Boot and Blade advice for beginner going to an intense ice camp

[beuniquesk8]

Hello! I’m new here and I’d like to ask advice for beginner / going to intermediate boots and blades. I’m comfortable with my risport boots but they are Venus but they are not stiff and pretty bad now. Since there are no ice rinks anywhere near me or ice skating shops I do inline figure skating but will go to an intensive ice camp for a week. I need advice on which boots (presumably and I prefer risport but other also can maybe jacksons??) and blades.

I’m stuck on whether to choose risport Electra and MK Pros or risport RF3 Pro and MK Pros or JW Coro Ace. I’m also looking at jackosn legacy 8s but they have an 8ft rocker making it harder to spin. I find it extremely hard to find the sweet spot in spinning so I need a good spinning rocker.

I can do a lutz, flip and toe loop and practicing up to my axel.

Thank you!

 

[tstop4me]

Practical question for you: If there are no ice rinks near you, what are your plans for breaking in the boots and getting accustomed to the new boots and blades prior to the camp?

 

[MCsAngel2]

So you only do inline skating? You don't have any experience skating on ice? And you're going to an ice skating camp?

 

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

I'd say to talk to your coaches and boot fitter and ask for their guidance since they know you and your skating/feet the best, but by your post it seems you do inline skating since there are no ice rinks near you, no figure skating, so you don't have figure skating coaches?
When I bought new boots (and they were the same model/brand I previously had) it took me time to again get used to them, spend time on ice , practicing until I got the boots used to my feet and vice versa.
Going for a camp where there is intensive on ice training on brand new boots might not be productive/efficient.
Is there a way you could go to the location where this camp will be held a few days in advance so you can at least skate on ice and get used to the boots? It'd be more beneficial for you, in my opinion.

Curious to know what @Ic3Rabbit advises

 

[Minz]

Another question: have you ever skated on ice before?

Also, if there are no ice skating stores near you, where are you planning to purchase the boots/blades?

 

[beuniquesk8]

Another question: have you ever skated on ice before?

Also, if there are no ice skating stores near you, where are you planning to purchase the boots/blades?

Yes I have for a few months but in bad boots/blades had Edea tempo and mk flight blades. I am planning to buy the boots and blades together online where I bought my previous skates.

 

[beuniquesk8]

I'd say to talk to your coaches and boot fitter and ask for their guidance since they know you and your skating/feet the best, but by your post it seems you do inline skating since there are no ice rinks near you, no figure skating, so you don't have figure skating coaches?
When I bought new boots (and they were the same model/brand I previously had) it took me time to again get used to them, spend time on ice , practicing until I got the boots used to my feet and vice versa.
Going for a camp where there is intensive on ice training on brand new boots might not be productive/efficient.
Is there a way you could go to the location where this camp will be held a few days in advance so you can at least skate on ice and get used to the boots? It'd be more beneficial for you, in my opinion.

Curious to know what @Ic3Rabbit advises

I don’t think I can go to the camp beforehand as it is closed (it’s north of Italy and I’m near Florence).
I’ve had a figure skating coach before, but it was for a two lessons until I left. So I’m self taught now, I do off ice jumps and spinner and inline skating. But I can’t find the sweet spot to spin on either ones.

 

[Minz]

I would not recommend buying skates online, even if you think you know your size, etc.

 

[Minz]

I’m a bit confused here - do you or do you not skate on ice? When was the last time you skated on ice? And can you/have you tried to do any of these off ice jumps on ice?

 

[beuniquesk8]

I’m a bit confused here - do you or do you not skate on ice? When was the last time you skated on ice? And can you/have you tried to do any of these off ice jumps on ice?

Yes I do skate. Last time I skated was nearly a month ago. I have tried the toe loop and waltz.

 

[beuniquesk8]

I would not recommend buying skates online, even if you think you know your size, etc.

Yes, but there aren’t shops near me

 

[tstop4me]

@beuniquesk8. You haven't mentioned what the level of the camp will be, and what the cost will be. Regardless, your current plans (order equipment online; no break-in time) does not bode well. At best, you will waste time and money, and end up with sore, painful, bruised feet. At worst, you will injure yourself severely.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Not to mention, self-taught is not great and you may have to re-learn everything all over again with a coach properly. If this is the intense camp I'm thinking of in N. Italy, they are going to point out bad technique from the get-go, and so on. Just letting you know ahead of time to be prepared, that with the boot situation does not bode well.

Good luck though.

 

[beuniquesk8]

Not to mention, self-taught is not great and you may have to re-learn everything all over again with a coach properly. If this is the intense camp I'm thinking of in N. Italy, they are going to point out bad technique from the get-go, and so on. Just letting you know ahead of time to be prepared, that with the boot situation does not bode well.

Good luck though.

Thank you for the advice! I’m not really self taught though, since there are no coaches near me (only when I travelled abroad) I practice what they told me and sometimes watch videos. I will try to go to a skate fitter but do not know where that is.
I only know a shop in Italy but it’s north of italy which means an over 6 hour drive from me (tuscany).

 

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

I don’t think I can go to the camp beforehand as it is closed (it’s north of Italy and I’m near Florence).
I’ve had a figure skating coach before, but it was for a two lessons until I left. So I’m self taught now, I do off ice jumps and spinner and inline skating. But I can’t find the sweet spot to spin on either ones.

Understood!
I’m sure it must be frustrating to not live closely to either a rink with access to coaches or a figure skating shop with a boot fitter where you can go in person to be fitted for footwear

While I too love hearing others experiences, when it comes to footwear, it’s best to be seen in person by a fitter who measures your feet and analyzes them, and then recommends the best boot choice for you.
You might have different measurements in each foot, different feet shape (there are Greek feet, Egyptian feet etc - these are names of feet shapes) etc.
And even after being fitted, you might run into issues, don’t know what to do, don’t know if it’s you or the boot (I recently ran into this situation, was professionally fitted, did something to my foot, tried to solve it myself, probably made everything worse since the pain increased and only improved when I went to see professionals again, still healing now).

Im not in Italy, Im in Japan (but my boots are made in Italy!!) so I don’t know how to help you, and even though my rink is only 30 mins from my home, my boot fitter is also a travel away , the custom insoles doctor too, but I learned my lesson not trying home remedies and online solutions.

Only thing I can think of is: is the camp you’ll attend near a boot fitter? Going to a camp with intensive schedules with brand new boots will cause you all kinds of problems and pain, but if you’ll travel to the camp, can you stop by the boot fitter on the way and get fitted/buy your boots and blades in person? Way way better than online purchase.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you for the advice! I’m not really self taught though, since there are no coaches near me (only when I travelled abroad) I practice what they told me and sometimes watch videos. I will try to go to a skate fitter but do not know where that is.
I only know a shop in Italy but it’s north of italy which means an over 6 hour drive from me (tuscany).

You're welcome, but what you do by watching videos and trying to learn from them (which doesn't help technique) is basically considered "self-taught."

 

[Minz]

Also, please be aware that the transition from off-ice/inline to on-ice figure skating might not be as smooth as you might expect. I wouldn’t assume that you’ll immediately be able to do all the jumps/etc. that you do off ice, on ice. As others have said, there will be a break in/adjustment period.

 

[High Carbon]

Hello! I’m new here and I’d like to ask advice for beginner / going to intermediate boots and blades. I’m comfortable with my risport boots but they are Venus but they are not stiff and pretty bad now. Since there are no ice rinks anywhere near me or ice skating shops I do inline figure skating but will go to an intensive ice camp for a week. I need advice on which boots (presumably and I prefer risport but other also can maybe jacksons??) and blades.

I’m stuck on whether to choose risport Electra and MK Pros or risport RF3 Pro and MK Pros or JW Coro Ace. I’m also looking at jackosn legacy 8s but they have an 8ft rocker making it harder to spin. I find it extremely hard to find the sweet spot in spinning so I need a good spinning rocker.

I can do a lutz, flip and toe loop and practicing up to my axel.

Thank you!

Hello! It sounds like if on-ice skating is not terribly accessible at the moment, it may be good to hold off until you get a chance to be on the ice more before committing to a dedicated pair of figure skates, which I would highly recommend finding a reputable dealer/technician. I see you're from around Tuscany. Edea boots are made in Crocetta del Montello which looks to be about a 3.5 hour drive. I'm unsure if their factory also has a shop attached to it with technicians, but it would be worth calling them for recommendations. They do have roller skate options that can mimic the different styles of blades. If you want to stick with Risport their factory is in Montebelluna. I am unsure if they also have a pro shop near by but it's worth giving a call and asking as well. But I would advise getting into contact with them for in person advice. While I am always in support of getting some kind of head start with online videos, unfortunately for figure skating they just can't take you very far and an in-person coach will always be able to help you better than the videos I've also learned a good amount of skills online (knife making, woodworking, car work, etc.) but figure skating just can not be one of them due to it's complex nature. But get into contact with Risport or Edea, since they're just north/north west of Venice and see if they can help you out with both roller and ice options