Boot problems …

[mayo]

Hello! I got my own skates quite a while ago and for the first few months they were great! But recently i’ve been having more and more problems and uncovered a lot while trying to fix them. preface: I will be going to my fitter to get help esp since they do free adjustments, but i just wanted some more advice!

First, about me. I have flat foot (that’s right, just one LOL) and semi wide feet. My right foot seems to be cursed in that it handles all the pain, it’s flat, and has an accessory navicular bone that swells up nearly every time i skate, and hurts enough that I have to sit out for a bit, which is why I wanted to fix it!

My skate fitter put me in slightly larger skates because of my wide feet, and now my foot is able to move around a bit in the skate and my heel isn’t locked in very well! I cannot afford getting new skates so soon, so I’m trying to make my Jackson Elles work until i get new ones I tie it tight at the ankle but if I jump enough, my foot loosens the laces and starts moving. That causes it’s own problems..

I have to scrunch my toes to keep my foot down, which absolutely devastates my arches. And the moving rubs my skates against the accessory bone and put it a bit too far forward, and it swells up and hurts.

I’ve gotten super feet yellows to address the flat foot and also hopefully help with foot locking/moving around, I’ll try that this weekend. I’m also going to get the hotspots for my accessory bone punched out and if possible, have my heel pinched so it locks easier! Anyone have any other experience or advice? I would love to skate painfree again, it’s been a while

 

[Vicki7]

Unfortunately you’re going to need new skates eventually. It’s going to be really hard to make those boots work for you.

Sizing up to accommodate wider feet is not the way to do it - Jackson offer wider fitting options, or sometimes, if it’s just one width, boots can be stretched in the problem areas (my skate tech did this with me - if I’d needed any wider I’d be in semi-customs or full customs).

I was put in a size larger to accommodate my wide feet by a previous fitter and once I went to a different fitter and got new skates, my skating improved as my feet weren’t moving around and my spin rocker was in the correct place.

 

[mayo]

Unfortunately you’re going to need new skates eventually. It’s going to be really hard to make those boots work for you.

Sizing up to accommodate wider feet is not the way to do it - Jackson offer wider fitting options, or sometimes, if it’s just one width, boots can be stretched in the problem areas (my skate tech did this with me - if I’d needed any wider I’d be in semi-customs or full customs).

I was put in a size larger to accommodate my wide feet by a previous fitter and once I went to a different fitter and got new skates, my skating improved as my feet weren’t moving around and my spin rocker was in the correct place.

Yeah, when I realized they were too big I knew I needed new ones but until I’ve actually broken down the skate or need more support I cannot justify getting a new one yet. Thank you for the advice though, I’ll keep that in mind when getting new boots!

 

[mayo]

Unfortunately you’re going to need new skates eventually. It’s going to be really hard to make those boots work for you.

Sizing up to accommodate wider feet is not the way to do it - Jackson offer wider fitting options, or sometimes, if it’s just one width, boots can be stretched in the problem areas (my skate tech did this with me - if I’d needed any wider I’d be in semi-customs or full customs).

I was put in a size larger to accommodate my wide feet by a previous fitter and once I went to a different fitter and got new skates, my skating improved as my feet weren’t moving around and my spin rocker was in the correct place.

Also, since it was only a half size larger it’s not so horrendously large that it’s causing issues other than the heel lock, do you think insoles like super feet could help fix the problem a bit?

 

[thisismynewsport]

You were inquiring about inline skates and was willing to spend $300 for those. Why not just sell your current skates and use the $300 for better fitting skates? Spending all that extra money on insoles and trying to make your boot smaller is not worth it in my opinion. Instead of inline figure skates I would invest in a spinner and do off ice training exercises. You can get free resources off YouTube. I’ve been doing a lot of off ice training and it’s been helping me a ton. I use to not be able to get my spirals very high for example and with lots of stretching I am able to get a nice extension. Also my spinner has been helping me correct my body position. I take videos of myself and watch them afterwards.

Also the time and money you are spending on lessons and ice time is not very productive if you are in constant pain. You will progress better with correct fitting skates.

 

[mayo]

You were inquiring about inline skates and was willing to spend $300 for those. Why not just sell your current skates and use the $300 for better fitting skates? Spending all that extra money on insoles and trying to make your boot smaller is not worth it in my opinion. Instead of inline figure skates I would invest in a spinner and do off ice training exercises. You can get free resources off YouTube. I’ve been doing a lot of off ice training and it’s been helping me a ton. I use to not be able to get my spirals very high for example and with lots of stretching I am able to get a nice extension. Also my spinner has been helping me correct my body position. I take videos of myself and watch them afterwards.

Also the time and money you are spending on lessons and ice time is not very productive if you are in constant pain. You will progress better with correct fitting skates.

Sorry if that misled you but that too was a future thing.. I can’t get either now, but I’m saving! I’m well aware this isn’t the most efficient solution, but I’m trying to just mitigate pain until my final solution of getting better fitting skates (and rest assured better ice skates are always my priority, since that’s what I enjoy the most, and inline would just be to help with that!)

Independent of that, do you think inline skates aren’t worth it in the long run, and that spinners and training at home fills that gap better? Thank you!

 

[tstop4me]

I’ve gotten super feet yellows to address the flat foot and also hopefully help with foot locking/moving around, I’ll try that this weekend.

Before I respond, have you tried out the Superfeet?

 

[mayo]

Before I respond, have you tried out the Superfeet?

I did! They hurt horrendously and horribly and that’s when I learned I have natural low arches and not collapsed arches so I exchanged them for superfeet black, and I’m trying those later.

 

[tstop4me]

Also, since it was only a half size larger it’s not so horrendously large that it’s causing issues other than the heel lock, do you think insoles like super feet could help fix the problem a bit?

<<Emphasis added.>>

OK. Unfortunately, proper heel lock is the most critical parameter for a proper fit. As you have learned unfortunately, your fitter approached your problem the wrong way. The heel of the boot is relatively rigid, and hard to adjust. The toe area is relatively more flexible, and easier to adjust. The proper approach is to make sure that the heel locks snugly as is, and then expand the toe area, if the difference in width is not too great. If the difference in width is too great for an adjustment, then you need to go with a semi-custom or custom split width, depending on the boot and the difference in width.

A corrective footbed such as a Superfeet likely won't help the heel fit, and may make it worse. The boot has a defined heel pocket, and the Superfeet (and many other off-the-shelf corrective footbeds) have a defined heel cup. The heel cup may interfere with the heel pocket (you can't tell until you try it). And the footbed may actually raise your heel enough that it doesn't get seated well in the pocket (again, you won't know until you try it).

Gluing pads inside the boot heel is not a good solution. Every time you put your foot in, you press against the lip of the pads, and they will come loose.

As you know by now, the best solution is to buy proper fitting boots. But if you really can't afford them, and want to try out some interim, best-effort fixes, then I would recommend the following:

* You can reduce the amount of up/down heel movement by inserting a foam tongue liner between the tongue and your foot. I have a previous post on that. If you're interested, let me know, and I'll look it up.

* To reduce side/side movement, you can apply moleskin or moleskin foam around the sides of the heel of your foot before putting on your sock. This is not a great solution. But if you can't buy proper boots right now, it's worth a shot.

* To get better control over lacing (especially if your laces are coming loose during a session), ditch the Jackson laces and switch to Derby Edge laces (https://derbylaces.com/product-category/derby-laces/waxed-edge-laces-4-5mm/).

 

[thisismynewsport]

Sorry if that misled you but that too was a future thing.. I can’t get either now, but I’m saving! I’m well aware this isn’t the most efficient solution, but I’m trying to just mitigate pain until my final solution of getting better fitting skates (and rest assured better ice skates are always my priority, since that’s what I enjoy the most, and inline would just be to help with that!)

Independent of that, do you think inline skates aren’t worth it in the long run, and that spinners and training at home fills that gap better? Thank you!

I can’t comment on inline figure skates but I have a lot of experience on rollers. Edges don’t feel the same at all to me, neither do spins or jumps. Personally I find off ice training and spinners are good tools. Like I mention in my previous post it helped me with posture and balance. I also started doing ballet and yoga - 3 weeks ago my spirals were totally garbage and now I can get my knee and foot fully extended and pointed. You can get spinners for relatively cheap but I use the Edea one. I know during the pandemic a lot of skaters were using inlines but it is very different from what I hear. I really believe in off ice training - it also helps me to reset and correct things without the pressure of being in a session.

 

[thisismynewsport]

<<Emphasis added.>>

OK. Unfortunately, proper heel lock is the most critical parameter for a proper fit. As you have learned unfortunately, your fitter approached your problem the wrong way. The heel of the boot is relatively rigid, and hard to adjust. The toe area is relatively more flexible, and easier to adjust. The proper approach is to make sure that the heel locks snugly as is, and then expand the toe area, if the difference in width is not too great. If the difference in width is too great for an adjustment, then you need to go with a semi-custom or custom split width, depending on the boot and the difference in width.

A corrective footbed such as a Superfeet likely won't help the heel fit, and may make it worse. The boot has a defined heel pocket, and the Superfeet (and many other off-the-shelf corrective footbeds) have a defined heel cup. The heel cup may interfere with the heel pocket (you can't tell until you try it). And the footbed may actually raise your heel enough that it doesn't get seated well in the pocket (again, you won't know until you try it).

Gluing pads inside the boot heel is not a good solution. Every time you put your foot in, you press against the lip of the pads, and they will come loose.

As you know by now, the best solution is to buy proper fitting boots. But if you really can't afford them, and want to try out some interim, best-effort fixes, then I would recommend the following:

* You can reduce the amount of up/down heel movement by inserting a foam tongue liner between the tongue and your foot. I have a previous post on that. If you're interested, let me know, and I'll look it up.

* To reduce side/side movement, you can apply moleskin or moleskin foam around the sides of the heel of your foot before putting on your sock. This is not a great solution. But if you can't buy proper boots right now, it's worth a shot.

* To get better control over lacing (especially if your laces are coming loose during a session), ditch the Jackson laces and switch to Derby Edge laces (https://derbylaces.com/product-category/derby-laces/waxed-edge-laces-4-5mm/).

I wonder if Jackson’s bunga type pads would be a good solution too. They are under $30 and it’s a like a half sock that is a couple mm thick. It may help with the heel lock too.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I wonder if Jackson’s bunga type pads would be a good solution too. They are under $30 and it’s a like a half sock that is a couple mm thick. It may help with the heel lock too.

I already suggested those to OP in DM.

 

[mayo]

<<Emphasis added.>>

OK. Unfortunately, proper heel lock is the most critical parameter for a proper fit. As you have learned unfortunately, your fitter approached your problem the wrong way. The heel of the boot is relatively rigid, and hard to adjust. The toe area is relatively more flexible, and easier to adjust. The proper approach is to make sure that the heel locks snugly as is, and then expand the toe area, if the difference in width is not too great. If the difference in width is too great for an adjustment, then you need to go with a semi-custom or custom split width, depending on the boot and the difference in width.

A corrective footbed such as a Superfeet likely won't help the heel fit, and may make it worse. The boot has a defined heel pocket, and the Superfeet (and many other off-the-shelf corrective footbeds) have a defined heel cup. The heel cup may interfere with the heel pocket (you can't tell until you try it). And the footbed may actually raise your heel enough that it doesn't get seated well in the pocket (again, you won't know until you try it).

Gluing pads inside the boot heel is not a good solution. Every time you put your foot in, you press against the lip of the pads, and they will come loose.

As you know by now, the best solution is to buy proper fitting boots. But if you really can't afford them, and want to try out some interim, best-effort fixes, then I would recommend the following:

* You can reduce the amount of up/down heel movement by inserting a foam tongue liner between the tongue and your foot. I have a previous post on that. If you're interested, let me know, and I'll look it up.

* To reduce side/side movement, you can apply moleskin or moleskin foam around the sides of the heel of your foot before putting on your sock. This is not a great solution. But if you can't buy proper boots right now, it's worth a shot.

* To get better control over lacing (especially if your laces are coming loose during a session), ditch the Jackson laces and switch to Derby Edge laces (https://derbylaces.com/product-category/derby-laces/waxed-edge-laces-4-5mm/).

I tried the super feet black and they really helped, luckily enough! They stopped up and down movement a lot, and I never really had a problem with side to side so that was good

However, my laces are quite old and probably not strong enough to hold my heel lock so I’ll try the laces! Does the ‘model’ of lace matter? I see some waxed laces and also some “spark” ones, are some better than the others or are they all basically the same? I’m guessing I need the core laces since those say they are made for figure skates, but what length should I get for Jacksons Women’s 6.5 skates?

 

[mayo]

Thank you all for the help and advice, I’ll keep this less permanent solution going until I go to a better fitter and get a new pair of skates (thank you ic3rabbit for the help on that front!) I’ve learned my lesson and that is to not settle for anything less than snug, well fitted boots

I really do appreciate it, y’all are very insightful and have a lot more specific answers than just the internet overall so I’m grateful for your time!

 

[tstop4me]

However, my laces are quite old and probably not strong enough to hold my heel lock so I’ll try the laces! Does the ‘model’ of lace matter? I see some waxed laces and also some “spark” ones, are some better than the others or are they all basically the same? I’m guessing I need the core laces since those say they are made for figure skates, but what length should I get for Jacksons Women’s 6.5 skates?

Don't get the SPARK laces. They are too wide and thick for figure skate boots; they also have an abrasive finish, not suitable for unreinforced eyelets. For figure skate boots, you have a choice of CORE or EDGE. They are made of the same material and have the same construction, except the CORE is slightly wider and thicker than the EDGE. Either will work for Jackson. It's a matter of personal preference. I've tried both, and I personally prefer the EDGE (a bit easier to thread through the eyelets and loop around the hooks). EDGE comes only in basic black, white, and tan. If you like crazy colors, then go with CORE. Are you in the US? If so, shipping charge for one pair is $4, but free if you buy two or more pairs. So you might as well order one EDGE and one CORE to try out.

For length, simply pull out one of your existing laces and measure its length in inches. If you're happy with the length you have, order one that's close to what you have. If it's shorter or longer than what you really like, order accordingly.