Jackson Debuts killed my ankle | Golden Skate

Jackson Debuts killed my ankle

GracieGoldIsBAE

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
So i've recently bought a new pair of the Jackson men's Debut, because my last pair of skates were too big. Got them heat molded, they fit like a dream.
I skated in Edea Choruses before, could land singles, toe/loop combos, was training for the axel.

Soo... The debuts are rated for singles (50-55 stiffness) and the Choruses are rated for doubles (70 stiffness).
However, my Debuts are actually much much stiffer than my Edeas, they are even stiffer than my friend's brand new Ice Flys. Which is... Kinda weird?

I kinda feel like there is not enough paddig in the new skates. Especially around the ankle area, its even thinner there. After a few sessions of skating in them, my ankles were extremely painful, especially my right inside ankle (which gets the most pressure on landings and lutz/flip picks). I've tried using soft memory foam pieces inside my skates, foam balls cut to shape to protect my ankles, but nothing helped. I've had them for 1.5 months now, and they feel nice and broken in everywhere. I get a nice knee bend, but if i do, my ankles start hurting immediately. If i do a lutz, my right picking leg's ankle hurts like hell both on picking and landing. Even footwork hurts now. Or basic gliding.

I've reached a level where i cant put my right skate on or it hurts like hell. I'm taking a heal break now, a month or two, but gonna need a solution after that.

Any advice?:/
 

tstop4me

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Country
United-States
As has been mentioned many times here, there are no industry standards for boot stiffness. Each manufacturer cooks up its own scale; you can't compare numbers from different manufacturers.

You can try having ankle pockets punched out (during heat molding) around your ankle bones. This will allow room to insert thicker foam padding in those areas. For trial, attach the foam with double-sided sticky tape. If it works, glue the foam in place. Cover the exposed surface of the foam (that contacts your ankle) with moleskin for better wear resistance.

What foam have you been using? I like ultrasoft/very-soft Poron for padding.
 

silver.blades

Medalist
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Country
Canada
You can try gel socks to help with the ankle pain, but it might just be your foot doesn't like the boot. I skated in Jacksons for 10 years and they always hurt my ankles. I have scars from them digging into my legs, but I'm hard on my skates and I needed a stiff boot (Jacksons are harder than the equivalent in other brands), so I stayed in them. Switched to Reidells about 5 years ago and they are much nicer to my ankles. I break them down super fast though.
 

Sibelius

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
So i've recently bought a new pair of the Jackson men's Debut, because my last pair of skates were too big. Got them heat molded, they fit like a dream.
I skated in Edea Choruses before, could land singles, toe/loop combos, was training for the axel.

Soo... The debuts are rated for singles (50-55 stiffness) and the Choruses are rated for doubles (70 stiffness).
However, my Debuts are actually much much stiffer than my Edeas, they are even stiffer than my friend's brand new Ice Flys. Which is... Kinda weird?

I kinda feel like there is not enough paddig in the new skates. Especially around the ankle area, its even thinner there. After a few sessions of skating in them, my ankles were extremely painful, especially my right inside ankle (which gets the most pressure on landings and lutz/flip picks). I've tried using soft memory foam pieces inside my skates, foam balls cut to shape to protect my ankles, but nothing helped. I've had them for 1.5 months now, and they feel nice and broken in everywhere. I get a nice knee bend, but if i do, my ankles start hurting immediately. If i do a lutz, my right picking leg's ankle hurts like hell both on picking and landing. Even footwork hurts now. Or basic gliding.

I've reached a level where i cant put my right skate on or it hurts like hell. I'm taking a heal break now, a month or two, but gonna need a solution after that.

Any advice?:/

FYI, Jackson has changed the rating on the Debuts depending on your weight.

https://jacksonultima.com/pages/jackson-fit-guide

I've long been told that they were much stiffer than they were rated for. I think Jackson did a disservice in derating them to singles only. My skater is small (80 lbs) and has been in them over a year (two pairs) without issue. She's now working on 2s, 2t, 2Lo, and 2F. We're moving to the Premiere soon because she doesn't think she has enough support in them. I guess she just likes a stiffer boot.
 

Nimyue

On the Ice
Joined
May 15, 2018
I wear Jacksons and this is my main complaint with them. They are really skimping on padding in the ankle area on EVERY model. If you can believe it, my custom $900 Elite 5200s have LESS padding than the Freestyles $300 boot/blade combo. I'm a little peeved to be honest.

I paid my fitter to deconstruct them and add padding. Though most fitters won't have the skill for this, so T-Stops solution is your best bet.
 
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