Insoles for figure skates

Hello everyone! I recently started skating back in September and I got my first pair of skates a few months ago around the beginning of February - they're Riedell Emerald 119 in size 8.5. The problem is, I have flat feet with virtually no arch at all, so going skating (even though I love it) gets a bit painful, though not so much that I can't take a 45 minute session. I feel like the pain is restricting my progress, though. So I've been looking for insoles for figure skates and saw some on here recommend the Superfeet Yellow Premium insoles but looking at the product description I'm not sure it will give me enough arch support. I also tried looking for other figure skate specific insoles but couldn't find any for flat feet. Does anyone have other recommendations? Thanks in advance!

I think it really depends on you.

Superfeet cost about $45. Custom orthotics will probably cost you about $300 and up, plus the cost of seeing the doctor. If you don't have good insurance, they could cost more than that.

I pronate badly. I tried superfeet at the suggestion of my skate shop, because they were cheaper than custom. They did help, but not enough, so I ended up getting custom orthotics which have made a huge difference in my comfort level and ability to control the skates.

If you do go with custom, find someone who works with skaters if possible, or at least who specializes in sports medicine. And be sure you bring your skates to the doctor and insist that they make sure the orthotic they're giving you will fit the skate. I did this, but they were still too wide and had to be narrowed.

Good luck!

papagena said:

I think it really depends on you.

Superfeet cost about $45. Custom orthotics will probably cost you about $300 and up, plus the cost of seeing the doctor. If you don't have good insurance, they could cost more than that.

I pronate badly. I tried superfeet at the suggestion of my skate shop, because they were cheaper than custom. They did help, but not enough, so I ended up getting custom orthotics which have made a huge difference in my comfort level and ability to control the skates.

If you do go with custom, find someone who works with skaters if possible, or at least who specializes in sports medicine. And be sure you bring your skates to the doctor and insist that they make sure the orthotic they're giving you will fit the skate. I did this, but they were still too wide and had to be narrowed.

Good luck!

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thanks for the response! I might do what you did and try the Superfeet insoles first, just because I don't skate often and at a high level. Then I'll go from there if it doesn't work out. Thank you again!!

I think that's a really good idea. I was (and am still) just a beginner, so I didn't want to spend lot of money if a little would do. I ultimately chose to go the custom route because I really enjoy skating and was frustrated with my lack of control. It was expensive, but for me totally worth it. If you are a better skater than I was / am, and / or have less severe pronation, the superfeet may well to the trick - I hope so !

papagena said:

I think that's a really good idea. I was (and am still) just a beginner, so I didn't want to spend lot of money if a little would do. I ultimately chose to go the custom route because I really enjoy skating and was frustrated with my lack of control. It was expensive, but for me totally worth it. If you are a better skater than I was / am, and / or have less severe pronation, the superfeet may well to the trick - I hope so !

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ah thank you so much!! oh, question - you got the Superfeet Yellow insoles, right? Did they fit well in your boots?

Yes I got the yellow ones and yes, they did fit well. If possible I would suggest trying them on in person rather than buying online in order to make sure the arch is in the right place. Briefly, they are sold in sizes that are supposed to correspond to your street shoe size, but if your arch is long or your toes are short (or the opposite, I guess) you might actually need to get a different size. This is what happened to me. I wear a street shoe size 6 and a size 4-1/2 in Jackson skates, which normally corresponds to a size B in superfeet. However, I took a size C because of my arch.

Once you get that right, you pull out the insoles in your skates, trace the circumference on the superfeet and cut the superfeet down to match the insoles using scissors. You then put the superfeet back into the skates instead of the insoles.

The yellow ones can be a bit hard to find in stores unless your skate shop sells them. What I did was go to REI to try on another color (REI do not carry yellow but have others made for different activities), planning to buy online. Then I found a skate shop that carried them and bought them there. If by chance you're in the Chicago area, it's Rons Skate Shop in Northbrook.

Thanks for all the help, papagena! It's been like, a month and I still haven't had the time to go get insoles but I really appreciate it!

Another option is SOLE. I've found these to be great for my son; they are slightly thinner than SuperFeet (yellow) and is wear/heat-moldable & 90 day guarantee.
We've gone through a few already. Website is: yoursole[dot]com
We get them locally (in Canada) at an orthotics shop. They are off the shelf and similar price range as SuperFeet. They have 3 lines (different thicknesses for different types of shoes) and we get the thinnest version which is very comparable to the shape of the oem skate insoles but more support.