Over bladed and confused, but spinning

[big_shiba]

TL;DR: Overbladed adult skater: Pattern 99 stole my spins, Pinnacles returned them, stability is still missing. Help.

Hi everyone,

I’m an adult skater who started figure skating fairly recently (May 2025) and completely fell in love with it. I’m still very much in the learning phase and hoping to get some perspective from skaters who have more experience with equipment than I do. For the record, I am currently working on Adult/Basic 5 skills. However, I must say that things are getting frustrating, as I believe I have been overbladed and cannot progress much further.

For reference, I’m about 5'11" tall and weigh around 179 lbs. I have done Windsurfing for a long period of my life. I am strong and my legs are very, very long. I also have severe pronation.

Early on my skating journey, a coach suggested that I try Edea Ice Fly boots with Pattern 99 blades. I went ahead and invested in that setup, but I really struggled with it; specifically, I could not reliably find the spin rocker or spinning “sweet spot” at all. I constantly felt like I was searching for it rather than settling into it, which made spinning feel frustrating and inconsistent, and two turns feel close to impossible. I also hated how the Edeas felt; even though they were Ice Flys and are considered "elite", I just felt so unstable in them. The boot also started creasing in no time, and I could not get out of my inside edges.

For reference:
Edeas in 275
P99 Blade in 10.25"


Later, another coach suggested I try Jackson boots instead. I ended up buying a used pair of Jacksons Supreme 5320 mounted with Eclipse Pinnacle Titanium blades. I must say, I love this boot because it finally solved my issue of being able to skate without over pronating. With this setup, I can actually find my spin rocker, and I spin much more comfortably and consistently. That part has been a big improvement, and people around me also noticed my improvement.
For reference:
Jackson Supreme 5320 in size 9
EPT Blade in 10.25"


However, despite spinning better and having overall progress, I still feel somewhat wobbly overall, especially on edges and general skating skills. Forward stroking has been a struggle and backwards skating has been unstable. I’m not sure whether that’s just normal at my stage, a blade/boot mismatch, or something about my setup that could be simplified.


Unfortunately, I live in an area with very limited access to experienced skate techs or fitters, and while I’ve tried getting local recommendations, there just aren’t many reliable options.


Just for the record: I’m not trying to jump ahead to advanced gear; I really just want a setup that supports learning and doesn’t work against me while I build fundamentals. I’d truly appreciate any advice or insight from people who’ve been through similar equipment transitions or mismatch and best advice on how to deal with that. I would also really appreciate any recommendation for virtual fitters or fitters in the South Florida area.


Thanks so much in advance! This sport is challenging but incredibly rewarding, and I want to give myself the best chance to progress safely and confidently.

 

[Diana Delafield]

TL;DR: Overbladed adult skater: Pattern 99 stole my spins, Pinnacles returned them, stability is still missing. Help.

Hi everyone,

I’m an adult skater who started figure skating fairly recently (May 2025) and completely fell in love with it. I’m still very much in the learning phase and hoping to get some perspective from skaters who have more experience with equipment than I do. For the record, I am currently working on Adult/Basic 5 skills. However, I must say that things are getting frustrating, as I believe I have been overbladed and cannot progress much further.

For reference, I’m about 5'11" tall and weigh around 179 lbs. I have done Windsurfing for a long period of my life. I am strong and my legs are very, very long. I also have severe pronation.

Early on my skating journey, a coach suggested that I try Edea Ice Fly boots with Pattern 99 blades. I went ahead and invested in that setup, but I really struggled with it; specifically, I could not reliably find the spin rocker or spinning “sweet spot” at all. I constantly felt like I was searching for it rather than settling into it, which made spinning feel frustrating and inconsistent, and two turns feel close to impossible. I also hated how the Edeas felt; even though they were Ice Flys and are considered "elite", I just felt so unstable in them. The boot also started creasing in no time, and I could not get out of my inside edges.

For reference:
Edeas in 275
P99 Blade in 10.25"


Later, another coach suggested I try Jackson boots instead. I ended up buying a used pair of Jacksons Supreme 5320 mounted with Eclipse Pinnacle Titanium blades. I must say, I love this boot because it finally solved my issue of being able to skate without over pronating. With this setup, I can actually find my spin rocker, and I spin much more comfortably and consistently. That part has been a big improvement, and people around me also noticed my improvement.
For reference:
Jackson Supreme 5320 in size 9
EPT Blade in 10.25"


However, despite spinning better and having overall progress, I still feel somewhat wobbly overall, especially on edges and general skating skills. Forward stroking has been a struggle and backwards skating has been unstable. I’m not sure whether that’s just normal at my stage, a blade/boot mismatch, or something about my setup that could be simplified.


Unfortunately, I live in an area with very limited access to experienced skate techs or fitters, and while I’ve tried getting local recommendations, there just aren’t many reliable options.


Just for the record: I’m not trying to jump ahead to advanced gear; I really just want a setup that supports learning and doesn’t work against me while I build fundamentals. I’d truly appreciate any advice or insight from people who’ve been through similar equipment transitions or mismatch and best advice on how to deal with that. I would also really appreciate any recommendation for virtual fitters or fitters in the South Florida area.


Thanks so much in advance! This sport is challenging but incredibly rewarding, and I want to give myself the best chance to progress safely and confidently.

Hi, and welcome to the world on ice! First we need to make sure you are in the right boots before we get to blades. Beginner adults need stronger boots than children, often the same boots that kids at the advanced level are using. The larger the adult, the stiffer the boots need to be even if the maker's ads say their Model X is "for those advanced skaters learning triples and quads". Boots the correct strength for you will help so much in giving you confidence on edges and turns.

Second-hand boots are, I'm afraid, virtually never a good idea, and if yours are breaking down already they need to be replaced for your safety. But with what? We need to know your foot shape as determined by your toe slant (or not), and a good fitter will measure your feet all around, not just from toe to heel in length like street shoes. I'm sure you know by now that your boots will be a smaller size than your street shoes, as they have to be very snug with no shifting of your feet inside, particularly at the heel. Do you have high/normal/low/flat arches? The different brands of boots are designed to fit different foot shapes, so Edeas or Jacksons may be right for your feet or may be not right at all. Give us some more stats like that, and that will narrow down the choice of the best brands to recommend.

I can't help about finding the best fitter in your area, as I live on the west coast of Canada, but there are others on GS who know shops all over the world and can suggest someone near you. (Just be patient, as some of the people who usually give that kind of advice are involved right now with the current big competitions -- 4 Continents and Olympics -- and not visiting GS as frequently as usual.)

Congratulations on having the right attitude to learning this new sport! It's so much easier to help someone with advice when they don't assume they're going to be learning triple jumps by the end of their first season . Good luck!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi. It sounds like you were definitely overbooted and overbladed. And put in a brand of boot that is not right for your foot shape.

Can you let us know your foot shape? And also about your arches: very high/high/normal/low/flat? Do you overpronate or oversupinate? This info will be very helpful for us to give you suggestions on proper boot brands and blades.

Good luck!

 

[Query]

A lot of us have been willing to travel a fair number of hours each way to find good skate techs. It sounds like your fitter and skate sharpener may have made a number of mistakes - pronation is something anyone good could likely have dealt with.

Also, if a skate tech sharpens your skates wrong, they could lose the abrupt change of curvature that makes it possible to feel where the transition is. Alternately they can emphasize the change so you can feel it. It's quite possible your skate tech messed all that up. Though it could also be that the change of curvature, between the main rocker and spin rocker, was too far forward or back on your old skates - something a real expert can modify too.

So even if you have to travel a few hours each way, it might be worth it, if that is at all possible. If you have badly fit boots or possibly badly sharpened or mounted blades, you could possibly injure yourself. Even if you don't, you could waste a lot of time compensating for badly fit boots, incorrectly mounted blades, or badly sharpened blades. If you are serious about this, it's worth finding a real expert.

You can search this sub-forum for "Florida":

https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/search/121423/?q=florida&t=post&c[child_nodes]=1&c[nodes][0]=978&o=relevance

I just checked - some of those threads mention skate techs that people have been happy with. Granted, they are over 2 years old, but it's worth calling those techs or shops up to see if the same tech is still around. If you drive that far, it might help to make an appointment with the good tech. You imply other people in your area aren't completely happy with the local skate techs, so maybe you could find someone to carpool with to the good tech.

If you windsurf, you must have really good balance. When I tried, I spent most of my time in the water. I have this mental picture of you skating on an ice pond with a sail. Though I admit that would be pretty hard to do in Florida...

 

[big_shiba]

Hi, and welcome to the world on ice! First we need to make sure you are in the right boots before we get to blades. Beginner adults need stronger boots than children, often the same boots that kids at the advanced level are using. The larger the adult, the stiffer the boots need to be even if the maker's ads say their Model X is "for those advanced skaters learning triples and quads". Boots the correct strength for you will help so much in giving you confidence on edges and turns.

Second-hand boots are, I'm afraid, virtually never a good idea, and if yours are breaking down already they need to be replaced for your safety. But with what? We need to know your foot shape as determined by your toe slant (or not), and a good fitter will measure your feet all around, not just from toe to heel in length like street shoes. I'm sure you know by now that your boots will be a smaller size than your street shoes, as they have to be very snug with no shifting of your feet inside, particularly at the heel. Do you have high/normal/low/flat arches? The different brands of boots are designed to fit different foot shapes, so Edeas or Jacksons may be right for your feet or may be not right at all. Give us some more stats like that, and that will narrow down the choice of the best brands to recommend.

I can't help about finding the best fitter in your area, as I live on the west coast of Canada, but there are others on GS who know shops all over the world and can suggest someone near you. (Just be patient, as some of the people who usually give that kind of advice are involved right now with the current big competitions -- 4 Continents and Olympics -- and not visiting GS as frequently as usual.)

Congratulations on having the right attitude to learning this new sport! It's so much easier to help someone with advice when they don't assume they're going to be learning triple jumps by the end of their first season . Good luck!

Hi, thank you so much for your encouragement! I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thorough reply.

For me, honestly, it’s just about wanting to progress. I know it won’t be easy, but that’s actually why I like this sport so much. It’s challenging, and the challenge is what makes it rewarding. I joke sometimes that I’d skate in pre-made Amazon skates if that were what helped me improve in the long term. Obviously, that would not be ideal, but I’m very focused on learning correctly rather than rushing anything.

As for my feet, my foot shape is apparently "Roman Foot shape" with a wide, square forefoot (first three toes are very similar in length). My arches are very low / functionally flat, and I have significant pronation, especially on the left side (it just gave up on supporting me I guess, lol). My feet tend to spread under load, and I do better in boots with a wider toe box and strong support inside rather than narrow or highly tapered shapes. The tapered shapes, I notice, make me go too forward (if that makes sense).

In practice, I’ve felt much more stable and centered in Jackson boots as compared to the Edeas, which felt unstable for me unless I used very padded insoles and, even so, I would still pronate. Overall, I seem to benefit from structural support and a traditional boot shape rather than very lightweight or highly responsive setups.

I’ve never tried Risports, but I do feel that the Jackson 5320 helped my pronation significantly. I really like how sturdy it is; I’ve even had some more advanced skaters comment, half-jokingly, about how I was moving such a solid boot. That stability has been really important for me as a very tall adult beginner.

And I completely agree with you that a good fitter is paramount. Unfortunately, where I live it’s very difficult to find a truly experienced fitter, and I’m trying to be careful about not continuously spending money when the sport is already so expensive. But I absolutely understand the importance of proper fit and support. I will check back here after the competitions are over and, hopefully, someone can indicate a good FL fitter for me.

Thank you again for the encouragement!! It genuinely means a lot!

 

[big_shiba]

Hi. It sounds like you were definitely overbooted and overbladed. And put in a brand of boot that is not right for your foot shape.

Can you let us know your foot shape? And also about your arches: very high/high/normal/low/flat? Do you overpronate or oversupinate? This info will be very helpful for us to give you suggestions on proper boot brands and blades.

Good luck!

Hello!


My foot shape is best described as a Roman foot shape, with a wide, square forefoot where the first three toes are very similar in length. My arches are very low to functionally flat, and I have significant pronation, especially on the left side. My feet also tend to spread under load.

I’ve found that I do much better in boots with a wider toe box and strong support on the inside, rather than narrow or highly tapered shapes. With more tapered boots, I tend to feel pushed too far forward on the blade, if that makes sense.

And yes, I definitely overpronate, particularly on the left side!

Thank you so much for your time and willingness to help!

 

[big_shiba]

A lot of us have been willing to travel a fair number of hours each way to find good skate techs. It sounds like your fitter and skate sharpener may have made a number of mistakes - pronation is something anyone good could likely have dealt with.

Also, if a skate tech sharpens your skates wrong, they could lose the abrupt change of curvature that makes it possible to feel where the transition is. Alternately they can emphasize the change so you can feel it. It's quite possible your skate tech messed all that up. Though it could also be that the change of curvature, between the main rocker and spin rocker, was too far forward or back on your old skates - something a real expert can modify too.

So even if you have to travel a few hours each way, it might be worth it, if that is at all possible. If you have badly fit boots or possibly badly sharpened or mounted blades, you could possibly injure yourself. Even if you don't, you could waste a lot of time compensating for badly fit boots, incorrectly mounted blades, or badly sharpened blades. If you are serious about this, it's worth finding a real expert.

You can search this sub-forum for "Florida":

https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/search/121423/?q=florida&t=post&c[child_nodes]=1&c[nodes][0]=978&o=relevance

I just checked - some of those threads mention skate techs that people have been happy with. Granted, they are over 2 years old, but it's worth calling those techs or shops up to see if the same tech is still around. If you drive that far, it might help to make an appointment with the good tech. You imply other people in your area aren't completely happy with the local skate techs, so maybe you could find someone to carpool with to the good tech.

If you windsurf, you must have really good balance. When I tried, I spent most of my time in the water. I have this mental picture of you skating on an ice pond with a sail. Though I admit that would be pretty hard to do in Florida...

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this, I really appreciate it! You make a very good point about sharpening, mounting, and rocker transitions potentially playing a much bigger role than I initially thought, beyond just the boots or blades themselves. I will definitely look around more and ask people locally, and I have already accepted that I may need to drive a few hours to find the right skate tech, hahaha.

I do get the sense that people around me are not entirely happy with the skate fitting situation in this region, so it may simply be a matter of finding the right person rather than assuming it cannot be done. With my day job, time is a bit limited, but I am willing to invest the time needed to find a real answer instead of continuing to guess. If needed, I would even be willing to travel out of state. I would much rather do this properly than risk wasting time and money or compensating for equipment issues.

And yes, the windsurfing background definitely helps! Balance has been one of the few things that has felt fairly solid for me so far. My spins came relatively naturally, even at the Basic 4 or 5 level, and I rarely fall. When I do start to lose balance, I can usually recover. I will take that as a small win, even if the rest of the sport has been living rent free in my head lately hahaha Thank you again for the suggestions, they gave me a lot to think about!!

 

[tstop4me]

My arches are very low / functionally flat, and I have significant pronation, especially on the left side (it just gave up on supporting me I guess, lol).

Follow-up question. Have your arches always been low? Or were they once normal or high and have since fallen?

 

[big_shiba]

Follow-up question. Have your arches always been low? Or were they once normal or high and have since fallen?

Hello!

As far as I can remember, they have always been low.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Hi, thank you so much for your encouragement! I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thorough reply.

For me, honestly, it’s just about wanting to progress. I know it won’t be easy, but that’s actually why I like this sport so much. It’s challenging, and the challenge is what makes it rewarding. I joke sometimes that I’d skate in pre-made Amazon skates if that were what helped me improve in the long term. Obviously, that would not be ideal, but I’m very focused on learning correctly rather than rushing anything.

As for my feet, my foot shape is apparently "Roman Foot shape" with a wide, square forefoot (first three toes are very similar in length). My arches are very low / functionally flat, and I have significant pronation, especially on the left side (it just gave up on supporting me I guess, lol). My feet tend to spread under load, and I do better in boots with a wider toe box and strong support inside rather than narrow or highly tapered shapes. The tapered shapes, I notice, make me go too forward (if that makes sense).

In practice, I’ve felt much more stable and centered in Jackson boots as compared to the Edeas, which felt unstable for me unless I used very padded insoles and, even so, I would still pronate. Overall, I seem to benefit from structural support and a traditional boot shape rather than very lightweight or highly responsive setups.

I’ve never tried Risports, but I do feel that the Jackson 5320 helped my pronation significantly. I really like how sturdy it is; I’ve even had some more advanced skaters comment, half-jokingly, about how I was moving such a solid boot. That stability has been really important for me as a very tall adult beginner.

And I completely agree with you that a good fitter is paramount. Unfortunately, where I live it’s very difficult to find a truly experienced fitter, and I’m trying to be careful about not continuously spending money when the sport is already so expensive. But I absolutely understand the importance of proper fit and support. I will check back here after the competitions are over and, hopefully, someone can indicate a good FL fitter for me.

Thank you again for the encouragement!! It genuinely means a lot!

Very quick first follow-up (Four Continents started today, so my day is structured around the broadcast): I wore Jacksons for many years, but had to switch to Risport when Jackson changed the design of their last and made the toebox much too roomy for my thin Egyptian feet. So it may be that it is one of the brands you should be trying. Jacksons, that is, not Risports. As for your appropriate model and stiffness, I haven't got that far yet in thinking .......

 

[Query]

Hopefully someone in the know will get back to you on currently recommended Florida skate techs (fitting, blade mounting and sharpening, modifying boots).

If not, the search I suggested includes past responses from people like Ic3Rabbit, an elite coach, who made some replies in

S

Thread 'Skate sharpening in South Florida?'

Nov 13, 2023

Hello! I recently moved to the Miami area, and would appreciate any advice for reliable skate sharpeners in reasonable proximity. The closest rink to me is Kendall Ice Rink which offers figure skate sharpening, but I would be willing to drive further to make sure my blades are correctly sharpened.

And/or fitters would be great as well, as my adult feet have unexpectedly grown a full size over the past year. I heard of Tim who may be at Wesley Chapel, which is about a 5 hour drive each way. Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thank you!

• shumaislife
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Boots and Blades

Based on her responses and other people's posts, there seem to be a couple well recommended skate techs in Florida. I know it sounds crazy that there might be only a couple good ones in the entire state - but figure skating is a small world, and the needs are specialized.

I already mentioned blade modifications that a good skate tech can do. (But forgot to mention that bad skate techs sometimes create uneven and/or wavy edges, that can affect skating a lot.)

Balance and arch support - including pronation - can sometimes be dealt with several ways, without ordering new boots
*By changing the position and alignment of the blade mount. Any skate tech worth their salt can do this. It is relatively fast and easy to do, but at least in my case, it adversely affected spin balance. I eventually decided I like better changing the shape of the insole to approximately equalize the pressure across the bottoms of my feet - though it is conceivable, since you say you have strong pronation, that equalized pressure isn't optimal for you.
*By changing the shape of the inside of the boot. Perhaps by doing a heat mold, and/or stretching the material of the boot. And/or by making or modifying the insole of your boot. Or by sticking some type of adhesive foam like moleskin onto the insides of the boot. Sometimes there is space to do this, sometimes there isn't. Unfortunately many skate techs won't go beyond a basic heat mold, and some can't do that.

One can learn to do all these things oneself - but it sounds like you aren't ready to do these things yet, because you aren't sure what to do. It requires a lot of experimenting to get it "right".

Some people go to a podiatrist or orthotist (a good skate tech might be able to recommend one) - but quite a few of them (most??) aren't all that knowledgeable about skating. And, if your insurance doesn't cover the the visit, it can be expensive, and some people say they required multiple visits.

Arch support, AFAICT, is somewhat similar to balance, in terms of solutions, and in terms of who knows how to do it. Though a heat mold of the boot only affects the uppers, not the footbed. (There are heat moldable "insoles", "inserts" and "orthotics", and some people find they work. I prefer to modify shape with tape or cut my own, and I bought tools to stretch my own boots.)

But I spent years experimenting, and was desperate enough to risk damaging the boots. In the long run I got bone spurs, which might or might not have occurred if I had had less snug boots at the toes, snugger heels, and with less upwards curved footbeds. And there is still a lot I don't know.

If you are in a hurry, a competent pro can give you a proper fit a lot faster. Also, different tools and techniques may be needed for different boot materials. And some boot materials can't un-stretch.

For some reason boot and blade manufacturers, including high end ones, don't consistently manufacture boot and blade shapes the same for a given model and specified measurements. Good skate tech modify shapes to compensate, and/or return overly defective boots or blades.

Do windsurfers also sometimes modify the shape of their board tops to fit their feet, or change their balance? Did you already learned such techniques for that sport?

BTW, not all skaters want or need the same fit. E.g., many skaters use their toes during jumps. And not all people have the same joint anatomy and physiology. Podiatrists often warn against snug toes, and snug footwear in general, but optimizing performance and health aren't always the same thing, and people have different bodies and ways of dealing with their bodies.

Anyway, good luck! I hope you find one or more people who can help you with your current boots & body (you might as well bring both pairs, though Edeas aren't usually recommended for people with wide toes), or recommend other boots.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hello!


My foot shape is best described as a Roman foot shape, with a wide, square forefoot where the first three toes are very similar in length. My arches are very low to functionally flat, and I have significant pronation, especially on the left side. My feet also tend to spread under load.

I’ve found that I do much better in boots with a wider toe box and strong support on the inside, rather than narrow or highly tapered shapes. With more tapered boots, I tend to feel pushed too far forward on the blade, if that makes sense.

And yes, I definitely overpronate, particularly on the left side!

Thank you so much for your time and willingness to help!

Risport RF Pro line of skates: RF1 for you. Jackson Synergy Ignite.

Look into a standard version of MK Pro or John Wilson Coronation Ace for the blade.

As far as your pronation issues are concerned: You need to see a podiatrist that could help you with this. You will need orthotics for your skate boots.

Good luck!

 

[IceM]

I'll try to give you tips point by point.

1. You were a blade size down from the "recommended" on your Ice Flys. Shorter blade = quicker turns, but less balance.

2. You current Jacksons has a recommended blade size (assuming US ladies 9), and the Jackson boot has a lower heel lift, which suggests you're better on a more flat boot like Jackson. If the boot fits you, don't fix what's not broken; stay on low heel boots like Jackson, Riedell, or Graf (so no Risports, which have a similar heel to Edeas).

3. You're not "overbladed". Overblading isn't a thing, there are just different blades for different preferences. Your current Pinnacle blades have just decent sized toepicks, which are made for jumps. If you plan on jumping, they are fine for you. They do have a slight heel lift though, which again might cause you to feel less balanced on them. The best alternative for you would be John Wilson Gold Seal (flat main rocker, with an aggressive short radius rocker in the front that is good for finding the sweet spot in spins, they are also long with no heel lift, meaning you will feel most balanced on them in the way you describe). Also, because of your height, you're better off with the higher stanchion height (so no to Coronation Aces or MK Pros, which are fine blades, but you will not feel more balanced on them, but the opposite, and if you can spin on the Pinnacles, you don't need to go on Aces/Pros to learn spins; Gold Seals will be better for you there too).

4. For your pronation, if it is significant, the first fix is to get corrective insoles. Second fix is to adjust blade position to compensate (but this comes with compromises; if insole alone is enough, then that's better than having to make major adjustments to blade alignment). But it's important you get them from somewhere where they have experience making corrective insoles for ice skating, specifically.

5. Before you get said insoles, get your blade alignment checked. If you can hold a power drill in your hand, you can make adjustments yourself. Mark the blade position and move it to the inside in small increments until the blade feels good to you. If you can have a tech or a coach accompany you on the ice and make the adjustments for you, and make the temporary mount for doing this, removing any "permanent" mounting screws (you should have only two screws both front and back per blade for adjustments), then that's the proper way to mount the blades.

And overall, remember that you haven't skated that long. Changing equipment is rarely the answer, but in your case low heel boots like Jackson and a blade like Gold Seal (Pinnacle being the next best option) is probably going to be best for you, both now and in the long run.

Hope this helps, and good luck!