Have I made a rookie mistake?

[LokiPoki]

Hi all

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I have been skating for 18 months now. I started as an adult (35F), after loving the sport for years. I've never lived close enough to a rink to be able to learn properly until now.

Unfortunately, I am starting to think I have been incorrectly fitted for my first pair of boots. I was 'fitted' (I say that loosely), at my rink, and purchased Jackson Elle's in an 8 1/2 wide. These boots have been fine up to recently, when my coach mentioned that he wants to start me learning jumps (just baby steps for now, bunny hops, etc).

The issue that I'm noticing now, is that when ever I get up on the toe picks, my heels are not touching the back of the boot and I feel VERY unstable. The boots are only 12 months old, and I don't think they've broken down to the point of being unstable, I just have a sinking feeling that I've been fitted incorrectly. I did purchase insoles, which have helped somewhat. My coach suggested I shove cotton wool in the toes, (and then in the same breath, said this didn't work for him).

For context, my normal shoe size is an 8. I have a normal arch, and width. I'm around 85kg (187lbs).

I currently skate 3 times a week, for about 1-2 hrs at a time. Once is an adult group lesson, once is a 30min private lesson (with another 30 min practice time), and one is a Theatre on Ice Group where we skate from 12.15pm to 1.30pm once a week. I haven't started testing yet, but am currently working on inside and outside 3 turns, mohawks, backward and forward crossovers (when will they ever be consistent!), and various edge exercises, among other things. The last few weeks, my coach has started me on bunny hops, and mentioned that he is gearing me up to begin jumping.

With that in mind, and given the huge amount of expertise here, I would love some suggestions as to boots and blades, as I think sooner rather than later, I will have to bite the bullet and purchase a new pair. I do plan on selling the current (incorrect) pair once I get organised with new ones.

I also (like so many adults), spend a significant amount of time being quite hesitant in doing certain moves, and I can't help but feel that this is because my feet aren't properly fitting into the boots. I fear I have made the rookie mistake of trusting the guys at my rink shop, when I shouldn't have.

I'm not sure the Jackson in wide is correct for my feet, and I'm not opposed to trying out other boots/blade combo's., like Risport, or Edea. There is a lady in my skate group who swears by Ice Fly's, but I know I don't need anything near that level yet.

I don't drive, so the nearest place for me to get to for a fitting would be Sydney or Melbourne.

Any help or tips would be much appreciated. I am so cranky with myself that this happened.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi all

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I have been skating for 18 months now. I started as an adult (35F), after loving the sport for years. I've never lived close enough to a rink to be able to learn properly until now.

Unfortunately, I am starting to think I have been incorrectly fitted for my first pair of boots. I was 'fitted' (I say that loosely), at my rink, and purchased Jackson Elle's in an 8 1/2 wide. These boots have been fine up to recently, when my coach mentioned that he wants to start me learning jumps (just baby steps for now, bunny hops, etc).

The issue that I'm noticing now, is that when ever I get up on the toe picks, my heels are not touching the back of the boot and I feel VERY unstable. The boots are only 12 months old, and I don't think they've broken down to the point of being unstable, I just have a sinking feeling that I've been fitted incorrectly. I did purchase insoles, which have helped somewhat. My coach suggested I shove cotton wool in the toes, (and then in the same breath, said this didn't work for him).

For context, my normal shoe size is an 8. I have a normal arch, and width. I'm around 85kg (187lbs).

I currently skate 3 times a week, for about 1-2 hrs at a time. Once is an adult group lesson, once is a 30min private lesson (with another 30 min practice time), and one is a Theatre on Ice Group where we skate from 12.15pm to 1.30pm once a week. I haven't started testing yet, but am currently working on inside and outside 3 turns, mohawks, backward and forward crossovers (when will they ever be consistent!), and various edge exercises, among other things. The last few weeks, my coach has started me on bunny hops, and mentioned that he is gearing me up to begin jumping.

With that in mind, and given the huge amount of expertise here, I would love some suggestions as to boots and blades, as I think sooner rather than later, I will have to bite the bullet and purchase a new pair. I do plan on selling the current (incorrect) pair once I get organised with new ones.

I also (like so many adults), spend a significant amount of time being quite hesitant in doing certain moves, and I can't help but feel that this is because my feet aren't properly fitting into the boots. I fear I have made the rookie mistake of trusting the guys at my rink shop, when I shouldn't have.

I'm not sure the Jackson in wide is correct for my feet, and I'm not opposed to trying out other boots/blade combo's., like Risport, or Edea. There is a lady in my skate group who swears by Ice Fly's, but I know I don't need anything near that level yet.

I don't drive, so the nearest place for me to get to for a fitting would be Sydney or Melbourne.

Any help or tips would be much appreciated. I am so cranky with myself that this happened.

Hello and welcome! With the stats that you stated above, I'm going to tell you that it's more than likely those elles you have are already broken down and weren't good for you in the first place (not stiff enough). If you are able to share some info on your feet (arches, shape, is one part wider than other?) I can give brand suggestions that might work for you.

As far as suggesting a good fitter in Australia, I'll leave that to @karne, who might know better.

 

[karne]

zipzop, I've been summoned!

Where did you get fitted, if you don't mind me asking? I'm assuming not Sydney or Melbourne as you seem to reference them separately to your rink. Depending on where you are, would depend on where I'd suggest you go. If you're nearer Sydney, iSkate at Canterbury fit Jacksons, Risports and Edeas, so it gives you variety. SkatePlus at Ice Zoo fit Jacksons and Risports and I think stock a couple of Riedell types also.

Then there's IceMonster at Sydney Olympic Park (not at a rink), and by their site they sell Auras, Riedells, Jacksons and one or two Edea types.

I personally got fitted for Edeas and Risports at Nationals in Brisbane quite a few years ago now, so that won't be much help, unfortunately.

In Melbourne they fit Risports at the O'Brien Group Arena, and it looks like they carry all the brands at BladeWorx in Braeside, though that is a predominantly roller shop based in a storage business so I would probably not be as sure of that one.

 

[LokiPoki]

Hello and welcome! With the stats that you stated above, I'm going to tell you that it's more than likely those elles you have are already broken down and weren't good for you in the first place (not stiff enough). If you are able to share some info on your feet (arches, shape, is one part wider than other?) I can give brand suggestions that might work for you.

As far as suggesting a good fitter in Australia, I'll leave that to @karne, who might know better.

Thanks for the response.

As for foot type, I have an Egyptian foot, no bunions or lumps and bumps. Normal arches. Normal width, and the ball of my foot is wider than the heel. One foot is a few mm’s larger than the other. Please let me know what other info you need.

I’m currently getting a lot of pain in the outside of my shins, a lot of the time to the point where I have to stop for a little bit. I’m not sure if I’m gripping the boots with my toes without realising or if it’s a bit of lacebite because I tie them tightly, which I have stopped doing. I do notice I have a fair bit of space between the tongue and my skin.

My coach encourages us to get a crease on the outside of the boot. I don’t have any creases on the boots, but there is a bit of creasing on the tongue.

Thank you so much for your help

 

[LokiPoki]

zipzop, I've been summoned!

Where did you get fitted, if you don't mind me asking? I'm assuming not Sydney or Melbourne as you seem to reference them separately to your rink. Depending on where you are, would depend on where I'd suggest you go. If you're nearer Sydney, iSkate at Canterbury fit Jacksons, Risports and Edeas, so it gives you variety. SkatePlus at Ice Zoo fit Jacksons and Risports and I think stock a couple of Riedell types also.

Then there's IceMonster at Sydney Olympic Park (not at a rink), and by their site they sell Auras, Riedells, Jacksons and one or two Edea types.

I personally got fitted for Edeas and Risports at Nationals in Brisbane quite a few years ago now, so that won't be much help, unfortunately.

In Melbourne they fit Risports at the O'Brien Group Arena, and it looks like they carry all the brands at BladeWorx in Braeside, though that is a predominantly roller shop based in a storage business so I would probably not be as sure of that one.

Hi!

I got ‘fitted’ at my rink, in Phillip in the ACT, by one of the guys who works there. From what I can tell, either he or the other guy there has fitted most of the lower level skaters, but the higher level ones all go to Sydney for their fittings.

I was thinking I’d have to get to iSkate in Canterbury as I thought they had a pretty good range.

I actually bought my knee pads from Bladeworx. Their Afterpay option is super appealing lol.

I don’t drive at all (awful eyesight), but I have family that travel to Sydney so I will probably try to tag along with them.

 

[karne]

Hi!

I got ‘fitted’ at my rink, in Phillip in the ACT, by one of the guys who works there. From what I can tell, either he or the other guy there has fitted most of the lower level skaters, but the higher level ones all go to Sydney for their fittings.

I was thinking I’d have to get to iSkate in Canterbury as I thought they had a pretty good range.

I actually bought my knee pads from Bladeworx. Their Afterpay option is super appealing lol.

I don’t drive at all (awful eyesight), but I have family that travel to Sydney so I will probably try to tag along with them.

Oh, I have an incoming PM for you.

 

[MCsAngel2]

Wait. Your skate size is BIGGER than your street shoe size? AND they are wides?

Assuming all the sizing you are referencing is the same standard (US sizing?), you are absolutely very definitely misfit. Street shoes are made to move and bend with our feet as we walk, so there has to be room for the foot to move in the shoe. Skate boots are totally different: the soles don't bend and the boots are meant to fit very closely and very precisely all around the foot. They need to be not too long and not too narrow. This is the reason that properly fitted boots tend to be one to two whole sizes smaller than our street shoe size. Most often they are a size and a half smaller. If you wear a size 8 street shoe, I would expect your correct Jackson size to be a 6 1/2, but it could be as small as a size 6.

The fact that your skates are bigger than your street shoes as well as being a wide width, and that was what you needed to get in order to be able to fit your foot into the boot, is signaling to me that in fact you need a semi custom width that is wider than the stock W, and that no one in your rink knows how to measure feet for width. Again, it's important that your boots are the right size (not too long) AND the right width.

Most people starting out don't know to look out for this. Many adults' feet spread with age, and if this happens when buying new street shoes, commonly one just sizes up until it fits in width. The shoes will be longer than needed, but that's rarely an issue with regular shoes. It IS an issue with figure skates, and unfortunately inexperienced fitters will make this mistake when someone is buying skates, because most people don't want to spend the money on semi customs to get the correct fit. Therefore, they will just try larger and larger stock sizes until they find the one that fits your width. The problem is that now you have skates that are too long for your feet.

That's an issue for learning skills. If your boots are too long for your feet, the ball of your foot won't rest over the sweet spot of your blade and it will be difficult to learn spins. And, as you are discovering, they are very unstable for learning jumps. Your feet need to be totally secure in your boots; your heel should be locked in the heel pocket all the time, it should never slip up and down. Your foot should never slide back and forth inside the boot. Additionally, skates that are too big will break down prematurely (because your feet are moving around inside the boots when they aren't supposed to).

I wear a street shoe size 7.5 or 8, depending. When I rented skates the first time, I had to get 8s. My semi custom Jacksons are a size 6 EE - that's 4 widths wider than a regular stock width. But anything bigger than a size 6 is too long for my foot, and anything narrower than an EE is too narrow and too painful to skate in.

There is really no getting around this, if you want properly fitted boots you can safely learn skills in. You need to find a fitter who is experienced in measuring for width (you will need to ask specifically, and if it's someone who does hockey skates most of the time, forget it). Otherwise, you will need to get some tracings done of your feet to send to either another fitter you can't get to, or to a Jackson representative who can help you remotely.

 

[MCsAngel2]

I do notice I have a fair bit of space between the tongue and my skin.

Is this a typo, did you mean to say a fair bit of space between the tongue and the sides of the boot? Where skin is showing in between them?

If this is the case, then to me that's proof positive that you need a semi custom width. Space between the tongue and the sides of the boot is a sign that the boots are too narrow.

If this *isn't* a typo, then is what you mean, that you can fit several fingers down the back of the boot, between your leg and the boot? Or several fingers down the front, between the tongue and the front of your leg? In this case, your feet are absolutely *swimming* in these skates. Like, 2 to 2.5 sizes too big, as I said before. You should only be able to get one finger down the back of the boot between the boot and your leg, when the boot is laced up properly. If this is the scenario, whoever fitted you didn't have the remotest idea of what they were doing. And please don't do any jumps of any kind (even bunny hops) until you can get properly fitted skates, these aren't safe to jump in.

 

[LokiPoki]

Is this a typo, did you mean to say a fair bit of space between the tongue and the sides of the boot? Where skin is showing in between them?

If this is the case, then to me that's proof positive that you need a semi custom width. Space between the tongue and the sides of the boot is a sign that the boots are too narrow.

If this *isn't* a typo, then is what you mean, that you can fit several fingers down the back of the boot, between your leg and the boot? Or several fingers down the front, between the tongue and the front of your leg? In this case, your feet are absolutely *swimming* in these skates. Like, 2 to 2.5 sizes too big, as I said before. You should only be able to get one finger down the back of the boot between the boot and your leg, when the boot is laced up properly. If this is the scenario, whoever fitted you didn't have the remotest idea of what they were doing. And please don't do any jumps of any kind (even bunny hops) until you can get properly fitted skates, these aren't safe to jump in.

Hi

Not a typo.

I can fit fingers down the front, between the boot and my leg. The fellow at the rink seemed to think this was appropriate.

There is no way I would be attempting to do any jumping in them. I mentioned it to my coach as soon as we started working on these elements. At the moment, even bunny hops feel terrifying.

Last week he had me practicing getting up on my toe picks, which did not feel comfortable and stable at all, even with both hands on the barrier for stability (and to get me used to the position).

I had actually put a lot of my hesitation down to me just being a chicken, and attempting moves that I've never done before (haven't ever skated other than a couple of times with friends recreationally).

Now I know a large part of it is because my boots have been awful. I wonder how much different the new properly fitted ones will be.

I will definitely be heading to Sydney for a proper fitting based on what everyone here has been saying.

I'll also take into account any advice/suggestions Ic3Rabbit has for me.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi

Not a typo.

I can fit fingers down the front, between the boot and my leg. The fellow at the rink seemed to think this was appropriate.

There is no way I would be attempting to do any jumping in them. I mentioned it to my coach as soon as we started working on these elements. At the moment, even bunny hops feel terrifying.

Last week he had me practicing getting up on my toe picks, which did not feel comfortable and stable at all, even with both hands on the barrier for stability (and to get me used to the position).

I had actually put a lot of my hesitation down to me just being a chicken, and attempting moves that I've never done before (haven't ever skated other than a couple of times with friends recreationally).

Now I know a large part of it is because my boots have been awful. I wonder how much different the new properly fitted ones will be.

Thanks for the response.

As for foot type, I have an Egyptian foot, no bunions or lumps and bumps. Normal arches. Normal width, and the ball of my foot is wider than the heel. One foot is a few mm’s larger than the other. Please let me know what other info you need.

I’m currently getting a lot of pain in the outside of my shins, a lot of the time to the point where I have to stop for a little bit. I’m not sure if I’m gripping the boots with my toes without realising or if it’s a bit of lacebite because I tie them tightly, which I have stopped doing. I do notice I have a fair bit of space between the tongue and my skin.

My coach encourages us to get a crease on the outside of the boot. I don’t have any creases on the boots, but there is a bit of creasing on the tongue.

Thank you so much for your help

OK, so you have two different sized feet and with egyptian foot you are saying your big toes are the longest with the others angling down at 45 degrees as they progress from 2nd to pinkie toe. Normal arches, more narrow heel, normal width, and no bunions etc (don't worry, skating will change that usually lol). Anyway, you can look at Jackson (you should be fine if you semi-custom a pair from them esp with the two different sized feet..your current boots are fitter error), Graf, Risport, Possibly Riedell. I would not suggest Edea because of the way they fit loose in the ankle, and you obviously would not like or do well with this based on what you have told us about your current boots and the gap/loose feeling. As far as styles, if you want those as a suggestion in some of these brands, just PM me ok? I'm not here all the time to read the forum, but I will get alerts about PM.

Good luck!

 

[LokiPoki]

Thanks for the info and advice.

I’ve got family travelling to Sydney at the end of the month, so I’ll likely try to organise a fitting then.

Only issue now, is that my coach thinks my boots are fine and that I don’t need new ones. I told him the issues I’m having, and explained how I’ve tried to overcome it with various things. He said I should shove as much cotton wool in the toe as possible to fill up the space.

Sigh.

 

[leia1979]

You poor thing, those sound massively too big. As a temporary solution until you get new skates, you can also try some gel heel sleeves/achilles protectors (US Amazon link, but I'm sure you can find something similar). I had heel slippage in my last skates as they were a little too large for me, and these helped until I got my new ones. If the heel cup is too wide, even stuffing the toes won't help, but widening your heel with some padding might provide a little extra grip.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Thanks for the info and advice.

I’ve got family travelling to Sydney at the end of the month, so I’ll likely try to organise a fitting then.

Only issue now, is that my coach thinks my boots are fine and that I don’t need new ones. I told him the issues I’m having, and explained how I’ve tried to overcome it with various things. He said I should shove as much cotton wool in the toe as possible to fill up the space.

Sigh.

You need a proper fitting asap. And possibly a new coach. Sounds to me like he's really not invested in your progress and safety. Honestly, I've never heard such nonsense. <stomps off muttering darkly>

 

[LokiPoki]

You need a proper fitting asap. And possibly a new coach. Sounds to me like he's really not invested in your progress and safety. Honestly, I've never heard such nonsense. <stomps off muttering darkly>

Haha, I've discussed new boots with him a few times, and each time he's given me the cotton wool excuse. Which I tried once (and was about as successful as you'd think). HE can probably make do with shoving his own boots with cotton because he's been skating since he was 2.

However, I cannot manage, especially if I want to progress safely and not hurt myself. I'm not expecting a magic fix for all my issues, but I am excited to see how different they will feel.

 

[Lutz Mark]

Wait. Your skate size is BIGGER than your street shoe size? AND they are wides?

Assuming all the sizing you are referencing is the same standard (US sizing?), you are absolutely very definitely misfit. Street shoes are made to move and bend with our feet as we walk, so there has to be room for the foot to move in the shoe. Skate boots are totally different: the soles don't bend and the boots are meant to fit very closely and very precisely all around the foot. They need to be not too long and not too narrow. This is the reason that properly fitted boots tend to be one to two whole sizes smaller than our street shoe size. Most often they are a size and a half smaller. If you wear a size 8 street shoe, I would expect your correct Jackson size to be a 6 1/2, but it could be as small as a size 6.

The fact that your skates are bigger than your street shoes as well as being a wide width, and that was what you needed to get in order to be able to fit your foot into the boot, is signaling to me that in fact you need a semi custom width that is wider than the stock W, and that no one in your rink knows how to measure feet for width. Again, it's important that your boots are the right size (not too long) AND the right width.

Most people starting out don't know to look out for this. Many adults' feet spread with age, and if this happens when buying new street shoes, commonly one just sizes up until it fits in width. The shoes will be longer than needed, but that's rarely an issue with regular shoes. It IS an issue with figure skates, and unfortunately inexperienced fitters will make this mistake when someone is buying skates, because most people don't want to spend the money on semi customs to get the correct fit. Therefore, they will just try larger and larger stock sizes until they find the one that fits your width. The problem is that now you have skates that are too long for your feet.

That's an issue for learning skills. If your boots are too long for your feet, the ball of your foot won't rest over the sweet spot of your blade and it will be difficult to learn spins. And, as you are discovering, they are very unstable for learning jumps. Your feet need to be totally secure in your boots; your heel should be locked in the heel pocket all the time, it should never slip up and down. Your foot should never slide back and forth inside the boot. Additionally, skates that are too big will break down prematurely (because your feet are moving around inside the boots when they aren't supposed to).

I wear a street shoe size 7.5 or 8, depending. When I rented skates the first time, I had to get 8s. My semi custom Jacksons are a size 6 EE - that's 4 widths wider than a regular stock width. But anything bigger than a size 6 is too long for my foot, and anything narrower than an EE is too narrow and too painful to skate in.

There is really no getting around this, if you want properly fitted boots you can safely learn skills in. You need to find a fitter who is experienced in measuring for width (you will need to ask specifically, and if it's someone who does hockey skates most of the time, forget it). Otherwise, you will need to get some tracings done of your feet to send to either another fitter you can't get to, or to a Jackson representative who can help you remotely.

Excellent information ^ ^ ^

I too skate in boots that are ~1-1/2 to 2 sizes smaller than my street shoe size. Street shoes actually "shrink" a bit as you wear them because the toes curve up as they break in and the heel counter will form to your heel both of which effectively shorten the shoe length. That's why they are sized with extra room in the toe.

Skate boots are totally solid so they should fit very closely from the start. One rough guide is to open the boot fully, place your foot in the boot, and then push it all the way to the front so that your toes run into the end. In this position you should JUST be able to put a pencil behind your heel and the back of the boot. I'll bet you can get two fingers behind your heel in your current boots! Get yourself into a better fitting boot ASAP. You can alway sell the current ones since they should still be in goot shape and are a popular model.

Stuffing things in your boots? If I had to skate in a boot that much bigger, I would at least put on some very thick wool hiking socks so the extra size is taken up in all directions. But this will still not fix the issue with the spin rocker being in the wrong place as it still wont' be fully under the ball of your foot.

PS: I had no good fitter in my area when I first started skating and ended up the same as you -- in boots way too big and unstable as a result

 

[LokiPoki]

Excellent information ^ ^ ^

I too skate in boots that are ~1-1/2 to 2 sizes smaller than my street shoe size. Street shoes actually "shrink" a bit as you wear them because the toes curve up as they break in and the heel counter will form to your heel both of which effectively shorten the shoe length. That's why they are sized with extra room in the toe.

Skate boots are totally solid so they should fit very closely from the start. One rough guide is to open the boot fully, place your foot in the boot, and then push it all the way to the front so that your toes run into the end. In this position you should JUST be able to put a pencil behind your heel and the back of the boot. I'll bet you can get two fingers behind your heel in your current boots! Get yourself into a better fitting boot ASAP. You can alway sell the current ones since they should still be in goot shape and are a popular model.

Stuffing things in your boots? If I had to skate in a boot that much bigger, I would at least put on some very thick wool hiking socks so the extra size is taken up in all directions. But this will still not fix the issue with the spin rocker being in the wrong place as it still wont' be fully under the ball of your foot.

PS: I had no good fitter in my area when I first started skating and ended up the same as you -- in boots way too big and unstable as a result

Update:

So I made the trip to Sydney at the end of June and now have new boots and blades.

I went in with the suggestions from Ic3 as well as some advice from some of the other skaters at my rink.

I tried 3 different brands, Jacksons, Risport and Edea ( I travelled a few hours, so I thought I may as well try them on, even if they weren't initially recommended).

Holy moly were these new boots TIGHT!

The Jackson's instantly hurt - like instant pain in my heels and pinching on my little toe. It was so unbelievably painful, and I wasn't confident that heat moulding would fix it.

I then tried Risport but there was heel lift, and my toes would have been very squished if I'd gone down a size.

Then I asked to try an Edea. The lady at the shop said she herself doesn't like the brand, (which is fine, everyone's foot is different), and so she doesn't recommend them for people. Which I thought was a bit odd but anyway.

I said to her that my coach had suggested Piano's for me, but I said I was pretty sure at this stage in my skating, that these boots are way over my level.

I ended up trying the Chorus. Which were tight, like all the others but were more comfortable, no heel lift. The looser ankle didn't worry me, neither did the more narrow boot.

So that's what I ended up taking home, Edea Chorus in 255, and the Coronation Ace blade.

And what a difference it has made. I can't believe it. I didn't realise how much my feet were moving until they were in a pair of skates that actually fit me.

We have noticed though, that my right foot tends to fall inwards, so there was a bit of blade adjusting to try to fix that. I've probably always done this, but because my feet were in boots way too big, I never really noticed. So I've put an insole in just the right boot, and now have some foot and arch exercises to strengthen my feet. Am getting better with this now I've worn them 4-5 times.

I do get arch pain, but only for about 10-15 mins, and the more warmed up I am, the lower I can bend my knees, which means the less my feet hurt because I'm in the correct position.

Still working on stability with spins - the new blades are shorter, so the rocker is in a different position. Backwards skating feels much smoother, and my coach has said he's noticed I'm much more stable in general, and am not rocking back.

I love my new boots, they're getting more and more comfortable the more I wear them. I even managed a right outside edge 3 turn last week, which is my weaker side. Coach is very happy with the new boots.

Thanks everyone for all your advice and help!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Update:

So I made the trip to Sydney at the end of June and now have new boots and blades.

I went in with the suggestions from Ic3 as well as some advice from some of the other skaters at my rink.

I tried 3 different brands, Jacksons, Risport and Edea ( I travelled a few hours, so I thought I may as well try them on, even if they weren't initially recommended).

Holy moly were these new boots TIGHT!

The Jackson's instantly hurt - like instant pain in my heels and pinching on my little toe. It was so unbelievably painful, and I wasn't confident that heat moulding would fix it.

I then tried Risport but there was heel lift, and my toes would have been very squished if I'd gone down a size.

Then I asked to try an Edea. The lady at the shop said she herself doesn't like the brand, (which is fine, everyone's foot is different), and so she doesn't recommend them for people. Which I thought was a bit odd but anyway.

I said to her that my coach had suggested Piano's for me, but I said I was pretty sure at this stage in my skating, that these boots are way over my level.

I ended up trying the Chorus. Which were tight, like all the others but were more comfortable, no heel lift. The looser ankle didn't worry me, neither did the more narrow boot.

So that's what I ended up taking home, Edea Chorus in 255, and the Coronation Ace blade.

And what a difference it has made. I can't believe it. I didn't realise how much my feet were moving until they were in a pair of skates that actually fit me.

We have noticed though, that my right foot tends to fall inwards, so there was a bit of blade adjusting to try to fix that. I've probably always done this, but because my feet were in boots way too big, I never really noticed. So I've put an insole in just the right boot, and now have some foot and arch exercises to strengthen my feet. Am getting better with this now I've worn them 4-5 times.

I do get arch pain, but only for about 10-15 mins, and the more warmed up I am, the lower I can bend my knees, which means the less my feet hurt because I'm in the correct position.

Still working on stability with spins - the new blades are shorter, so the rocker is in a different position. Backwards skating feels much smoother, and my coach has said he's noticed I'm much more stable in general, and am not rocking back.

I love my new boots, they're getting more and more comfortable the more I wear them. I even managed a right outside edge 3 turn last week, which is my weaker side. Coach is very happy with the new boots.

Thanks everyone for all your advice and help!

I'm glad something worked out for you and it's helping your skating!
As far as the Jackson's, as I had said in our DM convo, you were probably going to need a split width for them to be comfortable. Just something to consider in future. That said, again I'm so happy you have a pair that works!

 

[LokiPoki]

I'm glad something worked out for you and it's helping your skating!
As far as the Jackson's, as I had said in our DM convo, you were probably going to need a split width for them to be comfortable. Just something to consider in future. That said, again I'm so happy you have a pair that works!

It is crazy how much difference it has made. I feel like I have so much more control now, and I'm not wobbling around fighting with my boots.

My right side is still weaker in general, but hopefully now it will get better.

I've always enjoyed it, but now I really enjoy putting my new boots on and actually feeling like I am able to attempt the exercises in our group lessons.

 

[LokiPoki]

It is crazy how much difference it has made. I feel like I have so much more control now, and I'm not wobbling around fighting with my boots.

My right side is still weaker in general, but hopefully now it will get better.

I've always enjoyed it, but now I really enjoy putting my new boots on and actually feeling like I am able to attempt the exercises in our group lessons.

And the blades are just *chefs kiss*

They feel SO much nicer than the blades that were on the Jackson Elle.

I am noticing so much more of that satisfying ripping sound on my edges, And my 3 turns feel very different.

I am really pleasantly surprised.

 

[MiraiFan]

I love my chorus as well but took out the original insoles and wear arch supports in them, which work well...