You'll still be able to skate just fine. They didn't exist until the 70s, figure skates don't have them, and figure skaters put a hell of a lot more stress on their ankles and tendons.

Yes, it effects the protectiveness of the skate. Sticks and pucks too, thought the main point is skate blades- cuts on the Achilles tendon are really, really bad.

As for the overextension part, try a little experiment for me. Take your shoe and rest it so the top of the toe is on the ground. Push your leg forward so you're forcing your foot to be as pointed as you can make it.

Congratulations, you have now extended your ankle more then you could possibly do in any high boot, skates included, with or without the tendon guard. Did you feel anything snap? Did you injure your ankle? Since that's a natural motion of the joint, I should damn well hope not. The tendon guard doesn't restrict the motion of the ankle anymore then the boot already does. Try putting on a skate and a hiking boot and comparing the range of motion for the ankle bending backwards.

If bending your ankle back further then what the boot would allow, this wouldn't be possible, much less something we teach to 5 year olds:

You can't bend your ankles back that far in regular shoes, much less skates. You'll be fine.

As for the dumbest post, I won't go too much into that, I'll just say it's interesting who that's coming from.

 

[cptjeff]

All that said, the extra pressure on the tendon really isn't a good thing. It will tear the guard apart eventually unless it's really well made, and that does cut your protection for an important part of your body. the direct pressure on the tendon itself will come back and bite you if your skate gets caught and you get thrown forward, with your foot trying to bend forward and your skate holding it back. That very well could snap your tendon. However, taping the ankles, which many people suggest instead of wrapping your laces, has the same effect in that situation.

Restricting your ankle's forward flex with laces or tape is a bad idea. If you need something stiffer, buying a stiffer boot is the best solution.

 

[AIREAYE]

Hmm I dont really understand...I tie until the top eyelet, then wrap both laces around and tie a simple knot

The Laces are usually positioned slightly above the Fly Logo and possibly at where the back part of the skate (part that guards the achilles) begins...so this is bad?

How does it increase your chance of injuring a tendon?
Wouldn't having loose skates increase your chance of breaking an ankle?

 

[BadHammy*]

I don't wrap them around the ankle, I wrap them around the back. I have to leave the top eyelets untied because of my massive ankles and that's the only way they'll be tight enough.

 

[Gino 14]

That bolded part is the absolutle dumbest remark i have ever seen on these boards. Dumbest.

Interesting comment from such an informed source.