Toe Curling

[ziggybun]

Hi y’all, I’m 18F, 5’7”, and 155lbs. I’m skating in professionally fitted Jackson Premieres with Coronation Ace blades. I just started so I’m still breaking my skates in and have the breaking-in pain but I suspect I’m curling my toes inside my skates. My toes and arch hurt, and the pain flares up when I take my skates off and curl my toes. I pronate so I have wedges for that in my skates as well. I know it’ll get better as I become more confident but does anyone have tips or tricks for right now?

 

[Minz]

If you are curling your toes inside your skates because there's not enough room, that means your skates are too small.

 

[ziggybun]

If you are curling your toes inside your skates because there's not enough room, that means your skates are too small.

Maybe curling isn't the right word. When I have my skates on off the ice, I can feel the toe cap barely grazing against the tips of my toes. I even stood in my skates for half an hour to see if the pain would start but it didn't. I'm kind of scrunching the upper joints on my toes inside the boot with like a death grip

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Maybe curling isn't the right word. When I have my skates on off the ice, I can feel the toe cap barely grazing against the tips of my toes. I even stood in my skates for half an hour to see if the pain would start but it didn't. I'm kind of scrunching the upper joints on my toes inside the boot with like a death grip

Your boots might actually be too big which is causing you to scrunch your toes so much they're touching the top of your toebox.

 

[Friday]

Maybe curling isn't the right word. When I have my skates on off the ice, I can feel the toe cap barely grazing against the tips of my toes. I even stood in my skates for half an hour to see if the pain would start but it didn't. I'm kind of scrunching the upper joints on my toes inside the boot with like a death grip

I think that's something fairly normal with beginners, your body is trying to get a grip on the ice (as if you were standing on regular slippery ground)
In the beginning I had kind of the opposite problem with my toes scrunching up / lifting my toes unconsciously inside the boot...

You just have to consciously relax your toes and be everpresent with that, e.g. check on your toes every 10 seconds or so in the beginning and relax them again.

I'm learning my backward crossovers right now and I noticed that I started to scrunch my toes now too (my bodys apparently afraid to go backwards, lol, or tries to compensate for imbalance). Skating is all about being super present with every single part of ones body, no matter how small it may be ^^

 

[Elija]

Your boots might actually be too big which is causing you to scrunch your toes so much they're touching the top of your toebox.

This was my first thought too, have taught a few beginners in skate school that were scrunching their toes and it was because the skates were too big and they were trying to grip if that makes sense.

 

[Minz]

Now that you’ve explained, I agree with the others that the skates seem too big.

Your brain doesn’t trust your toes to be secure in the toe box because the toe box is too big (and because you aren’t really used to it) So you curl your toes because the “gripping” makes you/your subconscious mind feel more secure.

 

[tstop4me]

Maybe curling isn't the right word. When I have my skates on off the ice, I can feel the toe cap barely grazing against the tips of my toes. I even stood in my skates for half an hour to see if the pain would start but it didn't. I'm kind of scrunching the upper joints on my toes inside the boot with like a death grip

We sometimes refer to this as "clawing." Off ice, sit with your boots on. If your toes are not scrunched, and you can wiggle your toes freely, then the boots are not too small. With new boots, if <ETA: the fronts of> your toes lightly brush against the inside lining, then the boots are not likely too long or wide [as the boots break-in, the lining will compress some, and there will be more clearance between your toes and the lining].

If your toes are clawing, the toebox is likely too high. If you are using the Jackson footbeds supplied with the boots, I'd swap those out [ETA: for something better]. Also, I'd insert some foam padding on top of the toes. Start with some soft, squishy foam about 1/8" thick. Cover both sides with moleskin. Trim a piece to cover your toes. If you wear socks, slip the padding inside your sock; the bottom of the padding touches your toes, the top of the padding touches the top inside surface of the sock. The sock will hold the padding in place when you slip your foot into the boot. Increase the thickness of the padding, if needed. The aim is to reduce the amount of empty space between your toes and the top inside surface of the toebox. But don't overdo it. You'll need to play around to get the thickness and shape of the padding just right.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

If you've been professionally fitted, hopefully the boots are just fine (although Premiere seem quite stiff for a beginner).

It's really, really, REALLY common for beginners - and more experienced skaters when learning something new - to clench their toes. When teaching beginners I spend a lot of time saying, "Relax your toes! Relax your shoulders! Where has your neck gone...?" And we'll stop and shake out the arms and legs and, by extension, the feet. As @Friday said above, try to think about keeping your toes relaxed, although that's easier said that done when every nerve fibre in your body is screaming, "What the H.E. Double Hockey Sticks do you think you're doing?????!"

Try reminding yourself that there are no sharks under the ice and hopefully you'll loosen up and stop toe clenching. Good luck!

 

[NanaPat]

Try relaxing your fingers/hands. It helps to relax the toes!

Not a skater, but I am taking a fitness class for Osteoporosis, and relaxing (and spreading out) the toes is a key component of fall prevention. Our instuctor keeps an eagle eye on our hands/fingers.

 

[ziggybun]

If you've been professionally fitted, hopefully the boots are just fine (although Premiere seem quite stiff for a beginner).

I have been riding horses competitively since the 2nd grade so I’ve developed some pretty strong legs that gives of a lot of force when I push. I want these skates to last a year or two which is why my fitter thought the Premieres would be ok.

Your boots might actually be too big which is causing you to scrunch your toes so much they're touching the top of your toebox.

If your toes are clawing, the toebox is likely too high

So update:
I went to go see my fitter and he has a small rink where his shop is and he had me skate around while watching. We figured out that my natural tendency is to put most of my weight on my heels from riding for so long which is causing me to lose balance a bit and a lot of the clawing is from that. He also got me the thinnest socks he could find because a loss of feeling adds to the general insecurity. He got me some metatarsal pads and went over my lacing. I wasn’t tightening my laces near the toebox enough over fear of my toes going numb. And send me off with some wedges I could use if all of the above didn’t resolve most of my problems since he is good 3 hour drive one way for me. But I skated for almost 2 hours after getting back without the wedges with almost no pain at all other than general breaking in aches. I find that the socks help a lot with feeling more movement and letting me be more conscious about how my foot is interacting with the skate and balance out my weight more. Thank y’all so much for the help and advice. I’m glad I didn’t have to get new skates and it’s just something I have to work on

 

[WednesdayMarch]

I have been riding horses competitively since the 2nd grade so I’ve developed some pretty strong legs that gives of a lot of force when I push. I want these skates to last a year or two which is why my fitter thought the Premieres would be ok.



So update:
I went to go see my fitter and he has a small rink where his shop is and he had me skate around while watching. We figured out that my natural tendency is to put most of my weight on my heels from riding for so long which is causing me to lose balance a bit and a lot of the clawing is from that. He also got me the thinnest socks he could find because a loss of feeling adds to the general insecurity. He got me some metatarsal pads and went over my lacing. I wasn’t tightening my laces near the toebox enough over fear of my toes going numb. And send me off with some wedges I could use if all of the above didn’t resolve most of my problems since he is good 3 hour drive one way for me. But I skated for almost 2 hours after getting back without the wedges with almost no pain at all other than general breaking in aches. I find that the socks help a lot with feeling more movement and letting me be more conscious about how my foot is interacting with the skate and balance out my weight more. Thank y’all so much for the help and advice. I’m glad I didn’t have to get new skates and it’s just something I have to work on

This is brilliant news! That fitter sounds like a keeper.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I have been riding horses competitively since the 2nd grade so I’ve developed some pretty strong legs that gives of a lot of force when I push. I want these skates to last a year or two which is why my fitter thought the Premieres would be ok.



So update:
I went to go see my fitter and he has a small rink where his shop is and he had me skate around while watching. We figured out that my natural tendency is to put most of my weight on my heels from riding for so long which is causing me to lose balance a bit and a lot of the clawing is from that. He also got me the thinnest socks he could find because a loss of feeling adds to the general insecurity. He got me some metatarsal pads and went over my lacing. I wasn’t tightening my laces near the toebox enough over fear of my toes going numb. And send me off with some wedges I could use if all of the above didn’t resolve most of my problems since he is good 3 hour drive one way for me. But I skated for almost 2 hours after getting back without the wedges with almost no pain at all other than general breaking in aches. I find that the socks help a lot with feeling more movement and letting me be more conscious about how my foot is interacting with the skate and balance out my weight more. Thank y’all so much for the help and advice. I’m glad I didn’t have to get new skates and it’s just something I have to work on

Thrilled to hear this and especially that you have a wonderful fitter! Happy skating!!