Has anyone ever used these ankle sleeves for support? (not for sore spots/breaking in boots)
http://www.mcdavidusa.com/Product/431R/MCDAVID_Level_1_Ankle_Sleeve.aspxI'm not considering it because I've injured my ankle, but more for prevention. My boots (GAM Horizon) are either starting to break down or are not stiff enough for me now, probably both. I have to lace them really tight, and after I've been on the ice and my feet have "settled in", I have to relace them again. If I don't, then I sometimes wobble when I land a jump, or I wobble and can't really jump off the edge from the right foot (ie. I can't do the loop jump). It's fine once I relace the right foot, so I don't think it's my technique problem (I hope).
I did not have this problem when I first had the boots, but I don't know if that's just because I wasn't jumping as hard/high back then. They've always fit very nicely, so it's not a fitting problem. The ankle bend place is also creased. My coach said that I'll probably need new boots by winter at the latest (that's so soon!). I want to put off spending a lot on new boots as late as possible, but don't want to hurt my ankle, so was looking into some kind of ankle support I can wear with the skates.
So back to my question. If anyone's used these ankle sleeves, or anything similar, do you feel that they help with ankle support at all? Are they thin enough to go into the boot if my boots are already well-fitting? I guess the upper ankle area is slightly looser now on the problematic foot, so there's a leeeetle bit of space there.