High volume, narrow heel, roman foot | Golden Skate

High volume, narrow heel, roman foot

marsde

Spectator
Joined
May 12, 2024
Hi, I’m in desperate need of advice.
I currently skate in Risport RF3 pro and have had them for 2.5years. I’ve been jumping on them since Jan 2023, with about 6 months off due to injury. Currently working on flip. The narrow heel is on my left foot which is also my landing foot. (Leftie skater). my feet are: one foot has a super narrow heel + super higher arch and semi normal ball and the other has regular heel, high but lower than the other arch and wider ball. my instep is thick (high volume feet).

I have the following issues:
(1)Heel slipping:
The past 9 months or so I’ve been noticing really annoying heel slippage (mainly in the left heel, which I’ve been able to partly address by inserting heel grips and using bunga pads. However, I still need to tie my skates really tight in order for my heel to stick in place and for it to be tight enough around my ankle and when I do so, the skates kill my instep.

(2) pain in in-step- I struggle to get my skates tight enough for my heel not to slip, the best case outcome is that only my instep cramps up, and my whole foot goes numb, but the worst case scenario is my instep terribly hurting. I tried using a thinner insole but that ended up in hurting me around the sides of the ball of my foot because my feet are a bit wide and the lower part of the boot wasnt wide enough for my food so i put the insole back in so that it puts my foot in the right part of the boot..

(3) Movement in skate - when i try split tying my skates - tying my ankle super tight and then looser for the rest of the foot, i feel like my foot moves inside my skate too much. the instep on my right foot is lower and i end up with too much movement with my toes (toe box a bit too high i guess) which (1) is annoying and (2) and when i go on my outside edge, my foot moves inside.

I tried inserting foam tongue liners per advice of someone on this forum in another post and I changed the way I tie my skates to make it less lose at the top (when I get it tight enough it loosens really quickly - I changed my laces a couple of weeks ago and that didn’t help).

So I guess what I’m looking for is

(1) is there anything else you’d recommend I try ?

(2) And if not, what skates should I get..?

My skate tech said he thinks my current skates are perfect for my foot shape and suggested that we potentially get a narrow fit next time and punch it out in the wider foot. I’m not sure if that’ll work..

Other brands: the tech told me that Edea skates, even though they are good for narrow heels, do not have enough wrap to accommodate the volume of my foot (high arch but also quite thick instep). he doesnt stock Jacksons so hasnt been able to advise on these. I've only ever skated in risport (used RF4 before for a few years)

I’m very desperate at this point. Please help?
 
Last edited:

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
If Risport isn't going to work. You could also look into Riedell and Graf. But know if you are getting stock boots that one boot is always going to have to be adjusted unless you are at a point in your skating where custom boots would work best for you (know that they are very expensive).
 

Diana Delafield

Frequent flyer
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2022
Country
Canada
Hi, I’m in desperate need of advice.
I currently skate in Risport RF3 pro and have had them for 2.5years. I’ve been jumping on them since Jan 2023, with about 6 months off due to injury. Currently working on flip. The narrow heel is on my left foot which is also my landing foot. (Leftie skater). my feet are: one foot has a super narrow heel + super higher arch and semi normal ball and the other has regular heel, high but lower than the other arch and wider ball. my instep is thick (high volume feet).

I have the following issues:
(1)Heel slipping:
The past 9 months or so I’ve been noticing really annoying heel slippage (mainly in the left heel, which I’ve been able to partly address by inserting heel grips and using bunga pads. However, I still need to tie my skates really tight in order for my heel to stick in place and for it to be tight enough around my ankle and when I do so, the skates kill my instep.

(2) pain in in-step- I struggle to get my skates tight enough for my heel not to slip, the best case outcome is that only my instep cramps up, and my whole foot goes numb, but the worst case scenario is my instep terribly hurting. I tried using a thinner insole but that ended up in hurting me around the sides of the ball of my foot because my feet are a bit wide and the lower part of the boot wasnt wide enough for my food so i put the insole back in so that it puts my foot in the right part of the boot..

(3) Movement in skate - when i try split tying my skates - tying my ankle super tight and then looser for the rest of the foot, i feel like my foot moves inside my skate too much. the instep on my right foot is lower and i end up with too much movement with my toes (toe box a bit too high i guess) which (1) is annoying and (2) and when i go on my outside edge, my foot moves inside.

I tried inserting foam tongue liners per advice of someone on this forum in another post and I changed the way I tie my skates to make it less lose at the top (when I get it tight enough it loosens really quickly - I changed my laces a couple of weeks ago and that didn’t help).

So I guess what I’m looking for is

(1) is there anything else you’d recommend I try ?

(2) And if not, what skates should I get..?

My skate tech said he thinks my current skates are perfect for my foot shape and suggested that we potentially get a narrow fit next time and punch it out in the wider foot. I’m not sure if that’ll work..

Other brands: the tech told me that Edea skates, even though they are good for narrow heels, do not have enough wrap to accommodate the volume of my foot (high arch but also quite thick instep). he doesnt stock Jacksons so hasnt been able to advise on these. I've only ever skated in risport (used RF4 before for a few years)

I’m very desperate at this point. Please help?
I used to know someone who had lost part of one foot in a climbing accident with the remainder left slightly twisted. He was active in a variety of sports that needed specialized equipment. I don't know what he did about his other sports, but for his figure skating he had a fitter determine the correct brand to fit his undamaged foot. Then he had the same company make him a custom boot for his partial foot. It was expensive, but he seemed to think it was worth it.

But first make sure Risport are still the best boots for you on the whole, as either your feet or the brand may have changed over the years. I wore Jacksons for many years, but their style changed, so I switched to Risport RF1 and also have a pair of Riedell 2010 Fusions for backup.
 

marsde

Spectator
Joined
May 12, 2024
Are you sure your boots aren't sized too long?
I don’t think that’s the issue - my normal shoe size is a 6-6.5 and my skate size is 260 which apparently corresponds to a uk 5.5. I did think the same and asked the tech again but he confirmed that he put me in a skate which, if anything, might be small (I don’t think it is too small) (source: https://skaterslanding.com/pages/risport-boot-size-chart)
 

hope_skate

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 31, 2024
Country
Russia
I don’t think that’s the issue - my normal shoe size is a 6-6.5 and my skate size is 260 which apparently corresponds to a uk 5.5. I did think the same and asked the tech again but he confirmed that he put me in a skate which, if anything, might be small (I don’t think it is too small) (source: https://skaterslanding.com/pages/risport-boot-size-chart)
did the tech measure your foot or did he just give you the skate based on the size you told him? because often the conversion may not be the most accurate.
 

marsde

Spectator
Joined
May 12, 2024
If Risport isn't going to work. You could also look into Riedell and Graf. But know if you are getting stock boots that one boot is always going to have to be adjusted unless you are at a point in your skating where custom boots would work best for you (know that they are very expensive).
I have considered customs so many times but the price tag is quite insane.. if I can make my current skates last another year then I’ll probably go for customs if I cannot find a better stock option.
I have considered riedell but I think the toe box shape wouldn’t work (they look quite narrow and tapered at the front but my toes are Roman shaped). With Graf, I don’t have much experience with the brand, do you know by any chance which skate would be at a similar level to rf3 pro? To go by prices, I can see some much cheaper than the rf3s and some much more expensive so I’m assuming neither is for a similar level. I’m a beginner skater doing singles but I’m also quite tall (5”10) and heavy (75kg) so need something more supportive than the average skater doing singles (the support of my current skates is fine, I never had any issues with knee bend etc)
 

marsde

Spectator
Joined
May 12, 2024
did the tech measure your foot or did he just give you the skate based on the size you told him? because often the conversion may not be the most accurate.
He measured it - when I bought the skates he did it manually but now he has a 3d foot scanner that gives you all measurements and when I asked him to double check my size, this machine also confirmed the size was right apparently
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
I have considered customs so many times but the price tag is quite insane.. if I can make my current skates last another year then I’ll probably go for customs if I cannot find a better stock option.
I have considered riedell but I think the toe box shape wouldn’t work (they look quite narrow and tapered at the front but my toes are Roman shaped). With Graf, I don’t have much experience with the brand, do you know by any chance which skate would be at a similar level to rf3 pro? To go by prices, I can see some much cheaper than the rf3s and some much more expensive so I’m assuming neither is for a similar level. I’m a beginner skater doing singles but I’m also quite tall (5”10) and heavy (75kg) so need something more supportive than the average skater doing singles (the support of my current skates is fine, I never had any issues with knee bend etc)
My post was supposed to say Riedell would become an option if you were going the custom route. Otherwise, no I would have never suggested their stock boot to you with that foot type.

Graf: F4000 or Richmond Special, I would be more likely to suggest the RS to you bc of height/weight stats.
 

silverlily1

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 25, 2023
I don’t think that’s the issue - my normal shoe size is a 6-6.5 and my skate size is 260 which apparently corresponds to a uk 5.5. I did think the same and asked the tech again but he confirmed that he put me in a skate which, if anything, might be small (I don’t think it is too small) (source: https://skaterslanding.com/pages/risport-boot-size-chart)
My search is coming up that uk 5.5 = north american 7.5 women's = 235-245 mm.

So I'm confused.

I wear about an 8-8.5 north american shoe and fit size 260 skates. They fit me properly. And no, you shouldn't do the comparison/conversion that way, I'm just using it as a bit of a reality check.

This seems to be telling me that your skates are several sizes too big. But I could be making a mistake somewhere.
 

WednesdayMarch

Nicer When Fed
Medalist
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Country
United-Kingdom
Hi, I’m in desperate need of advice.
I currently skate in Risport RF3 pro and have had them for 2.5years. I’ve been jumping on them since Jan 2023, with about 6 months off due to injury. Currently working on flip. The narrow heel is on my left foot which is also my landing foot. (Leftie skater). my feet are: one foot has a super narrow heel + super higher arch and semi normal ball and the other has regular heel, high but lower than the other arch and wider ball. my instep is thick (high volume feet).

I have the following issues:
(1)Heel slipping:
The past 9 months or so I’ve been noticing really annoying heel slippage (mainly in the left heel, which I’ve been able to partly address by inserting heel grips and using bunga pads. However, I still need to tie my skates really tight in order for my heel to stick in place and for it to be tight enough around my ankle and when I do so, the skates kill my instep.

(2) pain in in-step- I struggle to get my skates tight enough for my heel not to slip, the best case outcome is that only my instep cramps up, and my whole foot goes numb, but the worst case scenario is my instep terribly hurting. I tried using a thinner insole but that ended up in hurting me around the sides of the ball of my foot because my feet are a bit wide and the lower part of the boot wasnt wide enough for my food so i put the insole back in so that it puts my foot in the right part of the boot..

(3) Movement in skate - when i try split tying my skates - tying my ankle super tight and then looser for the rest of the foot, i feel like my foot moves inside my skate too much. the instep on my right foot is lower and i end up with too much movement with my toes (toe box a bit too high i guess) which (1) is annoying and (2) and when i go on my outside edge, my foot moves inside.

I tried inserting foam tongue liners per advice of someone on this forum in another post and I changed the way I tie my skates to make it less lose at the top (when I get it tight enough it loosens really quickly - I changed my laces a couple of weeks ago and that didn’t help).

So I guess what I’m looking for is

(1) is there anything else you’d recommend I try ?

(2) And if not, what skates should I get..?

My skate tech said he thinks my current skates are perfect for my foot shape and suggested that we potentially get a narrow fit next time and punch it out in the wider foot. I’m not sure if that’ll work..

Other brands: the tech told me that Edea skates, even though they are good for narrow heels, do not have enough wrap to accommodate the volume of my foot (high arch but also quite thick instep). he doesnt stock Jacksons so hasnt been able to advise on these. I've only ever skated in risport (used RF4 before for a few years)

I’m very desperate at this point. Please help?
I would try popping in an arch support (little half moon shaped things, easily obtained via Amazon) to see if that helps. You may only need to use one for the foot that is giving the problem, although I found that using them in both skates made me feel more balanced. It will help with the arch pain and also keep your slipping foot back and the heel in place. It's definitely worth a try before you start on the route of new and possibly custom boots.
 

marsde

Spectator
Joined
May 12, 2024
My search is coming up that uk 5.5 = north american 7.5 women's = 235-245 mm.

So I'm confused.

I wear about an 8-8.5 north american shoe and fit size 260 skates. They fit me properly. And no, you shouldn't do the comparison/conversion that way, I'm just using it as a bit of a reality check.

This seems to be telling me that your skates are several sizes too big. But I could be making a mistake somewhere.
Hmm I’m not sure! When I check, a 5.5uk comes up as 8 US women’s, with 8.5 USW being a 6 in the UK. So I think your street shoe size is 5.5-6 in the UK and my street size is 6-6.5 (8.5-9US women’s), so technically my skates should be slightly larger than yours even though they’re the same size. The sizing of skates is a bit confusing though..
 

marsde

Spectator
Joined
May 12, 2024
I would try popping in an arch support (little half moon shaped things, easily obtained via Amazon) to see if that helps. You may only need to use one for the foot that is giving the problem, although I found that using them in both skates made me feel more balanced. It will help with the arch pain and also keep your slipping foot back and the heel in place. It's definitely worth a try before you start on the route of new and possibly custom boots.
Thank you! Funnily enough, I bought some arch supports yesterday and they’re coming today (I saw a post on this forum where someone recommended sticking them with Velcro onto a thin insole so going to try that).

I also bought the yellow super feet insoles (for hockey) and tried skating with them this morning. While it helped a bit with one arch, I couldn’t wear it in the other skate as it moved my heel up too much and I couldn’t lock my heel in because of that so I put the old insole back in.

Hopefully the arch support trick works a bit better than these insoles
 

marsde

Spectator
Joined
May 12, 2024
My post was supposed to say Riedell would become an option if you were going the custom route. Otherwise, no I would have never suggested their stock boot to you with that foot type.

Graf: F4000 or Richmond Special, I would be more likely to suggest the RS to you bc of height/weight stats.
Thank you for clarifying and for the recommendation! Really appreciate it!
 

tuleytoes

Spectator
Joined
Oct 21, 2023
Hmm I’m not sure! When I check, a 5.5uk comes up as 8 US women’s, with 8.5 USW being a 6 in the UK. So I think your street shoe size is 5.5-6 in the UK and my street size is 6-6.5 (8.5-9US women’s), so technically my skates should be slightly larger than yours even though they’re the same size. The sizing of skates is a bit confusing though..
The size chart you posted shows the junior sizes for both UK and US women so it's a bit confusing. Usually you can tell if a skate is too large if the footprint on your insole shows more than 5 mm in front of your toes otherwise it's probably the right length. Hope you figure this out!
 

marsde

Spectator
Joined
May 12, 2024
The size chart you posted shows the junior sizes for both UK and US women so it's a bit confusing. Usually you can tell if a skate is too large if the footprint on your insole shows more than 5 mm in front of your toes otherwise it's probably the right length. Hope you figure this out!
I think the sizes marked in pink are the junior sizes and the white boxes are standard adult sizes (makes sense for UK sizing). The imprint on my insoles is very unclear as I skate in beige socks so nothing rubs off to make it clear but the slight indent seems to suggest I have about 6mm from the tip of my big toe to the end of the insole and about 1cm on the other side for the other toes. It’s very difficult to tell though so I might be wrong.
When I stand on it on the floor with my heel at the very back, I can broadly see what’s above my finger in the photo : https://ibb.co/BrNKW5T
 

IceM

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 15, 2024
Bake the skates, and press the heel in while wearing them.

There are also thermoformable insoles without a raised heel that might be worth a shot, since the superfeet helped with the arch (FootBalance QuickFit Control as an example).

If I interpret that picture correctly, it does look like the size is on the larger side, which might be contributing to your problems. The toes should usually reach almost the end of the insole. I would personally definitely wear a smaller size, but I like a snug fit anyways. In the future, getting a narrower boot with punching/stretching as needed is the better option, as fixing a loose ankle is much harder.

I wish you luck getting the issue fixed!
 
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