Possible Boot Issue?

[ACST2419]

Hi everyone! Thanks for having me here. I have a few questions I am hoping to get some counsel on.

I am an adult skater who started skating in the late summer of 2024. I am a female, about 5'10 1/2" or so, somewhere just shy of 179 cm. I weigh about 168 lbs/ 76.204 kg. I am not fat, but very solid, broader shoulders, wider hips, with little fat on my body and am very toned. I spent my life as an athlete in competitive ballet and dance, along with some competitive cheerleading/tumbling. I maintained a lot of the strength in my legs, core and back when I ended my dance career. I entered learn to skate at Basic 3, and by December 2024, entered Adult Pre-Bronze, having passed my test. I am now working on Bronze and train with my private coaches 4x per week, for an hour each session, and train all other days alone and after my private sessions too. On average, I log around 12-14 hours of skating per week, sometimes 16 hours. I started my skating journey in Jackson Freestyles with the Aspire XP blade. I then upgraded to the Legacy's. I have all 1/2 jumps, Waltz and Salchow. I am now working on adding single jumps, and am practicing my single Lutz after having mastered it previously as a 1/2.

Question 1: Recently, I noticed that after training heavily in jumps, my feet are experiencing a tingling sensation throughout the heel in particular and sometimes into the ball of the foot when I am done and remove my skates. It is not something I have noticed before at any point in my skating journey so far and also not something I felt when doing 1/2 jumps, or even the Waltz. The issue started when working on full rotations and utilizing more power and speed along with force as I take off. I know I am obviously jumping way higher now and using more speed for all jumps but especially toe pick jumps. Is this an issue with me, my skates, or just par for the course with slamming into the ice with greater force especially with the toe pick? Am I driving too firmly into the ice? None of my coaches have commented on how I jump other than that, I am an excellent jumper and they feel I will soon be in doubles, with a possibility of triples. My form is said to be correct, entrance, landing etc., I do not initially notice pain or discomfort on the ice. My skates feel like they're a part of my body. It's usually noticed only when I first take them off and subsides within a few minutes of stretching my feet, and walking around barefoot.

I am getting new boots as mine are beginning to break down already after just six months (quite sadly). There is significant creasing happening in the tongue near the ankle, and beginning indicators of creasing happening near the first lowest hook (ankle). My Edea Pianos are currently backordered, given the size of my foot which is a custom order. In the meantime, I patiently await my new boots.

Is there something I haven't considered? I have checked with my coach, and verified I am not laced too tightly, I am lacing correctly, and that the boot is fitted correctly. I do not have any injuries past or present, and do not have any irregularities with my feet. My feet are wide throughout the entire foot including the highest point of the girth of the foot. My boots are wide, and were fitted correctly after receiving them and adjusting them with our professional dealer/ fitter.

Question 2: I continue to struggle with any form of one foot spins. I naturally go too far up onto the toe pick. The thought was that the legacy blade would correct this. But for me, while this made an improvement, it did not correct the issue. I have horrible ballet feet, and continue to lift too far when spinning. This has been an impossible habit for me to break. While I have made incredible improvements, I am still extremely noisy and scratchy when doing spins. It has been my achilles heel so to speak. My joke with my coaches is that I will be soon working on a single axel and doubles when I can barely do a scratch spin or camel spin. When I enter my spins I start out great, but then the noise... and I naturally come out of it as I can't bare that sound. Any advice here? Whether on ice, off ice, blade or other... I am all ears. For me, it is a great point of frustration and one that makes me not want to compete, until I can perfect this issue as I feel horrifically embarrassed by it. Everyone else at my relative age and skill level spins so beautifully, albeit they struggle to jump at all. Mine is reversed and now I feel behind the curve, and as if something is wrong with me. My entire life of ballet demonstrated my beautiful turns, turn outs and so forth. I would have never imagined this would be my problem.

Sorry for the long post. I wanted to get all my Q's out so as to avoid more than one post. Thank you for all your help and feedback.

 

[Query]

I can't answer most of your questions. The tingling might even be something for a doctor to identify, if your coach and skate tech can't, and you can't figure it out for yourself.

But are you lacing tighter than you used to, because the boots are breaking down? And even though your coach says they aren't laced too tight, the tightness may impact you more because the boots are breaking down, so fairly tight lacing reshapes the boots and your feet more than they used to. (Unfortunately, if you lace too loosely, they break down faster. I guess you should just trust your coach.)

For the most part, breakdown creases can only form if there is space for them to form. I.E., if you place padding - e.g., foam tape, like moleskin - underneath the point on the boot where the crease starts to form, that will mostly stop crease formation. Once it has started creasing, you (or a good skate tech) may be able to press the crease out with a boot press, ball and ring pliers, or bunion stretcher, but if you still have low-pressure-of-contact place underneath the crease, it will form again.

Getting rid of low contact pressure points can extend the lifetime of boots significantly. But eventually, even there are no creases, they become so soft that they no longer provide adequate support and control. In which case they should still be considered broken down.

I think it is wonderful that you have made rapid progress. I have no doubt that your competitive ballet, cheerleading, etc. background has been very helpful.

I didn't know that you can order custom Edea boots... It isn't so obvious from their website. Or do you mean "instant custom", which means the pro shop can apply heat and pressure to stretch and reshape them a little bit, in places where the pressure is too high? Edea's website implies that all their skates have "instant custom fit". Your Jackson Freestyles also have "instant custom fit" (assuming they were heat molded - which, BTW, a good skate tech could redo, which might help - though the methods are a bit different. I'm only wondering, because it is somewhat unusual for someone to go from Jackson to Edea boots, because, from what I've been told, they each tend to work best for somewhat differently shaped feet. Since you've already ordered, I hope you got good advice on switching brands.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

OP, I'm confused how and why you are going from a Jackson that fit great to an Edea with feet like you describe. Also, if your foot fits a Jackson it shouldn't fit an Edea. And then an Edea Piano at that, which is pretty stiff and high rated for even everything you said you have done in your life and your background, as well as your height/weight and skating level. The way you describe your foot and it's needs you should have stayed in a Jackson (only gotten a stiffer boot) or a Risport, you may have even worked in a Graf.

As far as the blade is concerned-what blade is going to be on your new pianos?
A Legacy isn't going to be great for your spinning and needs. You'd be better off with a standard style MK Pro or John Wilson Coronation Ace.

As far as the issue you are experiencing with your foot tingling--have you considered the boots are pressing your feet wrongly especially when jumping and cutting off circulation even temporarily? Or that the boots just aren't supporting you enough period? Now that I look at what particular Jackson you are in, a Jackson Freestyle was never stiff enough for you from the get-go. But now you are switching to a Piano that's way too stiff. The other issue is that you are skating way too much for your level. You are training more than some elites do with on ice training. That's concerning and not good for your feet.

 

[ACST2419]

OP, I'm confused how and why you are going from a Jackson that fit great to an Edea with feet like you describe. Also, if your foot fits a Jackson it shouldn't fit an Edea. And then an Edea Piano at that, which is pretty stiff and high rated for even everything you said you have done in your life and your background, as well as your height/weight and skating level. The way you describe your foot and it's needs you should have stayed in a Jackson (only gotten a stiffer boot) or a Risport, you may have even worked in a Graf.

As far as the blade is concerned-what blade is going to be on your new pianos?
A Legacy isn't going to be great for your spinning and needs. You'd be better off with a standard style MK Pro or John Wilson Coronation Ace.

As far as the issue you are experiencing with your foot tingling--have you considered the boots are pressing your feet wrongly especially when jumping and cutting off circulation even temporarily? Or that the boots just aren't supporting you enough period? Now that I look at what particular Jackson you are in, a Jackson Freestyle was never stiff enough for you from the get-go. But now you are switching to a Piano that's way too stiff. The other issue is that you are skating way too much for your level. You are training more than some elites do with on ice training. That's concerning and not good for your feet.

Thank you for all of these points and questions. For the boots…. Honestly, I was just following my coaches advice and all of their input. We have a pro dealer on site, and they seem to promote and sell only Edea. Just about everyone at the rink is in Edea, either chorus, ice fly or piano. In fact, I think I’m the only one I can think of that’s not in Edea. But, I’m also the tallest to the exception of one male and have the largest feet and widest to my knowledge. I’m a bit nervous for all of the reasons you point pointed out. And now, I’m wondering if I should return them when they arrive and go with another Jackson at a higher stiffness. The criticisms of Jackson’s at my place include that they’re not well made, the materials are cheap, and they’re poorly constructed is what I’m hearing compared to Edea. We haven’t decided on blades as my coaches wanted me to use legacy when I wanted the Coro aces or gold seals to help my spins with their more pronounced rockers. Most of the gals at my rink use pattern 99’s combined with pianos or legacy’s on their pianos. Can you suggest a particular boot you were thinking of and blade ? Ive loved my Jacksons. They’ve served me well. But, they did break down really fast. Do you think this is due to my size including weight in relation to what I was doing like jumps ? I wasn’t very excited that a boot less than 6 months showed such signs so I believed my pros when they said it’s because Jackson’s aren’t made well. But now I’m wondering if the issue was me and not the boots. When the edeas arrive I will have the chance to return them. When I said custom ordered I meant because they don’t carry my size or width in stock so I had to wait many months for them. They are arriving with an option to return at least to my dealer without a charge. I’m not familiar with GAF. I’ve never heard of them if you can offer any additional suggestions there along with Jackson’s. Jackson have fit with zero pain after being molded to me and having the heel and ankle knocked out and widened up until the recent tingling I said on days of intensive jumping back to back. My Jackson’s were also ordered in a wide to begin with before being adjusted.

As I’ve said, my feet are pretty uniformly wide. Wide at the ball under the toes, wider across the toes, wide in the heel and although my arch is neutral, the girth at the middle point or highest point of my feet is also pretty thick. I don’t have any irregular toes as my toes are more Egyptian in their lengths and shape meaning you could draw a line from the big toe to the pinky toe, and have an almost perfect angled line downwards to the pinky toe. The Edea width D was offered to me after measuring my feet and doing all the fittings. I was told Edea makes a boot for just about everyone, with all of their various widths and ability to custom manufacturer a boot if needed. Thoughts on that advice ? Because I recognize it’s contrary to what everyone has said in various forums I’ve read, and it has me quite worried to be frank.

For the training… I usually have a schedule. Every day isn’t a jump or even hard day. One day is choreography with that coach, another is edge and speed skating with a different coach, another jumps w/ the jump coach, and so on. So not every day is an intensive jump or training day. Two of those days are pretty relaxed and typically working on my arms, moves, and more of the artistic aspects for example. Would you still feel the same about the amount of hours given that information? If so, how far would you reduce the training in total hours each week?

I’ve not considered those points for my feet. I will now that you’ve brought them to mind. Any other thoughts you can think of ? I appreciate your feedback and help.

 

[ACST2419]

I can't answer most of your questions. The tingling might even be something for a doctor to identify, if your coach and skate tech can't, and you can't figure it out for yourself.

But are you lacing tighter than you used to, because the boots are breaking down? And even though your coach says they aren't laced too tight, the tightness may impact you more because the boots are breaking down, so fairly tight lacing reshapes the boots and your feet more than they used to. (Unfortunately, if you lace too loosely, they break down faster. I guess you should just trust your coach.)

For the most part, breakdown creases can only form if there is space for them to form. I.E., if you place padding - e.g., foam tape, like moleskin - underneath the point on the boot where the crease starts to form, that will mostly stop crease formation. Once it has started creasing, you (or a good skate tech) may be able to press the crease out with a boot press, ball and ring pliers, or bunion stretcher, but if you still have low-pressure-of-contact place underneath the crease, it will form again.

Getting rid of low contact pressure points can extend the lifetime of boots significantly. But eventually, even there are no creases, they become so soft that they no longer provide adequate support and control. In which case they should still be considered broken down.

I think it is wonderful that you have made rapid progress. I have no doubt that your competitive ballet, cheerleading, etc. background has been very helpful.

I didn't know that you can order custom Edea boots... It isn't so obvious from their website. Or do you mean "instant custom", which means the pro shop can apply heat and pressure to stretch and reshape them a little bit, in places where the pressure is too high? Edea's website implies that all their skates have "instant custom fit". Your Jackson Freestyles also have "instant custom fit" (assuming they were heat molded - which, BTW, a good skate tech could redo, which might help - though the methods are a bit different. I'm only wondering, because it is somewhat unusual for someone to go from Jackson to Edea boots, because, from what I've been told, they each tend to work best for somewhat differently shaped feet. Since you've already ordered, I hope you got good advice on switching brands.

Thank you for your help. My edeas were custom meaning, my shop doesn’t carry or offer that size or width and neither did the majority of suppliers they utilize. So this was a custom order with a very long wait time. So not custom made to me or anything. Sorry for my poor choice of words. The skates can be returned to our shop, who is an Edea dealer if I don’t like them. I’m now a bit worried as all of my research continues to show that everyone says Edeas aren’t for feet like mine meanwhile Edea claims, they make boots for everyone. The dealer we have / which is also a shop, only carries and offers Edea. I’m the only one I can think of that’s training to any serious level, who wears Jackson’s. I got mine back when the wait time was over a year last year for my size in Edea chorus. It was supposed to be a temporary solution. My entire team of coaches recommended to stay in the boots until I was ready for pianos which they believe the time is now. Now I’m doubting my entire existence to be honest. LOL. I honestly don’t even know what to think. I can’t claim to know what I don’t know and coming to the figure skating world, I knew absolutely nothing and basically still feel as if I don’t know much about these kinds of topics. It seems I’m not the only one though. It’s apparently a thing to leave ballet when our time comes and take up figure skating as a new passion for the next chapter of our adult lives.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you for all of these points and questions. For the boots…. Honestly, I was just following my coaches advice and all of their input. We have a pro dealer on site, and they seem to promote and sell only Edea. Just about everyone at the rink is in Edea, either chorus, ice fly or piano. In fact, I think I’m the only one I can think of that’s not in Edea. But, I’m also the tallest to the exception of one male and have the largest feet and widest to my knowledge. I’m a bit nervous for all of the reasons you point pointed out. And now, I’m wondering if I should return them when they arrive and go with another Jackson at a higher stiffness. The criticisms of Jackson’s at my place include that they’re not well made, the materials are cheap, and they’re poorly constructed is what I’m hearing compared to Edea. We haven’t decided on blades as my coaches wanted me to use legacy when I wanted the Coro aces or gold seals to help my spins with their more pronounced rockers. Most of the gals at my rink use pattern 99’s combined with pianos or legacy’s on their pianos. Can you suggest a particular boot you were thinking of and blade ? Ive loved my Jacksons. They’ve served me well. But, they did break down really fast. Do you think this is due to my size including weight in relation to what I was doing like jumps ? I wasn’t very excited that a boot less than 6 months showed such signs so I believed my pros when they said it’s because Jackson’s aren’t made well. But now I’m wondering if the issue was me and not the boots. When the edeas arrive I will have the chance to return them. When I said custom ordered I meant because they don’t carry my size or width in stock so I had to wait many months for them. They are arriving with an option to return at least to my dealer without a charge. I’m not familiar with GAF. I’ve never heard of them if you can offer any additional suggestions there along with Jackson’s. Jackson have fit with zero pain after being molded to me and having the heel and ankle knocked out and widened up until the recent tingling I said on days of intensive jumping back to back. My Jackson’s were also ordered in a wide to begin with before being adjusted.

As I’ve said, my feet are pretty uniformly wide. Wide at the ball under the toes, wider across the toes, wide in the heel and although my arch is neutral, the girth at the middle point or highest point of my feet is also pretty thick. I don’t have any irregular toes as my toes are more Egyptian in their lengths and shape meaning you could draw a line from the big toe to the pinky toe, and have an almost perfect angled line downwards to the pinky toe. The Edea width D was offered to me after measuring my feet and doing all the fittings. I was told Edea makes a boot for just about everyone, with all of their various widths and ability to custom manufacturer a boot if needed. Thoughts on that advice ? Because I recognize it’s contrary to what everyone has said in various forums I’ve read, and it has me quite worried to be frank.

For the training… I usually have a schedule. Every day isn’t a jump or even hard day. One day is choreography with that coach, another is edge and speed skating with a different coach, another jumps w/ the jump coach, and so on. So not every day is an intensive jump or training day. Two of those days are pretty relaxed and typically working on my arms, moves, and more of the artistic aspects for example. Would you still feel the same about the amount of hours given that information? If so, how far would you reduce the training in total hours each week?

I’ve not considered those points for my feet. I will now that you’ve brought them to mind. Any other thoughts you can think of ? I appreciate your feedback and help.

You are welcome for the help, that is what I am here for!

Okay, there is alot to unwrap here so bear with me.
First of all, I dislike having to say this but your pros and coaches don't know what they are saying. Alot of skaters who are new to the sport or don't know solely trust the "pros" in the rink or their coaches and just b/c they are coaches doesn't mean they know alot about boots and blades.
That is untrue about Jackson and just another way for them to push Edea.
Edea as well as all boots do not fit certain types of feet. Your feet type do not sound at all like they fit Edea properly.
So now I will ask this: What type of foot shape do you have? (click the link). That would help me best suggest if you would work with brands other than Jackson. In Jackson I would look at a Synergy Pro which has a stiffness rating of 75 and is semi-customizable (for real) what they told you was custom was not with the Edea. The other Jackson I would suggest for you would be Supreme 5300. I would go with the Coro Ace standard for blades, you do not need something like a Gold Seal yet. I could suggest other brands, as I said Risport and Graf would probably work for you but I'd need to know your foot shape better.
Your original Jacksons were never stiff enough for you and that is alot of the issue you had for them, and also if they fit you too wide. Jacksons are naturally pretty wide to begin with.

Lastly, where are you in this world so I can suggest a real figure skating fitter for you. You cannot go back to the place you have gone other than returning the Edeas that are going to be too much for you as we discussed.

Good luck!

 

[ACST2419]

You are welcome for the help, that is what I am here for!

Okay, there is alot to unwrap here so bear with me.
First of all, I dislike having to say this but your pros and coaches don't know what they are saying. Alot of skaters who are new to the sport or don't know solely trust the "pros" in the rink or their coaches and just b/c they are coaches doesn't mean they know alot about boots and blades.
That is untrue about Jackson and just another way for them to push Edea.
Edea as well as all boots do not fit certain types of feet. Your feet type do not sound at all like they fit Edea properly.
So now I will ask this: What type of foot shape do you have? (click the link). That would help me best suggest if you would work with brands other than Jackson. In Jackson I would look at a Synergy Pro which has a stiffness rating of 75 and is semi-customizable (for real) what they told you was custom was not with the Edea. The other Jackson I would suggest for you would be Supreme 5300. I would go with the Coro Ace standard for blades, you do not need something like a Gold Seal yet. I could suggest other brands, as I said Risport and Graf would probably work for you but I'd need to know your foot shape better.
Your original Jacksons were never stiff enough for you and that is alot of the issue you had for them, and also if they fit you too wide. Jacksons are naturally pretty wide to begin with.

Lastly, where are you in this world so I can suggest a real figure skating fitter for you. You cannot go back to the place you have gone other than returning the Edeas that are going to be too much for you as we discussed.

Good luck!

Thank you! From your chart, my feet based on your chart are not quite as sharp in slope as the Egyptian and not quite as boxed as the orient type. I would say I’m closer to the orient but in between the orient and Egyptian type. My measurements are as follows: length of foot is approximately 280 mm. The width from big toe to pinky toe, is 5cm or 50 mm. The width of the ball of the foot or pad, is 10.25 cm or 102.5 mm. The width at the center of the foot, is 9cm/90mm. The girth or height of the center instep of the foot is 6-6 1/2 cm/ 60-65 mm. The width of the heel of the foot around the back tracings are approximately 7- 7 1/2 cm or 75mm. On a more narrow tracing (tight fit, this is closer to 6 1/2 cm or 65 mm. I have a tracing I can send you privately in a message if you want to examine it further. I am in the Minnesota area not far from the twin cities.

Also, thank you for the Jackson recommendations. Which one do you like more the synergy or the supremes? I’m glad I posted here and thankful you responded. Ive read a lot of forums and social media posts about my type of feet and pianos. And honestly, I am terrified that this would be an extremely costly mistake. $1000+ USD is a lot of money to realize that a pair of skates would make me miserable. I have the type of feet that even with regular shoes and heels, many brands especially poorly constructed ones render me in a lot of pain. I’ve always had a hard time with shoes in general and don’t want figure skates to be that way as well, as they’re obviously very expensive. I also don’t want to be over booted or under and injure myself or come to rely on a boot instead of developing the ankle strength as necessary to execute the various moves and jumps I want to strive for.

Do you have any thoughts on my spin issues, and coming too far up onto the toes / toe pick? Is this a me thing or the blades and/ or boots combined? A part of me is worried I’ve not developed the right strength to execute some of these spins as I’ve moved up so fast, but the short passage of time cannot be compensated for if that makes sense. It’s a lot more difficult on ice to come up to spin but only a very small way, compared to ballet where you come all the way up and forward either on the ball or en pointe. I think it takes a lot more strength to hold the spin position for figure skating on a rocket than it does in ballet. At least it feels that way in theory when practicing off ice.

I can only say that my journey so far in FS has been humbling. This is indeed, the most difficult sport in the world in my opinion. Combining all of the skills from classical ballet, contemporary dance, gymnastics and more, while pairing it on a thin blade with slippery ice. It’s one thing to turn and spin and jump on the ground even on pointe, versus in skates on a thin blade. Lol. It’s been a wonderful journey so far, and something I wished I had started so much sooner. Anyone who says ballet or something else is more difficult, please do call upon me to refute it. I’d gladly do so. Ha!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you! From your chart, my feet based on your chart are not quite as sharp in slope as the Egyptian and not quite as boxed as the orient type. I would say I’m closer to the orient but in between the orient and Egyptian type. My measurements are as follows: length of foot is approximately 280 mm. The width from big toe to pinky toe, is 5cm or 50 mm. The width of the ball of the foot or pad, is 10.25 cm or 102.5 mm. The width at the center of the foot, is 9cm/90mm. The girth or height of the center instep of the foot is 6-6 1/2 cm/ 60-65 mm. The width of the heel of the foot around the back tracings are approximately 7- 7 1/2 cm or 75mm. On a more narrow tracing (tight fit, this is closer to 6 1/2 cm or 65 mm. I have a tracing I can send you privately in a message if you want to examine it further. I am in the Minnesota area not far from the twin cities.

Also, thank you for the Jackson recommendations. Which one do you like more the synergy or the supremes? I’m glad I posted here and thankful you responded. Ive read a lot of forums and social media posts about my type of feet and pianos. And honestly, I am terrified that this would be an extremely costly mistake. $1000+ USD is a lot of money to realize that a pair of skates would make me miserable. I have the type of feet that even with regular shoes and heels, many brands especially poorly constructed ones render me in a lot of pain. I’ve always had a hard time with shoes in general and don’t want figure skates to be that way as well, as they’re obviously very expensive. I also don’t want to be over booted or under and injure myself or come to rely on a boot instead of developing the ankle strength as necessary to execute the various moves and jumps I want to strive for.

Do you have any thoughts on my spin issues, and coming too far up onto the toes / toe pick? Is this a me thing or the blades and/ or boots combined? A part of me is worried I’ve not developed the right strength to execute some of these spins as I’ve moved up so fast, but the short passage of time cannot be compensated for if that makes sense. It’s a lot more difficult on ice to come up to spin but only a very small way, compared to ballet where you come all the way up and forward either on the ball or en pointe. I think it takes a lot more strength to hold the spin position for figure skating on a rocket than it does in ballet. At least it feels that way in theory when practicing off ice.

I can only say that my journey so far in FS has been humbling. This is indeed, the most difficult sport in the world in my opinion. Combining all of the skills from classical ballet, contemporary dance, gymnastics and more, while pairing it on a thin blade with slippery ice. It’s one thing to turn and spin and jump on the ground even on pointe, versus in skates on a thin blade. Lol. It’s been a wonderful journey so far, and something I wished I had started so much sooner. Anyone who says ballet or something else is more difficult, please do call upon me to refute it. I’d gladly do so. Ha!

With your foot type, I would stay with Jackson. I like Supreme b/c I have worn them in the past for long periods of time when I was training, but I have heard great things about the Synergy. And again, either of the standard version of the intermediate level blades would work great for you to go with the boots.

Now, as far as a fitter, you are in hockey country up there. There are no good figure skate fitters nearby. Are you able to travel to go to one?
Also, with the foot issues you are having and knowing now that you were greatly under booted, please get checked by a physician to make sure you have not injured your feet.

As for spin issues. It's all about using proper technique and knowing where you balance on your blades and the rocker. Getting the new blades will help somewhat with this b/c they have better rockers on them.

Good luck and if you need anything else, you can send me a PM.

 

[Query]

To some of us en pointe is physically impossible, whereas spinning might theoretically be learnable. En pointe clearly requires extreme flexibility (as do vertical splits, which relatively few figure skaters can manage), and incredible muscle development. That means long muscles, and the ability to maintain them, which many of us lack, and long ligaments, and relatively flat joint (bones). The flat joint bones are only available to a few. I guess it is mostly genetic, but maybe it also means you did very high flexibility sports, like gymnastics, when you were very young.Plus, since ballet slippers provide no ankle support, and very little support elsewhere, you need extreme muscle development for that too. So I think a ballet background is very, very impressive. I bet you can do very well in figure skating. I've known people with that kind of dance background who learned very fast. But of course you need to get used to it.

If your skate tech isn't very good for figure skates, they may have blended the region between your "main rocker" curvature and your "spin rocker" curvature, which makes it harder to figure out where you are on the skate. Also, the length of the "spin rocker" segment may be a lot shorter than it should be, or have been moved backwards via poor sharpening technique, so it is more difficult than it should be to come off of your toepick, which could make your spins scratchy. In other words, the spin issues might be all your skate tech's fault.

Anyway, that sounds like a good excuse for imperfect spins, in addition to the idea of the people above that the blades you are using aren't the very best for spins... And it might be worth traveling a long distance to a really good skate tech to see if those things might be true. In theory, it would be possible to guess from blade tracings and photographs, as well as the marked positios of the balls of your feet, but I'm not sure anyone does that.

The Ultima blades I've used (Ultima Matrix I Dance, Supreme & Synchro) all had very short spin rocker segments to begin with, all very close to the toepick - but that might be an older or different style. But the problem with switching to MK or JW blades, if your skate tech isn't very good, is that it is generally understood MK and JW don't do a great job getting the rocker profile exactly right. So the skate tech is usually expected to reshape them a lot, which in turn means the actual blade shape depends a lot on who your skate tech is. Which means that if your skate tech isn't very good, you might not get what you need. A single sharpening by someone who isn't great, especially the initial sharpening to reshape the blades, can mess them up for good.

So, maybe it is worth travelling far. That's a lot of money, but so are all the lessons you must be taking, and the hardware you are buying.

I wonder if you could cancel that Edea order. If you don't, you might have to pay for a restocking fee, or maybe more than that. You certainly wouldn't want the skate tech to try to reshape the boots for your feet (which is not something an unskilled figure skate tech should attempt in any event, especially for Edea boots, because it involves more skilled labor than many types of figure skating boots), because once that is done, Edea might be unwilling to take them back.

I'm curious: Are most of the figure skaters in your area happy with those Edea boots? I would be surprised if everyone there would be, because Edeas tend to be fairly specific in terms of what shape feet are happy in them. If your skate tech only stocks one brand of upper level boot, that definitely suggests they aren't figure skating specialists. Most boots are most customizable in the upper parts of the boots, because that is what can stretch. If the bottom level of your feet are too large anywhere, that mostly can't be customized.

One possibility - and this is only a possibility - is that the boots are too tight on some parts of your feet. That can cut off blood flow a little. (When the boots were stiffer, they maybe didn't pull in far enough to do that?) Which could produce a tingling sensation, which AFAIK, is usually said to be associated with insufficient blood flow. OTOH, if they are too loose on some parts of your feet, so they (or your socks) are slipping against you, creating friction, I think you would expect callouses, sores, or redness. But a doctor could tell you better than me about that. (Of course there are other causes of blood flow - e.g., sometimes diabetes can create poor blood circulation. And maybe excess pressure on a nerve could produce tingling sensations too? You could even have a bone fracture. Like many things medical, it is hard for those of us not trained in medicine to guess causes, because so many things have fairly similar symptoms. Foot doctors, especially the ones who specialize in sports & dance, and have extra training in those areas, deal with these sorts of things lot. I think they can be worth it. But I admit they cost money too, unless your health insurance covers the visit(s).)

There is one very easy thing you could try yourself. Remove the insoles, and replace them with something thinner, that you cut to shape. Even pieces of cardboard, cut to the same outside shape as the insoles, would be good for a quick test. (If they are like my Jackson Freestyles, they have some metal pieces on the bottom, which without any insoles, would cut into your feet if you don't replace them with something.) That would make your boots a little less tight on your feet. But if that makes your your feet start slipping anywhere, that would be bad too.

I hope you find solutions that make you happy.