And if the bottom of the foot doesn't match the shape of the bottom of the skate (which can be changed with something as simple as adding tape, in the places you need extra support - usually placed on the bottom side of the insole - or if the sides of the boot don't press tight against the sides of your feet, adding adhesive foam like Moleskin to the sides of the boot), lacing super-super-tight will just create more arch pain.
What do you mean by the speed laces? Do you mean the hooks? They aren't just there for speed. They also help you draw the lace a little tighter than holes do.
Going back through the hooks a second time does make it tighter - and some people do that - but, at least for me, that isn't necessary. (Then again, I don't jump much, so I don't need super-tight.) And it won't prevent gradual looseness migration from loose points at the bottom or the very top, if you let either be loose.
For me, it is just as important that the lower part of the lacing be tight as the upper part. Else the looseness at the bottom spreads up towards the top. If you WANT he bottom looser - or as some people do (especially if the boot doesn't exactly match the 3D shape of the foot) - or you want the middle part where the foot bends looser - there are techniques to lock the lace against slippage at the transition point(s). For example, you can tie the first half of a square knot (the cross-and-under), or even the first half of a surgeon's knot (which has an extra turn), where you don't want the lace to slip. It's not perfect, but it helps.
I don't do that. But I pull the lace tight everywhere, starting at the bottom (VERY important - don't just pull the top tight - one of the most common mistakes I saw while working a skate counter). Then before tying the top knot, I start over pulling tight again at the bottom, and work my way up. (Some people use lace hooks, but I don't need to.)
The other trick is learning to tie the bow tie at the top without slippage. When most people tie shoes, they let the lace slip back a little as they tie the bow. In particular, they might do the cross-and-under, keeping the laces tight. But as they tie the loop-and-around second half of the knot, they allow one or both lace ends to go slack. That is just fine on shoes that don't need to stay super-tight. But not for skates, or other specialized shoes that need to be very tight for safety.
I sometimes tie the bow as a double slipped square knot - i.e., I tie the first cross and under, pull it extra tight, then grab each end from the middle as a loop (technically a "bite" in knot terminology because I don't do a line cross in the loop), and tie those bites in the second cross-and-under of a square knot. It actually results in the same final knot, because a show bow tie is typically a double slipped square knot, but tied that way, there is no backwards slippage as I tie it.
I also always turn the bow tie into a double knot (which means you take the loops for a THIRD cross-and-under, turning it into the start of a type of braid), so the bow tie itself doesn't gradually slip.
One more trick. Make sure the lace isn't twisted. If it is, the cross sectional area is less, and it presses harder against your skin. Some people with soft skin find that the lace otherwise cuts into their fingers, if they pull it tight.
In fact, I use a circular line (3 mm nylon "parachute cord" or "utility cord", from a camping or climbing store, or comparable), which really doesn't slip - and you can stretch it with more tension, and you don't have to worry about twisting. But that may be overkill. I mostly do it because I love the bright colors it comes in.
If the lace doesn't slip, it doesn't need to be initially as tight to begin with. If you have arch pains, you probably don't want to make them worse that way. And, frankly, I'm not sure it is great for the feet to be initially tighter than is needed. Tie it right, without allowing slippage, and it will stay the way you want it to.
Topic: Exercises for ankles (Read 12171 times)