I bought a pair of Jackson Artiste approximately half a year ago, and they're pretty much 0.5-1 size too big for me. They feel a bit loose in the heel area and my toes don't touch the end of the toebox. But I think the biggest problem is in the ankle fit. I heard that the shape of the lacing must be a "v" shape (narrow near the first few eyelets and then gets wider as it gets to the ankle area), but my lacing has the same distance going on between every single eyelet (I will attach pics below). I don't hope to make these skates work, because they're not stiff enough for 1 foot spin and single jumps that I am beginning to learn. So I'm planning on buying new skates in a month or two and I am desperate for some advice. Is it just that I chose the wrong width of the skate (the ball of the foot actually feels fine in the skate), or half an inch changes everything drastically, or the model/brand just doesn't suit me? I really don't want to repeat the same mistake; what should I do? I'm currently looking at Jackson Freestyle or something similar, don't mind getting a different brand but same level. Any advice? Thanks in advance! :luv17: https://ibb.co/de2vUa <= this is the image of the skate lace up.
Advice needed on skates loose around ankles
- Thread starter Xeni
- Start date
It looks like the boots are too wide for you, in addition to potentially being too long. I hope you don't go back to the same skate fitter that put you in these. The most important part of the fit is that your heel is locked in and isn't moving around. If you go with a narrower width next time, and the ball of the foot is a little tight, you can get that part punched out easier than getting the rest of the boot smaller. You could also look into getting a split width.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2017
I had basically exactly the same problems with a pair of Jackson Elles that I got when I was just getting back into skating and didn't want to spend too much. They are probably too wide for you. You don't say what width you have, but the person who fitted me said I was a C width and I really, really am not. I also felt that the boots were too long, but I tried the next size down a couple times, and it was definitely too small, so I think the width and heel slippage were the real problems.
Since your problems sound so similar to mine, I think you need a different brand entirely. When my Jacksons were not working out, I went to a different pro shop where the fitter had been recommended to me. He confirmed what I had suspected, which is that Jackson is just not the brand for my foot shape. People who have a narrower heel and ankle will not do well in Jacksons generally.
I ended up getting Risport RF3s, and I'm very happy with them. He also had me try Edeas and SP Teris. The SP Teris were fine but not quite right for me.
I know a lot of people like Edeas, and those might be a good alternative as well, but I'm not sure. They say there are fully customizable, but I have heard several people with a narrower heel say they had trouble with them. You can only get them in one width in the US, and it is easier to punch out spots such as the ankles and toes. It's not so easy to pinch the heel inward. Or so I've heard. I can't speak from personal experience because I was too worried about buying such expensive boots just to have the same problems.
I don't know what you have in your area as far as pro-shops go. My local pro shop only sold Reidell and Jackson. The other pro shop I went to was 2 hours away, but it was completely worth it to have a pair of skates that fits correctly. If you're going to go somewhere further away, find out what brands they have available before you go. The more brands that they have, the better the chance you will find just the right skate for you.
Good luck!
Since your problems sound so similar to mine, I think you need a different brand entirely. When my Jacksons were not working out, I went to a different pro shop where the fitter had been recommended to me. He confirmed what I had suspected, which is that Jackson is just not the brand for my foot shape. People who have a narrower heel and ankle will not do well in Jacksons generally.
I ended up getting Risport RF3s, and I'm very happy with them. He also had me try Edeas and SP Teris. The SP Teris were fine but not quite right for me.
I know a lot of people like Edeas, and those might be a good alternative as well, but I'm not sure. They say there are fully customizable, but I have heard several people with a narrower heel say they had trouble with them. You can only get them in one width in the US, and it is easier to punch out spots such as the ankles and toes. It's not so easy to pinch the heel inward. Or so I've heard. I can't speak from personal experience because I was too worried about buying such expensive boots just to have the same problems.
I don't know what you have in your area as far as pro-shops go. My local pro shop only sold Reidell and Jackson. The other pro shop I went to was 2 hours away, but it was completely worth it to have a pair of skates that fits correctly. If you're going to go somewhere further away, find out what brands they have available before you go. The more brands that they have, the better the chance you will find just the right skate for you.
Good luck!
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
- Country
-
I wear both Jacksons and Risport for different disciplines, the latter being for dance, my Jackson's are for freestyle. My Jackson's are split width and i'm thinking the only way you are going to get away with staying in a Jackson is to be properly fitted and put in a split width boot where the toebox is wider than the heel.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I don't have any pro shops in the area, so I had to compare to the sizing charts that Jackson has offered (forgot to mention that my size is 8C, but that's 0.5-1 size too big). The thing is that the sole of the boot is exactly the length of the size, but there is also the space in the cup of the heel that gave the extra space in the toebox. I don't think I will buy Jacksons again, so can I ask you about how the Rispot RF3 feels? Does it feel as if doing certain things became easier for you? Thanks! :hap93:
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2013
- Country
-
Where are you, Xeni? There are pro shops in most major Australian cities (and I assume you're in one of them because that's where the rinks are...)
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2013
- Country
-
Wow, I had no idea there was even a rink in Townsville...
Are you going down to Brisbane to watch the JGP? You could get fitted there.
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2013
- Country
-
I really, really, really want to!! But I'm under 18 so I can't go there on my own, and it's a bit pricey to go and see it together with my parents. But hey, I can hope.D
My fingers are crossed for you! Perhaps if you don't make it down for JGP, Nationals might be an option?
It just seems to me that since "guessing" at your size went so badly last time, it would be wisest to be fitted for your next pair.
I have narrow heels, and I wear Jacksons. The Artistes that the OP has are lower-end recreational skates; don't know anything about them. But the higher-end Jacksons (those specified as built on the Elite last) standardly come in split-widths; that is, the heel width is one width narrower than the ball width. I believe you can special order some intermediate boots with split widths as well. In addition, Jacksons tend to have a more rounded toebox than other brands. So you can have a snug heel without squished toes. If your heel-ball width difference is greater than one size, then you may need a custom boot. You do need to work with a competent skate tech, though.
